click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Sociology terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Survey | people are asked to answer a series of questions (widely used among sociologists). |
| Population | People with the characteristics a researcher wants to study |
| Sample | A limited number of cases drawn from the larger population. |
| Representative sample | A sample must be selected carefully if it is to have the same basic characteristics as the general population |
| Questionnaire | written set of questions that survey participants answers themselves. |
| Interview | a trained interviewer asks questions and records answers |
| closed-ended questions | questions that a person answers by choosing from a limited predetermined set of responses |
| Open-ended questions | asks the person to answer in his or her own words |
| secondary analysis | well respected method of collecting data in society |
| field research | looks closely at aspects of social life that cannot be measured quantitatively and are best understood within a natural setting. |
| case study | The most often used approach to field research a thorough investigation of a single group, incident, or community |
| Participant observation | A researcher becomes a member of the group being studied |