Sociology- research methods

Looking at the world through scientific methodologies; social facts are objectively true

(Comte is considered the father, but Durkheim also has a big link)

• Interpretivist

• Positivist

• Interactionism

• Functionalist

Interpretation of society is subjective and complicated; true understanding is gained by looking at society through peoples individual realities

(Weber is considered the father)

• Functionalism

• Interactionism

• Positivism

• Interpretivism

The extent to which the data we collet gives a true measurement or description of social reality.

• Generalisability

• Validity

• Reliability

• Representativeness

The consistency, precision, repeatability of the data collected

• Representativeness

• Validity

• Reliability

• Generalisability

~Factors affecting research design~

Researcher needs to think about if they are physically able to carry out study

*Personal characteristics

*Time

*Access to participants

*Cost

~Factors affecting research design~

Safety of the researcher and the participants  

*Informed consent 

*Protection from harm 

*Privacy  

*Deception  

*Confidentiality 

*Right to withdraw 

*Debriefing  

~Factors affecting research design~

Factors which a researcher looks at to ensure their research is accurate and stands up to scrutiny

*Reliability: can the study be reproduced for the same results  

*Validity: how accurate is the study 

*Generalisability: how far can we make assumptions about society at large 

*Representativeness: does the study represent society  

What is the Hawthorne Effect?

• A situation where an individual or group of people know they are being observed and so change their behaviour accordingly

• When a researcher's expectations, opinions, or prejudices influence what they perceive or record in a study.

• The disturbance of an observed system by the act of observation

• When people in a study unintentionally influence the results. Instead of being their true selves, participants might change their behavior or responses based on what they think the researchers want

A phenomenon observed as a result of an experiment conducted by Elton Mayo. In an experiment intended to measure how a work environment impacts worker productivity, Mayo’s researchers noted that workers productivity increased not from changes in environment, but when being watched.

• Observer effect

• Hawthorne effect

• Mayo effect

• Worker productivity effect

What does PERVERT stand for?

• Practicality

  Ethics

  Reliability

  Validity

  Examples

  Relativity

  Theory

• Positivism

  Examples

  Relatability

  Validity

  Explanation

  Representation

  Time period

• Practicality

  Ethics

  Reliability

  Validity

  Examples

  Representativeness

  Theory

• Practicable

  Explanation

  Representativeness

  Validity

  Ethics

  Routined

  Theory