Module 2: Introduction to Research Methods

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to research methods in sociology, including ethical considerations, experimental design, surveys, observatory studies, secondary data analysis, and distinctions between qualitative and quantitative approaches, based on Lecture/Module 2 notes.

Sociological Research Objectives

Shares objectives with other scholarly fields but uniquely focuses on 'meaningful action' – how people make sense of their social world.

Research Methods Selection

No method is inherently superior; the research question informs the choice, and methods have strengths and limitations.

Key Research Methods in Sociology

Experiments (lab and field), Observatory Studies (participant observation and ethnography), Surveys (and interviews), Secondary Data Analysis.

Research Ethics

Guidelines ensuring research does not harm participants, the sociologist, or the community, requiring university ethics committee approval.

Informed Consent

Provided via a consent letter outlining research nature, potential risks/benefits, confidentiality, and honorariums.

Experiments

A research method allowing researchers to examine cause and effect between two or more variables to test a hypothesis.

Lab Experiments

Conducted in a controlled environment to examine cause and effect, typically involving a control group and an experimental group.

Control Group

In an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the variable under analysis.

Field Experiments

Experiments conducted in natural settings, often involving randomization to exclude other variables as causes (e.g., landlord discrimination studies).

Reliability (Experiments)

The consistency of a measurement; a reliable measurement yields consistent results.

Hawthorne Effect

A limitation of lab experiments where participants alter their behavior because they know they are being studied.

Validity

Whether the researcher is actually measuring what they intend to measure.

Surveys

A method where research participants respond to a series of statements or questions in a questionnaire or interview format, widely used for exploring attitudes.

Questionnaire

A series of statements or questions to which research participants respond, either self-administered or read by an interviewer.

Longitudinal Research

Research conducted repeatedly that follows people or groups over an extended period of time.

Cross-sectional Research

Research that is done at one point in time to gather data on a population or phenomenon.

Operationalization

The process of deciding how a survey question will be written to accurately reflect the concept one is studying.

Piloting a Survey

Initially giving a survey or set of interview questions to a small number of people to determine what works and what doesn't before full implementation.

Exhaustive Answer Categories

For closed-ended survey questions, answer categories must cover all possible responses.

Mutually Exclusive Answer Categories

For closed-ended survey questions, answer categories must not overlap or allow for more than one correct response.

External Validity

The extent to which the results of a study are generalizable to the larger population, often achievable with large survey datasets and sophisticated sampling.

Confidentiality

Protecting a participant's identity and ensuring that their responses are not linked back to them personally.

Anonymity

The researcher is unable to identify a given person's response with that specific person, even the researcher does not know the participant's identity.

Observatory Studies

Research methods where researchers view, observe, and may or may not actively participate or interact with a social group.

Ethnography

An observatory study method where researchers participate in and read documents of a social group to understand its culture and practices.

Participant Observation

A beneficial observatory method allowing a researcher to understand social phenomena from the perspective of the people being studied.

Ethnocentrism (in PO)

A limitation in participant observation where the researcher may impose their own beliefs and values on the people they are studying.

Secondary Data Analysis

Analyzing data that someone else has collected, which can include large-scale datasets, historical/archival research, and content analysis.

Content Analysis

The systematic study of text, images, newspaper articles, advertising, or other forms of communication.

Qualitative Methods

Research approaches used when social phenomena cannot be captured by numbers, focusing on understanding social processes, 'how' and 'why,' and participants' perspectives.

Quantitative Methods

Research approaches used when social phenomena can be quantified or translated into numerical values (e.g., years of education, income).

Stanley Milgram's Experiment

A 1961 psychology experiment designed to study obedience, which involved deception where participants believed they were administering electric shocks.

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

An unethical study from 1932-1972 where a group of men were deceived about receiving treatment for syphilis, leading to severe health consequences and deaths.

Laud Humphreys' 'Tearoom Trade'

A 1970 study on impersonal sex in public places, criticized for its use of deception and violation of participants' privacy.

Honorariums

What a participant will receive, typically money, for their involvement in a research study.