Chapter 2

Information collected personally by a researcher

data that already exists; data not personally generated by the researcher

A government- generated secondary source of data on areas such as crime, marriage, and employment

information expressed numerically that captures the 'who, what, when, and where' of behavior

a statistical relationship between two or more variables that expresses a level of probability. A high (positive) correlation suggests the strong probability of a relationship. A low (negative) correlation suggests the probability of little or no relationship.

a statement put forward by the researcher which is then tested to see to see whether it is correct.

non- numeric data that expresses the quality of a relationship

a research method that involves the researcher participating, openly (overtly) or secretly (covertly) in the behavior they are studying.

collecting data on one group or society and then comparing them with others to identify conditions that may be causing social events.

extent to which the characteristics of a sample population accurately reflect those of the target population

secondary source of data covering areas such as personal letters, diaries, oral (verbal) histories, websites, social networking sites and photographs.

research method consisting of a list of written questions

Set of standard questions asked by the researcher of the respondent. It is similar to a questionnaire, but is delivered by the researcher rather than completed by a respondent.

Also called the interviewer effect, this refers to how the relationship between researcher and respondent may bias responses and lead to invalid data

factors that can be changed (manipulated) by the researcher to understand their effect on behavior.

when research shows a relationship or connection between two or more variables

the idea that when one action occurs, another always follows because the latter is caused by the former

the subjects of an experiment. The researcher changes different variables to test their effect on behavior. There is often also a control group, for whom the variable is not changed. This allows comparisons to be made between the control and experimental groups.

in experiments, a group for which the researcher does not change the variables, so that it can be compared with groups for whom variables have been changed.

a research method which follows a set procedure to test a hypothesis. Laboratory experiments take place in a closed environment where conditions can be precisely monitored and controlled. Field experiments take place in the 'real world.'

changes in people's behavior that result from their knowledge of being observed

Research method used for the systematic analysis of media texts and communications

free-form interview method where the objective is to get the respondent to talk, without help (prompting) or interruption, about whatever they feel is important about a topic

a research method in which a respondent is encouraged to talk at length about a particular subject. Also called focused interviews because the topic is decided by the researcher and is the focus of their questions.

also called focus groups, these involve respondents discussing a topic as a group rather than individually.

research strategy central to participant observation, which takes advantage of the researcher's ability to see things from the subject's viewpoint.

when those being studied are aware they are being researched. contrasted with covert participant observation, which is when those being studied are unaware they are part of a research project.

when the researcher observes behavior without participating in that behavior.

involves a small number of subjects drawn from a much larger (target)population. sociologists use a variety of random and non-random sampling techniques.

a 'mini version' of full-scale study designed to test its feasibility.

converting a concept, such as social class or cultural capital, into something that can be researched and measured.

an in-depth, qualitative, study of a particular group of 'case.'

research method focused on identifying groups that share broad similarities, such as level of education, and measuring differences in a single variable; whether, for example, people with a high level of education have higher rates of suicide than those with a lower level of education.

the in-depth study of a group or culture, usually involving participant observation and often other methods as well.

a form of comparative analysis that involves tracking changes among a representative sample over time.

combining research methodologies in ways that allow each to complement the other to improve research reliability and validity.

the approach within sociology which promotes (advocates) scientific methods to discover facts about the social world.

the approach within sociology which advocated methods that enable the sociologist to understand the meanings that people attach to their actions.

the use of two or more research methods where the weaknesses of one method, such as a quantitative interview, can be balanced (offset) by the strengths of another, such as qualitative participant observation, to improve overall research reliability and validity.

the ability of researchers to prevent their own values (such as personal, political or religious values) from influencing their research.

'ethics' refers to the morality of doing something. ethical questions relating to sociological research involve beliefs about what a researcher should or should not do before, during and after their research.

the extent to which a research method describes or measures what it claims to describe or measure.

the effectiveness of the research approach in generating consistent data. a researcher can check the reliability of their research by the repeating (replicating) the research to see whether they get the same, or very similar, results.

when findings of research on a sample can be said to apply to a larger population.