Research methods and ethics
Different questions call for different tools, and every method must protect the people being studied.
Surveys and experiments
Surveys ask many people the same questions and are good for measuring attitudes and behaviours across a population, especially with a random sample in which everyone has an equal chance of being chosen. Experiments manipulate an independent variable while controlling others; they show cause and effect well but can be artificial.
Field research and secondary data
Field research studies people in their natural settings through participant observation or ethnography, giving rich detail about everyday life. Secondary data analysis uses existing sources such as census records, government statistics, or historical documents, which is cheaper but limited to what others chose to record.
Ethics
Professional codes require sociologists to protect participants from harm, obtain informed consent, and keep identities confidential. Research with vulnerable groups needs special care. The Hawthorne effect, in which people change their behaviour because they know they are being studied, reminds researchers that observation itself can influence results.
Flashcard
A sample where everyone has an equal chance of selection
Check your understanding
Workers become more productive simply because researchers are watching them. This is: