PG 45-47 Strengths and Limitations of Secondary Sources of Data in Sociology

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

What is the main purpose of analyzing historical documents according to the passage?

To uncover hidden meanings and beliefs of the document's author

To validate current accounts of social behavior

To compare and contrast family and work life across different eras

To understand how people's behavior and perceptions have changed over time (correct)

What type of document does the passage suggest provides the most extensive and valuable details about people's daily lives?

Media accounts

Diaries (correct)

Newspaper articles

Photographs

According to the passage, what is one limitation of using documents as a source of data?

They are always unrepresentative

They are always inaccurate

They are always incomplete

They may be faked or altered, and the researcher may not know the original source (correct)

What does the passage suggest about the relationship between the content of a document and the beliefs/perceptions of its author?

The content of a document may tell us more about the author's beliefs and perceptions than the actual topic of the document Signup and view all the answers

According to the passage, what is one way that the reliability of documents as a data source can be improved?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is one limitation of using digital sources mentioned in the passage?

They are subject to change and can become inaccessible over time Signup and view all the answers

What type of data source do sociologists commonly use to examine trends and patterns within and between societies?

Official statistics Signup and view all the answers

Which sociologist identified distinct patterns to suicidal behavior based on official suicide statistics from different societies?

Durkheim (1897) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key advantage of official statistics in terms of availability?

They may be the only available source for certain topics Signup and view all the answers

Why are official statistics considered representative?

Because they are often based on random sampling techniques Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of data collection has become easier with the rise of the internet?

Accessing statistics on marriage, divorce, or crime Signup and view all the answers

How can statistical data drawn from different years be beneficial for sociological research?

To understand changes over time Signup and view all the answers

What term do sociologists use to refer to statistics with a high level of accuracy that cannot be doubted?

Hard statistics Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason why official statistics about the unemployment rate may be considered 'soft'?

There are different ways of defining 'unemployment' Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the main limitations of official statistics mentioned in the text?

They only give a partial picture of reality Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'dark figure of crime' that official crime statistics do not capture?

Crimes that are not reported or recorded Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the key reasons why the significance of quantitative data must always be interpreted by researchers?

A statistical rise in data can be the result of different factors Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the main strengths of using personal documents, such as letters and diaries, as sources of information for sociologists?

They provide access to data that would be very costly to collect personally Signup and view all the answers

How can historical documents be useful for sociologists, according to the text?

They can be used to track and understand social change over time Signup and view all the answers

What is one way in which different governments may affect the reliability of official statistics?

They may change the definition of key concepts over time Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the key sociological concepts that mile Durkheim is known for developing?

Anomie Signup and view all the answers

How is mile Durkheim's work on suicide described in the text?

As a study that used statistical data to establish correlations between social factors and suicide rates Signup and view all the answers