Download Topic 1 - Social Sciences

Topic 1
Studying society
How is the sociological approach different from the biological,
psychological or journalistic approach?
What are social structures and can you give
examples?
All societies are built up of different parts and all are organised in some
way. There are patterns and sets of organisations that act as
scaffolding to keep society stable.
Examples of social structures include:
• The education system
• The legal system
• The political system
What are social processes and can you
explain these?
Our lives, form the day we are born all the way through to old age, are
affected and influenced by:
Our contact with other people and our links with important
organisations such as the education system
During this contact the following social processes can happen:
• Socialisation
• Labelling
• Discrimination
Social issues: What are the causes and
consequences of inequality?
Social issue
Cause
Consequence
Poverty
Unequal economic system where
those at the top take too much
which means not leaving any for
those at the bottom
Those in poverty have to turn to
crime to survive
Discrimination
Ideas passed on through
Can cause a divide in society
generations from hundreds of years between social groups
ago about who is superior e.g. men
over women, white people are
superior to black people etc
Social issues: Who has power in society and
how do they use it?
Marxists argue that the bourgeoisie have power in society. They
control all institutions including the education system, the legal system,
the media etc.
They use these systems to spread their ideas (ruling class ideology) so
that the proletariat continue to work hard for the bourgeoisie and do
not realise they are being exploited.
What is culture?
The whole way of life of a particular society
or social group. Culture includes the values,
norms, customs, beliefs, knowledge, skills
and language of the society or group
What is socialisation?
Learning the norms and values of
the society that you live in. There
are two types: primary and
secondary.
What are norms, values, roles and status?
Norms: Acting ‘normally’ and not abnormally. Norms are unwritten
rules that people follow.
ValueS: What someone sees as important and what they try to get.
Role: A way of behaving that matches the situation you are in
Status: The honour or prestige attached to a person’s position in
society
What is primary and secondary socialisation?
Primary socialisation= The process of early childhood learning, usually
within families during which babies and infants acquire the basic
norms, values, behaviour patterns and language needed for later life
Secondary socialisation= During secondary socialisation individuals
learn more complex norms and values. This occurs in later childhood
e.g. in school and develops throughout our adult lives e.g. the media
and the workplace can be very influential in teaching us norms, values
and customs
What is social control and how do agencies of
social control work?
The process by which people are persuaded to obey the rules and
conform
Family- teaches
Schoolsright and wrong
Work- Need to
teachers
conform to earn
enforce rules
a living
Religionteaches moral
values
Peer groups- will
judge us
negatively if we
disobey the rules
How are we socialised into gender roles?
When you are pointed in a certain direction that shapes
your gender e.g. what colour clothes to wear and what
toys to play with
What is the nature versus nurture debate?
• Nature- the belief that our characteristics and behaviour is something
that is genetically inherited
• Nurture – the belief that our characteristics and behaviour is learned
from the environment we were brought up in.
What are the differences between consensus
and conflict approaches to sociology?
Consensus
Conflict
Functionalism- Based on
institutions working together
(organic analogy) and everyone
agreeing on the norms and values
of society leading to a harmonious
society
Marxism- society is controlled by
the bourgeoisie. The conflict in
society is between the bourgeoisie
and the proletariat
Feminism- society is controlled by
men (patriarchal society). The
conflict in society is between the
men and women
What is quantitative and qualitative data?
Quantitative data is data that is numerical and is often
presented in tables and graphs. This type of data
shows numbers, trends and patterns.
Qualitative data is expressed in words rather than
numbers. It does not show trends and patterns but
does give an in depth insight into thoughts, feelings and
emotions.
What do validity, reliability and representativeness
mean in sociological research?
Data is valid if it gives a true and accurate account of something. Data is not
valid if someone gives a false answer or acts in a way they wouldn’t normally
act.
Another word for reliable is repeatable. They think you should be able to
repeat research in the exact same way to show that findings were not just a
one off fluke.
A researcher may choose to study a sample of a larger group. If the sample
is representative, those in it will be typical of the larger group. This will allow
the findings to be generalised, i.e. applied to all members of the group, not
just those in the sample
What is a hypothesis?
• What is a hypothesis?
It is all very well to be interested in a topic but the research must be
focused.
If the researcher already has a hunch about something, or wants to test
an idea, they should create a hypothesis. This is simply a statement
that can be tested. It is a prediction of what the research will find. For
example: “students who study sociology watch the news more often
than students who do not study sociology” is a hypothesis. It can be
tested by collecting information on what students watch the news the
most. This will prove the hypothesis to be either true or false.
What are the positive and negative points of
using experiments?
Experiments take place in a controlled setting. An example is Bandura’s
study of the effects of watching a woman attack a bobo doll.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Allows sociologists to identify cause and
effect relationships e.g. Bandura found
that the more violent media you watch
the more like you are to be violent
yourself
Can be difficult to get sociologists to take
part
Experiments can be set up in a
standardised way and repeated over and
over again (reliable)
Participants will know they’re in an
experiment so there is a high chance they
will have the “hawthorne effect” (ruins
validity)
What is the Hawthorne effect?
When a participant knows they are being observed they change their
behaviour. E.g. if students are being watched in school they are likely
to act on their best behaviour. The hawthorne effect can ruin the
validity of studies.
What different types of questionnaires can be
used?
Postal / Email Questionnaires:
The researcher sends out the questionnaires to the respondent. They
complete them and send them back to the researcher.
Direct Questionnaires:
The researcher waits whilst the respondent fills in the questionnaire.
What are the positive and negative points of using
questionnaires?
• Postal / Email Questionnaires:
• The researcher sends out the questionnaires to the respondent. They complete them and send them back to the
researcher.
• ADVANTAGES:
•
They are quick to distribute, so it is possible to send them to lots of people (representative and reliable).
• DISADVANTAGES:
• People might not send them back (only about 10% completion rate– reduces representativeness);
• People also might not understand the questions (less valid).
• Direct Questionnaires:
• The researcher waits whilst the respondent fills in the questionnaire.
• ADVANTAGES:
• everyone who received a questionnaire completes it (representative and reliable);
• the researcher can also explain what questions mean if they need to (valid).
• DISADVANTAGES:
• the respondent might be influenced by the researcher and therefore doesn’t answer honestly (researcher effects).
What different types of interviews can be
used?
Informal (unstructured)
Formal (structured)
Semi-structured
Group interviews (unstructured)
What are the positive and negative points of using interviews?
• Informal (Unstructured) Interviews:
• The researcher has an open discussion
with the participant with no set
questions.
ADVANTAGES:
• • Participants can talk about what is
important to them (valid);
• • The researcher can ask the participant
what their answers mean (valid).
DISADVANTAGES:
• • Every interview is different, so it is
hard to compare the results of all the
interviews (less reliable);
• • The respondent might be influenced by
the researcher and therefore doesn’t
answer honestly (social desirability
effect).
• Formal (structured) Interviews:
• The researcher decides on questions
beforehand and asks the participant
face-to-face in a spoken interview.
ADVANTAGES:
• • All participants are asked exactly the
same questions (reliable);
• • The researcher can explain what
questions mean (valid);
DISADVANTAGES:
• Participants don’t have much freedom
to expand on their answers
• Again, the respondent might be
influenced by the researcher and
therefore doesn’t answer honestly
(social desirability effect).
What different types of observation
techniques can be used?
Participant Observations:
The researcher joins in with the activities of the
participants (the people they are observing).
Non-participant Observations:
The researcher does not join in with activities but
watches from a distance, this could be through a
camera
Observations can also be:
Overt
The participants know they are being observed.
OR
Covert
The researcher goes undercover, so the participants do
not know they are being observed
What are the positive and negative points of
using observation techniques?
Participant Observations:
The researcher joins in with the activities of the participants (the people they are observing).
ADVANTAGES:
• The researcher can directly watch how participants behave (valid);
• The researcher can see the world from participants’ point of view (valid).
DISADVANTAGES:
• If participants know they are being observed, then they will not act naturally (Hawthorne Effect – less valid);
• The researcher might have to get involved in criminal behaviour (unethical);
• If participants do not know they are being observed, then they can not give their permission (consent – unethical).
Non-participant Observations:
The researcher observes the participants at a distance (fly on the wall).
ADVANTAGES:
• The researcher can directly watch how participants behave (valid).
DISADVANTAGES:
• If participants know they are being observed, then they will not act naturally (Hawthorne Effect – less valid);
• The researcher cannot see the world from the participants’ point of view (less valid);
• If participants do not know they are being observed, then they cannot give their permission (consent –unethical).
What different types of secondary data can
be used?
Secondary Research (Sources of Information)
Statistics
Numerical (quantitative) data collected by official
organisations, private companies or other researchers.
Media reports, blogs, forums etc.
Written reports and commentaries by journalists and
other people.
Letters, emails, profile pages etc.
Personal correspondence between people.
Research Studies
Studies conducted by other researchers
What are the positive and negative points of using
secondary data?
SECONDARY RESEARCH
This is when researchers use data collected by
somebody else.
Strengths (more reliable)
 It is easy to collect a lot of data quickly and
cheaply.
 There are lots of sources of data available.
Weaknesses (less valid)
 The information is more likely to be biased.
 The researchers might have their own agenda.
What different types of sample can sociologists use?
Sampling Method
Strengths
Weaknesses
Stratified Sampling
This involves picking people from different
groups within the population (eg. different
genders, ethnicities, ages, social classes).
The sample will be representative and give the
point of view of all the different groups in the
population.
It is more time-consuming to
select the sample than other
sampling methods
Random Sampling
The sample is selected by picking
names out of a hat (or with a
computer) – like the National
Lottery balls.
There is no researcher bias in who is selected
and everyone stands an equal chance of being
selected. It is also quick and easy to use.
The sample might be all the same sort of
people (eg. too many males), so it will
not be representative of the whole
population.
Quota Sampling
The researcher picks participants
until they have the number they need (ie
their ‘quota’).
It is a quick and easy way to select the right sort The sample is likely to be biased because
of people for the research.
the researcher is choosing the
participants.
Systematic Sampling
The researcher uses a system to
pick the participants (eg. every
10th name on the register).
The participants will be a crosssection
of the population, so will hopefully be
representative.
Only the people on the register stand a
chance of being selected.
Snowball Sampling
The researcher selects one
person, then asks them to put
them in touch with other people,
etc.
Useful for researching hard to
contact groups (eg. gangs).
Very time-consuming, so only
small samples are used and the
results are not generalisable.
What ethical issues do sociologists need to be
aware of?
The main ethical issues:
• Get informed consent (or parents’ consent for under 16s).
• Debrief participants after the research.
• Do not harm or distress the participants.
• Give participants the right to withdraw.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Keep the research anonymous.
• Do not deceive the participants.
How is sociology useful in making and
implementing policies in areas such as education,
welfare and criminal justice?
Education- can find out why certain groups are underachieving and
come up with ways to stop these groups underachieving e.g. boys
Welfare- can find out which groups struggle the most in society and
find ways to support them e.g. improving employment prospects for
the working class
Criminal justice- can find out which groups offend the most and why.
Can come up with policies to stop these groups committing crime.
Can you give 3 recent examples from the
news that relate to anything above?
You have to read the newspaper or watch the news to be able to do
this!