Sociology IGCSE CIE: Unit 1 - Keywords

Structuralism

a macro approach that society is a structure in which individuals play roles.

Correlation

When two variables are linked but cannot be proven.

Causation

when two variables are strictly linked to each other, but it can be proved (eg, 100 °C causes water to boil)

Interpretivism

a society where individuals are in control and our identity is not imposed by society, but we choose it.

Consensus

basic agreement on a shared set of values.

Functionalism

the perspective that all aspects of society carry out a function and they all help the society be whole. (like the human body.)

Marxism

the argument that society is based on the conflict between social classes - the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (wage slaves/ working class). So it is the view that society is where the rich people pay the poor people very little so that they stay rich and the poor people stay poor, and that one day the poor would fight back to create a careless society where class does not exist.

Feminism

division between two groups in society – the two sexes. It is the view that men are always in control.

Positivism

an approach where sociology studies should produce quantitative (statistical) data and should be studied with the same methods as the sciences. Interpretivists argue the opposite.

Bias

When research may be influenced by the values of the researcher or by decisions taken about research.

Objectivity

absence of bias – feelings not allowed to interfere with the neutrality of research.

Hypothesis

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

Pilot study

small-scale test of a part of a research project before the main research.

Survey population

the people that the research is about and whom the findings of the study will apply.

Sampling frame

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

Generalisability

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

Random sampling

When every person has an equal chance of being selected.

Stratified sample

when the sampling frame is divided by gender or age.

Systematic samples

regular pattern for example, every tenth name.

Cluster samples

for example population spread out over country so certain areas are chosen.

Opportunity sampling

people who are available at the time to take part ( for example, being stopped in street and being asked )

Quota sampling

deciding in advance how many people to involve in the research with the certain characteristics and then identifying them.

Snowball sampling

when one respondent puts the researcher in contact with others.

Ethical issues

issues that have a moral dimension, such as when harm or distress may be caused to the participants.

Informed consent

participants agree to take part in a study after being fully told what it involves.

Deception

lying to participants about the true intentions of the research or not giving full information so they answer more naturally.

Qualitative data

information and facts not presented in numerical form.

Self-completion questionnaires

questionnaires completed by respondents by themselves without the presence of a researcher.

Closed questionnaire

participant needs to pick from a set of answers

Scaled questionnaire

participant needs to select yes/no/neither answers

Open questionnaire

participants can write rather then selecting from a set of predetermined responses, allowing for more detailed and varied answers.

Postal questionnaire

a self-completion questionnaire that is sent out and returned by post.

Response rate

proportion of responses obtained out of a sample.

Structured interview

an interview where questions are standardised and the same questions are asked to each person, and replies are codified to produce quantitative data.

Telephone questionnaires

when the researcher reads questions to a respondent over the telephone and records answers.

Reliability

when research can be repeated, and the same answers will be obtained.

Validity

whether the fundings reflect the reality that it is intended to capture.

Unstructured interview

an interview without a set of questions that involves probing into emotions and attitudes.

Semi-structured interview

an interview with some standardised questions but allows flexibility

Focus group

a group brought together to be interviewed on a topic.

Group interview

any interview involving a group being interviewed together.

Interviewer bias

intentional or unintentional effect that the interviewer asks questions or interprets answers.

Interviewer effect

ways the interviewer may affect responses

Subjectivity

lack of objectivity

Laboratory experiments

Hawthorne effect

unintended effects of the researcher's presence on the behaviour of participants.

Field experiments

experiments taking place in the natural setting of the world rather than a laboratory.

Case study

detailed, in-depth study of one group or event.

Longitudinal survey

a survey taking place at intervals over a long period. (usually government-funded about changing lifestyle)

Overt participant observation

when the group being studied is aware that research is taking place and who the researcher is.

Covert participant observation

‘hidden’ so the group is unaware of the research and is deceived into thinking that the researcher is a real member of the group.

Non-participant observation

when the researcher observes a group but does not participate in what it is doing.

Content analysis

a method of communication and the media which involves classifying the content and counting frequencies.

Triangulation

use of two or more methods in the same research project.

Representativeness

the degree to which research findings about one group can be applied to larger groups.

Primary data

information collected by sociologists at first hand.

Secondary data

information collected earlier by others and used later on by a sociologist.

Official statistics

statistics produced by government and official agencies.

Trend

a change overtime in a particular direction.

Comparative study

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

Historical documents

wide range of documents from past used as a source of information by sociologists.