Factors That Influence Choice of Method Flashcards

1
Q

What does PETS stand for?

A

Practical factors

Ethical factors

Theoretical factors

Sensitivity of topic

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2
Q

What are the five practical factors?

A

Cost

Time

Researchers personal skills

Researchers personal characteristics

Subject matter

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3
Q

What are the five ethical factors?

A

Informed consent

Deception

Confidentiality

Privacy

Harm

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4
Q

What is informed consent?

A

Participants must be fully aware of what the research will involve and how it will be used in the future

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5
Q

What is deception?

A

Participants should not be deceived about the nature of the research- they cannot give informed consent

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6
Q

What is confidentiality?

A

The identity of participants must be kept a secret

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7
Q

What is privacy?

A

The privacy of the participants shouldn’t not be invaded

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8
Q

What is harm?

A

The participants should not be harmed during or after the research - physical or psychological harm

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9
Q

What type of data do positivists like?

A

Like quantitative data to gain an objective measurement of behaviour

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10
Q

What type of data do positivists favour?

A

Favour reliable data to identify patterns and trends between social groups and over time

Favour representative data to generalise their findings to the research population as a whole

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11
Q

What do positivists like to be able to identify?

A

Identify correlations - links between variables

Identify causal relationships between variables - one variable causes another

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12
Q

What do interpretivists argue about sociology?

A

Argue sociology isn’t a science

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13
Q

What do interpretivits look to understand?

A

Look to understand the meaning that influence why people behave in particular ways

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14
Q

What type of data do interpretivits use?

A

Use qualitative data to gain verstehn - an empathetic understanding of the world from the viewpoint of those being studied

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15
Q

What do interpretivits like their data to be?

A

Like their data to be valid - gain true picture of society

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16
Q

What primary research methods would use quantitative data?

A

Lab & field experiments

Questionnaires

Structured interviews

Non-participant observation

17
Q

What secondary research method would use quantitative data?

A

Official statistics

18
Q

What primary research methods would use qualitative data?

A

Unstructured interviews

Participant observation

19
Q

What secondary research method would use qualitative data?

A

Documents

20
Q

What factors influence choice of topic?

A

Personal interest

Current affairs

Society’s interests

Personal experience

Values of society

To update existing research

To fill gaps in existing research

Requirements of funding bodies