Keywords (copy)

Sociology keywords unit 1

structuralism

an approach focusing on the large scale social structures in which people play defined roles

macro approach

focus on the large scale of whole societies

micro approach

focus on small-scale social interaction

correlation

when two variables are related to each other but causation cannot be proved. For example: being sick is related to poverty but not all poor people are sick and people who are not poor can get sick.

causation

when a strict link can be proved by variables in a time sequence

interpretivism

approaches that start at the level of the individual, focusing on small-scale phenomena and usually favouring qualitative methods

identity

how a person sees and how others see them

perspectives

ways of viewing social life from different points of view

consensus

basic agreements on a set of shared values

positivism

**a**n approach to sociology based on studying society in a scientific manner

quantitative data

information and facts that take a numerical form

bias

the prejudice that distorts the truth when research is influenced by the values of the researcher or by decisions taken about the research

objectivity

absence of bias; the researchers do not allow their values or feelings to influence the research

hypothesis

a theory or explanation at the start of the research that the research is designed to test

pilot study

a small-scale test of a piece of a research project before the main research

survey population

all those to whom the findings of the study will apply and from which a sample is chosen

sampling frame

a list of members of the population from which the sample is chosen

generalisability

when the findings of a sample can be said to apply to a larger group of people sharing their characteristics 

random sampling

when each person has an equal chance of being selected

stratified sampling

when the sampling frame is divided

quota sampling

deciding in advance how many people with what characteristics to involve in the research and identifying them

snowball sampling

when one respondent puts the researcher in contact with others

sampling methods

the different ways in which the sampling can be created

ethical issues

issues that have a moral dimension

questionnaires

a standardised list of questions used in social surveys

social surveys

systematic collection of information from a sample

open questions

the respondent can reply in their own words to give their responses

closed/pre-coded questions

those where the researcher has set out which responses can be recorded

respondent

someone who provides information to the researchers usually used for surveys and interviews rather than other methods

qualitative data

information and facts (like attitudes or kinds of actions) that are not able to be presented in numerical form

self-completion questionnaires

questionnaires that are completed by the respondent on their own

postal questionnaires

self-completed questionnaires that are sent out and returned by post

response rate

proportion of responses obtained out of a sample

structured interview

an interview in which the questions are standardised and the replies codified to produce quantitative data

t**elephone questionnaires**

when the researcher reads the questions to respondents over the telephone and records their answers

reliability

when the research can be repeated and similar responses will be obtained

validity

when the findings accurately reflect the reality that is intended to capture

unstructured interview

an interview without set questions that usually involves probing into emotions and attitudes, leading to qualitative data

semi-structured interviews

an interview with some standardized questions but allowing the researcher some flexibility on what is asked in what order

focus group

a group brought together to be interviewed on a particular topic

group interview

any interview involving a group interviewed together

interview data

intentional or unintentional effect of the way that the interviewer asks questions or interprets answers

interviewer effect

ways in which the interviewer may influence participants' responses by their characteristics or appearance

subjectivity

lack of objectivity. The researcher’s view influences approach taken

laboratory experiments

experiments taking place in a lab to exclude external variables

hawthorne / observer effect

unintended effects of the researcher’s presence on the behaviour or responses of participants

field experiments

experiments taking place in the natural setting of the real world

case study

a detailed in-depth study of one group or event

longitudinal survey

a survey taking place at intervals over a long period

overt participant observation

the group being studied is aware research is taking place

covert participant observation

group being studied is unaware of research and decieved

non-participant observation

when the researcher observes a group but doesn’t participate

content analysis

method of studying communication and media

triangulation

use of two or more methods in the same research project

representativeness

degree to which research findings about one group can be applied to a large/similar group

primary data

information collected by sociologist at first hand

secondary data

information collected earlier by others and used later on by sociologists

official statistics

produced by government and official agencies

non-official statistics

produced by other organisations

trend

change over time in a particular direction

comparative study

looking at two or more different groups or events in terms of similarities and differences

historical documents

a wide range of documents from the past

Conflict

Disagreements between groups with different interests