Laws made by the government which aim to improve society or deal with a social problem.
Positivists believe that sociology is and should be considered a science, as reality exists independently of the mind and can be studied objectively. They argue that social facts can be observed and analyzed similarly to natural sciences.
Interpretivists prefer qualitative data, using methods such as unstructured interviews, observations, and open questionnaires.
A population is the people who live within a society.
Systematic sampling involves picking every Nth person from all possible participants.
Snowball sampling involves finding a few participants who then help researchers find more participants.
The New Right believes in self-reliance and that the state should not interfere too much in citizens' private lives, particularly opposing the welfare state.
Social desirability refers to the conscious or unconscious changes people make to their answers or behaviours so that they appear more socially acceptable / normal.
Social behaviour that causes public friction and misery, requiring a collective response.
Positivists believe that the study of society should focus on uncovering the truth about how society works, free from subjective values or personal opinions.
'Verstehen' refers to empathic understanding of human behavior, or walking in someone else's shoes.
Positivists prefer quantitative data and methods such as closed questions, structured interviews, and experiments.
Key sociologists include Weber, Garfinkle, Bulmer, Goffman, Cooley, Mead, and Husserl.
Stratified sampling is where the sample reflects the proportions of different groups in the research population.
1. Empirical – Count and measure information. 2. Testable – Scientific knowledge can be tested and retested. 3. Theoretical – Seeks causal relationships and aims to explain. 4. Cumulative – Builds on previous knowledge. 5. Objective – Personal feelings and prejudices have no place in science.
Gomm argues that a value-free sociology is impossible and that sociologists are influenced by political, economic, and social events.
Popper argues that sociology is not a science because its theories cannot be falsified. He believes that a good theory must be testable and withstand attempts to disprove it.
Committed sociology suggests that sociologists should take sides and espouse the values and interests of certain groups.
Weber states that facts can be proven or disproven by evidence, while value judgments cannot.
A research population is the group of people that you wish to study.
Any pattern of relationships that calls for an explanation, such as why poor people are more likely to commit crime.
Kuhn states that sociology is not a science because it lacks a single paradigm. He believes sociology could become a science if it develops a fundamental belief system.
The smaller the sample size, the less likely it can be generalised to the wider research population and is unlikely to be fully representative of the groups.
Demand characteristics occur when the participants change their answers or behaviour to what they think the researcher wants to see or hear.
Generalisability means the extent to which findings can be applied to the larger population of which the sample was a part.
Feminists believe that social policies are designed to maintain patriarchy, benefiting married couples and keeping women at home.
Postmodernists support policies that promote diversity and choices but are not particularly interested in social policy.
Interpretivists argue that sociology deals with unobservable internal meanings behind actions, while natural sciences focus on observable cause and effect. Additionally, sociology studies conscious beings who attach meaning to actions.
A disadvantage of quota sampling is that it can be difficult to find enough people to fill the quota.
Relativism means that there is no independent way to judge if one view is more true than any other.
Electoral popularity, ideological preferences, funding, globalisation, and the critical stance of sociologists.
Social facts are institutions, norms, and values that exist external to the individual and constrain individual behavior.
Representativeness means the extent to which a sample mirrors a researcher's target population and reflects its characteristics.
An advantage of stratified sampling is that it provides a representative sample.
Marxists believe that social policies reflect the interests of the ruling class and provide ideological legitimation to mask capitalist exploitation.
Realists argue that sociology could be a science depending on the definition of science. They identify sociology as an open system due to the complexity and multiple variables that cannot be controlled.
Feminists argue that sociology should be driven by the desire to make society better and expose the injustices of patriarchy.
The idea that participants will consciously or unconsciously change their behaviour when they know they are being watched – only applies to observations.
Qualitative data is open to interpretation which can lower the validity as one researcher may interpret it differently to another.
Quantitative data is more reliable than qualitative as it is quantifiable and not open to interpretation.
Random sampling is when everyone in the population has the same chance of getting chosen, such as picking names out of a hat.
In quota sampling, researchers ensure the sample fits with certain quotas, such as finding a specific number of participants from different categories.
Values refer to beliefs, opinions, and prejudices influenced by class, gender, ethnicity, and experiences.
Weber believes that data collection can be objective and unbiased, without leading questions.
Values play an important role in selecting the area of research, reflecting what sociologists feel is important and worthy of study.
They reject the idea that society determines our actions, viewing society instead as a shared set of meanings and knowledge.
A sample refers to those who are taking part in your study.
An advantage of snowball sampling is that it is useful for researching hard-to-access groups.
Functionalists believe that social policies are good for society, promoting equal opportunity and social cohesion.
1. Choice of Subject or Topic 2. Funding 3. Methodology
Interpretivism focuses on understanding the meanings attached to human actions through empathic understanding (Verstehen) and qualitative methods.
Causality refers to the relationships between cause and effect, explaining how one stimulus can lead to a certain action.
Systematic sampling can lead to an unrepresentative sample.
A disadvantage of opportunity sampling is that it can lead to an unrepresentative sample.
Reliability means the extent to which a study can be replicated in the same way. You do not need to get the same results but the process should be the same.
Positivism approaches sociological research similarly to natural sciences, emphasizing objectivity, logic, and quantitative methods.
Interactionists argue that researchers should avoid imposing their views through hypotheses at the start of a study, advocating for grounded theory instead.
Representative means the extent to which a sample mirrors a researcher's target population and reflects its characteristics.
A disadvantage of random sampling is that it can lead to an unrepresentative sample.
Opportunity sampling uses people from the target population who are available at the time and willing to take part.
