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Sociology: Research Methods > Types of Data > Flashcards

Flashcards in Types of Data Deck (9)
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1
Q

What are the two main types of data that sociologists use?

A
  • primary

- secondary

2
Q

What is an advantage of using primary data?

A
  • sociologists will be able to gather precisely the information they need to test their hypotheses
3
Q

What is a disadvantage of using primary data?

A
  • collecting the information first hand can be time-consuming and expensive
4
Q

What are advantages of using secondary data?

A
  • quick and cheap
5
Q

What is a disadvantage of using secondary data?

A
  • the information may have been produced for different reasons
6
Q

Give three examples of quantitative data

A
  • official statistics

- league tables

7
Q

What is quantitative data particularly useful for? How can it be displayed?

A
  • measuring the strength of relationships between different factors/ variables
  • statistics and displayed in pictorial form eg. graphs or pie charts
8
Q

Give four examples of qualitative data

A
  • descriptive data
  • quotes
  • written sources
  • newspaper article
  • pictures and photographs
9
Q

What are advantages of using qualitative data?

A
  • can provide a richer and more in-depth picture

- gives you a ‘feel’ for what something is like