Pop quiz 2 - observation, sampling and secondary sources

observation, ethnographic, interpretivists, valid qualitative

this refers to watching a groups behaviour in their natural or usual setting. it is often associated with ? studies

this research method is typically used by ? who want to uncover the meaning behind people’s behaviour. this method is seen as generally producing rich, detailed and ?? data

ethnography, immersing, qualitative, life, culture

when a researcher studies a group’s way of life or culture. this often involves ? themselves in the everyday life of the group.

this term describes any ? research project where the intent is to provide a detailed, in-depth and valid description of an individual or group’s everyday ? and ?.

Margaret Mead, South East Asia, Pacific, gender roles, sexuality, observing, interviewing

What is the name of this sociologist who took an ethnographic approach?

this American sociologist is known for her studies in ??? and the ? where she discovered ideas of ?? and ? differed in these societies. she spent months living with, ? and ? the tribes she studied.

Paul Willis, Eileen Barker, Sudhir Venkatesh

other examples of ethnography

participant observation

when the sociologist becomes part of the group being observed, joining in with the activities undertaken.

non-participant observation, quantitative, count, interested

when the sociologist watches a group but does not take part in the group’s activities.

if ? data is required, this method is preferred enabling the researcher to ? instances of the behaviour that they are ? in

overt observation

when the research group or sample are aware that they are being watched. this means that the right to withdraw is allowed and informed consent has been gained

covert observation

when the research group or sample do not know that they are being watched. this means that there is no right to withdraw and informed consent has not been gained.

the Hawthorne effect, natural, Elton Mayo, worker productivity

this refers to when people behave differently when they know that they are being watched. this affects the validity of the data collected. some sociologists argue however, if a study lasts long enough a bond of trust is created and behaviour becomes more ‘?’.

the term originated from ?’s classic study of ?? at the Hawthorne Plant

Verstehen, Max Weber, point of view

What is this term?

this definition was created by ? and refers to the sociologist’s attempts to understand or to have empathy for the person being studied. also to try to understand what is happening from that person’s ???, by putting yourself ‘in the shoes’ of another person.

John Howard Griffin ‘Black like me’ and My week as a Muslim - Channel 4 2017

examples of verstehen

Piff et al - disadvantage of overt non participant observation, wealthy, upper, uncaring, selfish, position, higher, unethical, naturalistic

this study was designed to test the view that ?, ?-class people were more ? and ? than those lower down the social scale. the study assumed that cars indicated wealth and ? in society.

the study found that people in a ? social class suggests increased ? behaviour (and this was uncovered by using ? methods).

Flanders - structured observation, praising pupils, asking questions, criticises, gives direction

this sociologist used an observation schedule to classify and quantify ‘teacher talk’. For example, ??, ??, ? and ??.

example of observation - William Whyte’s ‘street corner society’. Italian, Boston, personal, explanations, interpretivist, valid, emotions, quantitative, argue, moral, formal interviewing, interested acceptance, ethnographic, football, sex, argument, more

What is this an example of, who was the sociologist and what is the name of the research?

In this study, a sociologist studies young men from an inner city ? community in ?, USA. He found that his acceptance in the district depended on the ? relationships he developed far more than any ? that he could give. This takes an ? approach - by arguing that in order to gain the most ? data, a researcher needs to develop relationships based on ? rather than ? data.

this sociologist was instructed not to ? with people or pass ? judgements about them. He did little ?? and he instead sought to show ?? of the people and the community in his everyday participation (? approach and being involved in the research process).

He took part in the conversations based around ? and ?. He found that ‘one could hardly participate without joining in the ?’ suggesting that arguing promotes discussion by making someone feel passionate about what they are talking about and ? likely to tell them.

example of observation - James Patrick ‘a Glasgow Gang observed’. James Patrick, Glasgow, Tim Allen, boys, appearance, violence, researcher, violence, harmful, run, protected from harm

What is this an example of, who was the sociologist and what is the name of the research?

this study was a thesis completed by ? (fake name) on a well known violent gang in ?. He was invited to the gang by ? who Patrick taught when he was a newly qualified teacher.

He witnessed a lot of violent and harmful situations by the gang and ended up quitting due to “the struggle with identification between the ? and ? of their ?”. This means that he struggled to be a part of the gang and to take a ? view by not encouraging ?.

Issues - this sociologist was placed in ? situations. During a fight in a pub, two gang members kicked two other men mercilessly, forcing this sociologist and other members of the gang to ? several hundred yards away.

Gang members - not (which ethical issue is this?) as they involved themselves in harmful situations.

target population

the social group that a researcher is interested in studying

sample

a smaller group of people that will be researched on and represents the target population

representative

when a smaller group of people reflects the same characteristics as the target population

generalise

when a sociologist can apply their data to the wider target population

sampling frame

a list of names of all members of the target population (e.g. a school register or electoral register)t

availability of a sampling frame and access to the sample, determination of sample size, sampling method

three factors to be considered in sampling

availability of a sampling frame and access to the sample

one factor to be considered in sampling:

this is a list or description of all possible individuals who could be a part of the researchers sampling. for example, all households in a village or a district

determination of sample size, budget, time, representative, generalisability, valid

one factor to be considered in sampling:

this should be determined based on a number of factors, such as ?(money), ? and desired level of confidence that an estimate of the sample is ? of the population. this factor greatly influences the ? of the study findings, and how ? the data is

sampling method. equal, focused, deliberate.

one factor to be considered in sampling:

the two main approaches for selecting a sample are random sampling and non random sampling.

Random sampling (or probability sampling) gives every individual in a specific population an ? chance of being selected.

Non random sampling (or non-probability sampling) involves a more ? and ? sampling technique.

random sampling (probability)

each member of the target population has exactly the same chance of being picked. for example like numbers picked out in a lottery. names could be picked out of a hat or a computer could generate a random list.

it is seen as a fair and unbiased method but the sample selected might bot be representative.

purposive sample (non-probability)

when a researcher has limited time and/ or there is no sampling frame available, they might simply set out to find characteristics that are relevant to the purpose of the study

snowball sample (non-probability)

here, a ‘gatekeeper’ is often used to gain access to the sample. the gatekeeper then introduces the researcher to someone else and the sample begins to get bigger and bigger

quota sample (non-probability)

the researcher calculates how many people from each group are needed and goes out looking for that number of people with those characteristics.

volunteer sampling (non-probability)

a ‘self selecting sample’ as people are invited to take part in the research. for example, the experiment is advertised by a poster

cluster sample

geographical areas or locations are selected and the random samples are taken from these locations

stratified sample (probability)

when the population is divided into different groups to allow the right proportions of different characteristics to be selected

systematic sample (probability)

a sampling method in which a researcher selects members of the population at regular intervals

opportunity sample (non-probability)

this sample is made up of those who are willing, able and available to take part, as well as being suitable for the research

snowball, mass systematic, volunteer, random, purposive, stratified random sampling and some snowball

here are different examples of studies and their sampling methods. name the sampling method with the study:

• Sudhir Venkatesh: gatekeeper - J.T, James Patrick: gatekeeper - Tim Allen, the gang leader. ?

• the census - ?

• Zimbardo - ?

• Ann Oakley - ?

• Paul Willis - ?

• Dr Peter Mackie - ? and ?

Dr Peter Mackie - research into street trading children. Peru, 3000, quantify, verstehen, questionnaire, interview, confusing, communication, valid, sampling frame, observational survey, quota, stratified random, snowball

Who was the sociologist and what was the name of the research?

this sociological research took place within a city of ? with a population of around ?. this meant that the city was small enough to ? and understand the role of children in street policing - increasing “?”.

piloting - this sociologist took an example of his ?/ ? and tried it out with his street working children. he found that some of the questions were ?, and the children spoke in ‘street child Spanish’. as a result, this sociologist learned to access the sample, this allowed better ? and more ? data.

this sociologist did not use a ? ? and instead used an ? ? of all adults and children in street work to identify the proportion of people. he then made a ? sample. However, this could be argued that a form of ? ? sampling was used. also ? sampling may have influenced the study as a result of a child recommending this sociologist to their friend

panel sample, cross-sectional

when the same sample is questioned at regular intervals to identify trends in opinions. which sampling method can this be compared to?

cross sectional sample, panel

a one off study looking at a group of people. a snapshot of what society is like at that moment in time. what type of sample can this be compared to?

secondary sources/ data, sociological research, Official statistics, Personal documents, Media accounts

any research or information used by a sociologist that was not created by them specifically for their study. examples of this data include:

• Existing ??

• ?? (ONS)

• ?? (letters, diaries, ect)

• ?? (newspapers magazines, internet sources, social media platforms, television, film, radio, ect)

literature review, already asked, influential, controversial, validity, reliability, summary

Sociological research often begins with a review of existing information. For example a ?? will indicate the questions ?? and any aspects that have been ? or ? of the proposed subject of the topic. It also sets the context for the new research by addressing the ? and ? of the previous research and a ? of what has gone before.

content analysis, official statistics, personal documents

3 ways to use secondary sources

Guy Lansley - What is your main language? (analysis of the 2011 Census)

What is a sociological example of the use of secondary sources?

Literature reviews, time, money, more information, present, past, social change, triangulation, validity, reliability, Authenticity, credibility, distortion, representativeness, John Scott

Advantages and disadvantages of using secondary data?

• ?? can inform the planning of the research

• ? and ? can be saved

• ?? may be available than could be collected by the researchers themselves

• Comparison between the ? and the ? means one can identify ??

• Another element of ?

  • There may be issues over the ? and ? of existing sources. ?, ?, ? and ? assess the usefulness of secondary sources - ?? (name of sociologist who came up with these terms)

authenticity, credibility, representativeness, meaning, John Scott

What four factors are important to assess secondary documents in research, and who came up with this?

genuine, fake, Hitler’s diaries, forgeries,

John Scott and authenticity. this refers to if the document is ? and not ?. For example, a German magazine acquired ?? but research later showed that the diaries were ?.

true, distorts

John Scott and credibility. this describes how far a document provides a ? picture of an event, or if it ? the event.

typical, repetitive, spontaneous, generalisable, 1800s, present day, men, ruffians, hooligans, yobs

John Scott and representativeness. refers to if a document’s findings/ data are ? and ? in nature, or if they are something ? and one-off, meaning that the documents may not be ? due to limited findings. For example, from the ? to the ??, reports in tabloid newspapers have often pictured young ? as ‘?’, ‘?’ and ‘?’.

produced, see, hear, researcher, 300, occupied terrorists, 9

John Scott and meaning. This is how the document is interpreted by those who ? it, to the people who ? it or hear it, and to the ? who interprets it. For example, a sample of ?young adults did not know what ‘??’ were - only ?% got it right.

content analysis, quantitative, certain words, images, column inches, meaning, hidden meanings, semiology

a method used when studying the media. This is usually ?. For example, counting the times ?? or ? are used, how many ?? were given to certain stories in newspapers, ect.

However, studying the media can also produce qualitative data - describing an article, website or programme and discussing its ? or ??. This is known as ?.

seminology

the meaning behind media content

the Bechdel test, Riz test, no more page 3, See Jane, Just Like a Girl

5 examples of content analysis

gender equality, talk, 2, man, 120, 30, 20, feminist, normative plotlines, depth of stories

Content analysis - The Bechdel test

brings attention to ?? in pop culture by assessing if there (1) are at least ? female characters, (2) who ? to each other, (3) about something besides a ?.

A survey of over ? films found that only ?% of named characters were female and ?% of these films had a female protagonist or co-protagonist. The Bechdel test is not a way to evaluate whether a film is “?”. This is simply a way to point out the ?? of mainstream films and the ??? that include women in films.

Muslims, terrorist, Western, misogynistic, oppressed woman, negative stereotypes of Muslims, authentic

Content analysis - The Riz test

This measures the portrayal of ? in films and TV. It assesses if they are portrayed as a stereotype e.g. as a ?, a threat to a ? way of life, ?, or an ??. The Riz test seeks to quantify the extent to which films perpetuate ????. By applying these criteria, it aims to encourage more ? portrayals of these characters in the media.

Sun, 6 months, naked, sportspeople, doing, portrayed, active, things, posed, passive, look, woman doing sport, emotions, smiling, pouting

Content analysis - No more page 3

This experiment cut out photos of men and women separately from the ? newspaper for ??. These photos were then compared by: how many women vs men were ?, how many male and female ? there were, and what each sex separately was ? and how they were ?.

They found that the men are nearly all ?, doing ? and not ? like the women. The women are ? and it is all about how they ?. For a newspaper renowned for sports, there was not a single photo of a ???. There were a range of ? on the men’s side and the women were mainly ? or ?.

3, eye candy, male gaze, career options, aspirations, 2015, 17, 2, screen time, 2

Content analysis - See Jane

In children’s media, there are ? times more representations of boys than girls. When girls are portrayed, it is mainly for “??” or the ??. Children internalise this message and interpret women as having little ??, and even fewer ?. In ?, ?% of the top-grossing films had a female lead. Male characters received ? times the amount of ?? and spoke ? times as often as female characters.

education, family, culture, Questionnaires, interviews, magazines

Content analysis - Sue Sharpe ‘Just like a Girl’

a study into teenage girls’ views and aspirations with regard to ?, ?, and ?. ? were initially used but these soon became ?. Content analysis of girl’s ? was also used.

official statistics, positivists, quantitative

quantitative data created by the Government and/or its agencies. It is the most widely used secondary source in sociological research. The secondary source is highly favoured by ? due to the reliance on ? data.

Le Suicide - Emile Durkheim, European, nineteenth, official suicide statistics, stable, constant, different, social groups, big social changes, 4, integration, regulation, social facts

What is the name of this study and name the sociologist involved?

This study looked into the suicide rates across a range of ? countries over several decades of the ? century. Quantitative data was used because this sociologist relied on ??? in his research. 

Key patterns and trends identified:

• Suicide rates for any society remained ? and ? over time.

• Different societies had ? rates.

• Society rates varied considerably between different ??.

• When rates did change they coincided with other ???.

This sociologist identified ? types of suicide from his research. He also highlighted the importance of ? and ? and said that these were ?? (external to the individual).

Durkheim’s social facts

this exercises constraint over individuals and shapes their behaviour and actions

egoistic, altristic, anomic, fatalistic

Durkheim’s four types of suicide

egoistic suicide

this type of suicide results from too little social integration

little social integration, socially isolated, no place in society, social groups, social support, guidance, unmarried people, men, married people

Egoistic suicide

Egoistic suicide results from too ???. According to Durkheim, when a man becomes ?? or feels that he has ???? he destroys himself because he is not bound to ?? and is therefore left with little ?? or ?, and therefore tended to commit suicide on an increased basis.

For example, ??, particularly ?, who, with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms and goals, committed suicide at higher rates than ??.

altruistic suicide

this type of suicide occurs when someone has too much social integration

much social integration, less value, good of the group, duty to die, suicide bombers, kamikaze pilots

Altruistic suicide

This occurs when someone has too ??? - the person is putting others before themselves and feels that they have ?? compared to others in their society. This means that they feel that they need to sacrifice themselves for the ???? and it is their ???.

For example, ?? - so integrated that they feel their belief is more important than their life. Another example, in WW2 ?? were expected to crash their planes into warships.

anomic suicide

this type of suicide is caused by too little moral regulation and the key word of this suicide refers to normlessness or deregulation

little moral regulation, normlessness, deregulation, unclear, social change, sudden economic slumps, Wall Street stock exchange crash

Anomic suicide

This is caused by too ???, and “anomie” refers to ‘?’ or ‘?’. Anomic suicide occurs when society’s norms become ? or no longer have ??, creating uncertainty in individuals. 

For example, ???, such as the ????? that led to the Great depression and more suicide.

fatalistic suicide

this type of suicide is caused by too much moral regulation and normally occurs when society controls an individual completely

much moral regulation, completely, crushed, severe control, slaves, prisoners, freedom, unimportant

Fatalistic suicide

This is caused by too ??? and this normally occurs when society controls an individual ?. The individual may feel that their future is “?” and have no other options as a result of the ??. 

For example, ? and ? are more likely to commit this type of suicide due to their lack of ?. Durkheim never specified why this type of suicide was ?.

personal documents

refers to as letters or diaries that can be used as a valuable qualitative source of secondary data

Thomas and Znaniecki ‘The Polish Peasant in Europe and America’, Valerie Hey studying girls’ friendships patterns at school, The Mass Observation Project

the three personal document examples

Thomas and Znaniecki, USA, letters, letters, relatives, replies, newspapers, life histories, interviews, autobiography, social changes, cultural identity, imperfect integration

? and ? - The Polish Peasant in Europe and America (example of personal documents)

A study of Polish migration to the ? based on first-hand accounts largely from ? - ? from Polish peasants to ? in America and their ?; the archive Polish ?; as well as a few ?? obtained through ? and one ? running to 300 pages. The material was analysed to show the ?? in rural Poland, the efforts of the migrating peasants to retain their ?? and their eventual ?? into American society.

Valarie Hey, 15, 3, 90, relations with each other

?? studying girls’ friendship patterns at school (example of personal documents)

Notes passed between the girls were retrieved by the teacher - out of ? separate notes between ? girls in one subject - ?% of what they wrote concerned their ????.

The Mass Observation Project, writers, daily experiences, open-ended questions, personal, social, researchers

What was the name of the project looking through personal documents? (example of personal documents)

A panel of ? were enrolled to write about their ?? when this project first started. This continues through WW2 and into the 1950s. This was later re-established and volunteers contributed responses to a series of ?-?? covering both ? and ? issues at the University of Sussex. This archive is a rich source of data for ?.