unit 1

Question 1

what does perspective mean?

Answer 1

the way in which a sociologist analyses a society, and an explanation of what is happening in the society

Question 2

social institution:

Answer 2

refers to patterns of human behavior: family, education, media, law, politics, economy

Question 3

macro level perspective

Answer 3

macro level sociologists are structuralists. they analyze the society as a whole and how the society has more power and control over the individual eg: functionalism, marxism, feminism

Question 4

micro level perspective

Answer 4

these sociologists are known as interactionists. they focus on the individuals and their contribution to the society and how they are more free eg: symbolic interaction

Question 5

forms of data and meanings:

Answer 5

quantitative: numeric form
qualitative: textual form, detailed long pieces of text

Question 6

what are the two main approaches in research?

Answer 6

positivism: in favor of quantitative data. inspired by the natural sciences thus being known as a naturalist approach to research: lab experiments, close ended questionnaires, structured interview, official statistics
interpretivism: in favor of qualitative data. they disagree with positivists and have an anti naturalist approach: unstructured interviews, analysing qualitative documents, PO, open ended questionnaires

Question 7

what are the types of data?

Answer 7

primary data: data and research collected by the sociologist themselves: PO, interviews, questionnaires
secondary data: data that already exists and that was compiled by someone else, but being used by the sociologist: official statistics, documents

Question 8

what is functionalism?

Answer 8

• macro level perspective
• based on work of durkheim and parsons
• functionalists believe that the social institutions work together in an interdependent way, producing positive outcomes in order to keep the society stable (institutional interdependence)
• biological analogy: functionalists say that the society is like the human body where just like organs work together to keep the body stable, the institutions work together to keep the society stable.
  key concept: value consensus

Question 9

what is value consensus?

Answer 9

refers to an agreement of the norms values and beliefs that are to be followed by all members in the society. when individuals follow the value consensus, social conformity is achieved (meeting standards). this is important for social stability
- not conforming to social expectations is known as deviance.

Question 10

what is marxism?

Answer 10

• macro level perspective
• based on the work of karl marx who was a rebel against economic inequality
• focuses on economic inequality and how there are class divisions in society
• analyses how one class (bourgeoisie) oppresses the other (proletariat).
  -based on the conflict theory

Question 11

who are the bourgeoisie?

Answer 11

the ruling class such as factory owners. they are the powerful group within the society

Question 12

who are the proletariat?

Answer 12

the labor class or working class. they are the weaker group in the society

Question 13

how do the bourgeoisie get color the proletariat?

Answer 13

they do not share the profits made by them. the bourgeoisie have a powerful set of ideas (dominant ideology) which helps maintain their control over the proletariat. with the bourgeoisie’s control of the economy, they can also control other social institutions, like media which can help spread their powerful ideas to keep proletariat in a state of false consciousness

Question 14

what does false consciousness mean?

Answer 14

refers to the condition of the proletariat in which they do not realize they are being exploited by the bourgeoisie and that they are not their well-wishers
- marx anticipated that the proletariat will achieve a state of class consciousness in which they will realize they have been exploited by the bourgeoisie. this can lead to proletariat revolution with a class-less society

Question 15

what is participant observation?

Answer 15

• collection of primary data
• this is where the researcher actually joins the research group and participates in their activities.

Question 16

what are the strengths of participant observation?

Answer 16

• favored by the interpretivists, producing highly detailed qualitative data.
• the researcher can find out about the life experiences of individuals and find out about the meaning behind their actions.
• this achieves verstehen, understanding the perspective of the person who is being researched.
• this means results are high in validity

Question 17

what are the weaknesses of participant observation?

Answer 17

• practical issues: time and cost
• criticized by positivists
• detailed data may be difficult to interpret
• the issue of the “researcher going native” and becoming emotionally attached to the group so they may not be objective.
• in overt PO when the group knows they are being researched, they may develop observer effect and modify their behavior which impacts the validity.
• results are low in reliability as if the research was repeated, the same results cant be obtained.
• this is low in representativeness as this is highly detailed and not a lot of people can be observed at once.

Question 18

what does validity mean?

Answer 18

refers to the extent the results of a research is accurate

Question 19

what does representativeness mean?

Answer 19

refers to how many people can be researched on at one time, and the extent to which results of a research can be generalized.

Question 20

what does objectivity mean?

Answer 20

this refers to the idea that researchers should be unbiased and neutral. this is more likely to be found in positivist researches.

Question 21

what does reliability mean?

Answer 21

refers to the extent a research method produces the same results when the research is repeated

Question 22

what are the 2 types of PO?

Answer 22

• overt: when the true identity of the researcher is shown to the research group so they know they are being researched on
• covert: when the identity of the researcher is hidden so the group does not know they are being researched on

Question 23

what are the strengths and weaknesses of overt PO?

Answer 23

• researcher can ask questions openly, thus achieving verstehen and validity, they can make detailed notes, and research ethics are followed. EG: eileen barker- making of a moonie ( a research on why young boys were joining a controversial religious group known as the ‘moonies’
• BUT: the research group may modify their behavior (observer effect), and research on some groups like criminal gangs is difficult.

Question 24

what are the strengths and weaknesses of covert PO?

Answer 24

• overcomes the observer effect as the identity is hidden, it is easier to carry out research on groups where it may be difficult like criminal gangs. EG: a Glasgow gang observed by James Patrick
• BUT: they cannot ask questions openly as they may arouse suspicion, breaching research ethics, and they have to rely on memory rather than taking notes, and there is a difficulty of getting in, staying in, and getting out.

Question 25

what are the research ethics?

Answer 25

- no deception (lying about identity or purpose of research) - no harm - researcher should not get involved in illegal activities - researcher cant force people to become part of the research

Question 26

what is non participant observation?

Answer 26

researcher observes a research group but does not participate in their activities. EG: by Flanders about classroom observations. he analyzed was spent in classroom proceedings on various tasks like the teacher talking, class activities, and the students input.

Question 27

how can non-participant observation be done?

Answer 27

- standing at a distance - surveillance cameras - one way glass

Question 28

what are official statistics?

Answer 28

official statistics is quantitative data about social phenomena. usually compiled by agencies or the government.

Question 29

what are the strengths of official statistics?

Answer 29

- preferred by the positivists - allows them to carry out a comparative analysis and understand trends -readily available as it is a secondary source -easy to interpret - cheap and time efficient - high in objectivity as it is collected by trained experts - collected on a large scale so it is high n representativeness. -

Question 30

what are the weaknesses of official statistics?

Answer 30

- according to interpretivists, they lack depth or meaning behind the social phenomena - official statistics can be politically manipulated and the government may not want to reveal the truth. for an example, crime statistics may hid the actual truth from the public and this is known as dark figures. according to Marxists, white collar crime is not reported in official statistics as the police protects the interests of the ruling class. - statistics also show how change in methodology to collect the official statistics can lead to change in the results so it does not reflect the true reality. - statistics are often compiled by non-sociologists so definitions may not suit sociological research

Question 31

what are documents?

Answer 31

documents are usually qualitative and are sources of secondary data. they can include historical and personal documents. documents consist of: diaries, historical paintings, and letters

Question 32

give examples of each form of document:

Answer 32

letter: a polish peasant in europe and america by thomas and znaniecki- an analysis of the letters and feelings of polish farmers who migrated to the USA diaries: the diary of a young girl (anne frank), world war 2 nazi germany and the holocaust historical paintings: centuries of childhood by philippe aries- he analyzed historical paintings of europe from 1600-1900 and concluded that childhood had evolved overtime.

Question 33

why may diaries lack validity? what are the weaknesses?

Answer 33

- diaries may have bias as it is written in the perspective of the writer, and it cannot be verified - there may be distortion due to exaggeration - information is detailed so it may be difficult to interpret, as well as in the way of writing. this is known as ambiguity - originality of the document may be questionable - representativeness may only be limited to certain groups

Question 34

what are the strengths of documents?

Answer 34

- provides a first hand account of the event which can be highly valuable - cheap and readily available - may offer in depth understanding of the event.

Question 35

what are interviews?

Answer 35

involve an interviewer and interviewee. interview schedule: list of questions that are to be asked in the interview

Question 36

what are structured interviews?

Answer 36

this is where there are pre set questions that are fixed , meaning there is a fixed interview schedule. the interviewer is detached from the interviewee. this method is preferred by the positivists. EG: marshall et al. (1988) about social mobility

Question 37

what are the strengths of structured interviews?

Answer 37

-practical: low in cost and time, results can be analyzed easily, and is a convenient way of getting questionnaires filled. -theoretical: high in reliability as it the research was repeated, the same results can be obtained, it is high in representativeness as many surveys can be done at once, comparative analysis can be carried out as well which identifies trends

Question 38

what are the weaknesses of structured interviews?

Answer 38

- not preferred by the interpretivists as results lack detail and depth with results in low validity. interviewees cant speak at length, thus providing little information. there is the imposition problem where the questions are created by the interviewer, reflecting their views throughout the research, rather than the interviewee.

Question 39

what are unstructured interviews?

Answer 39

- preferred by interpretivists. no fixed interview schedule. this is informal EG: hamid et al. (2010) discussed sensitive issues related to growing up, marriage, and sexuality of girls in pakistan. ann oakly (1981) the experience of becoming a mother in the british society

Question 40

what are the strengths of unstructured interviews?

Answer 40

-can provide detailed, qualitative data - can provide flexibility to the interviewer to ask probing questions to gain a further insight and understanding of the interviewee which achieves verstehen and validity these interviews can resemble informal conversations and create a friendly rapport, allowing the interviewee to speak at length and open up, increase validity.

Question 41

what are the limitations of unstructured interviews?

Answer 41

-practical: time consuming and costly - theoretical: criticized by positivists, low in reliability as if the research was repeated, the same answers cant be obtained. low in representativeness as only a little number of interviews can be carried out at the same time. detailed qualitative date may be difficult to interpret (ambiguty). the interpretation of meanings of the researcher can make the research biased. the interviewee may modify their responses in accordance with the personal characteristics of the interviewer (interviewer bias), Hawthorne effect.

Question 42

what are semi structured interviews?

Answer 42

combination of structured and unstructured interviewing approaches. this aimes to develop and understanding of the respondants viewpoint.

Question 43

what are the strengths and weaknesses of semi structured interviews?

Answer 43

- imposition problem doesnt take place, high validity, both quantitative and qualitative data is collected. -BUT: more time consuming compared to questionnaires, no reliability or representativeness.

Question 44

what are group interviews?

Answer 44

also known as focus groups. involves a number of interviewees being interviewed at the same time. preferred by interpretivists.

Question 45

what are the strengths and weaknesses of group interviews?

Answer 45

-saves time and cost - other members can elaborate and expand on answers giving more information. group interaction can be analyzed. -BUT: some group members may dominate the discussion, others may be too shy which leaves out their perspective, large amount of detailed qualitative data which can be difficult to interpret, lacks reliability. group think may occur which is a concept by Janis according to which individuals may come under the influence of the dominant opinion, and change their ideas or responses which can affect validity

Question 46

what are lab experiments?

Answer 46

-favored by positivists - most scientific of all research methods. EG: bandura ross and ross, bobo doll experiment- exposure of children to violent media leads to aggressive behavior

Question 47

what are the strengths and weaknesses of lab experiments?

Answer 47

- highly structured which means high reliability the researcher can develop cause and effect relationships (causation) among variables under controlled conditions to test a hypothesis and results are highly objective - BUT: interpretivists have an anti naturalist approach which is why they criticize it. they are carried out under controlled conditions and are low in validity as it may not be applicable to social life outside the laboratory. Hawthorne effect can take place as the participants are aware they are being researched on. experimenter bias can lead to individuals responding differently to different experimenters which decreases validity. there may be the breach of research ethics.

Question 48

what is content analysis?

Answer 48

refers to the analysis of documents and mass media to produce quantitative results. this is preferred by positivists. EG: McRobbie, analysis of teen girl magazine Jackie saying they ruin the work of feminists. McCabe et al. did a content analysis on textbooks

Question 49

how is content analysis done?

Answer 49

-select content to analyze select time period - develop categories - get frequency - analyze trend in results - report findings to audience

Question 50

what are the strengths and weaknesses of content analysis?

Answer 50

- preferred by positivists, providing quantitative data which can reveal important trends. it is reliable, and it involves secondary data so there is no breaching of research ethics. -BUT: lacks depth according to interpretivists so there is low validity, some content may not fit neatly into one category so there is low validity, and the process of establishing and allocating content to categories is a process that involves the interpretations of the researcher so their may be bias.