Experiments

1. Label the paragraphs with P E T.
2. Underline PEVERT with different colours.  Create a key to show the different colours.
3. Highlight any evaluation.
Extension: how could the candidate improve this essay?  Improve the essay of the candidates behalf.

Evaluate the practical, ethical and theoretical problems faced by sociologists when using laboratory experiments (16 marks)

A laboratory experiment is a test carried out in controlled conditions in an artificial setting to establish cause and effect relationships between two or more variables.  This method is rarely used by sociologists because there are a range of practical, ethical and theoretical problems.

Firstly, there are a range of practical problems with laboratory experiments.  Society is very complex and so it can be very difficult to identify and control all the possible variables that can influence an individual.  For example, if you were studying reasons for educational underachievement it would be impossible to find out all the factors that could have an impact (material, cultural, in school, home, peers etc) and even more difficult to control these variables.  A further issue is that it is impossible to investigate the past.  In a questionnaire you can ask people about their experiences in the past but it is not possible to control variables acting in the past.  These issues may mean that an experiment is not practical for the purposes of some research.

A further issue with experiments is the ethical issues surrounding them.  Milgram used lab experiments to research obedience to authority.  He told participants that the research was focused on learning, in which they were ordered to give shocks when a learner failed to answer a question correctly.  However, the participants were lied to as the real purpose was to see if the participants were willing to follow orders and no real shocks were used.  This experiment was therefore unethical as participants were deceived.  This experiment also caused harm to the participants as it caused them distress and harm as they believed they were hurting someone with the electric shocks.  Such ethical issues have lead to many sociologists avoiding the use of lab experiments in Sociology.  However, supporters of Milgram would argue that his experiments can be justified as the findings regarding obedience outweigh the harm caused.  It can be used to explain why Nazi's followed instructions from Hitler and more recently why terrorists follow instructions from ISIS leaders.  Small short term pain for a few can therefore help us to understand an issue that can result in long term gains for all.

There are also a range of theoretical problems with lab experiments.  Lab experiments lack validity as they take place in a false environment and so do not give a true picture.  Interpretivist sociologists argue that humans are different from plants and rocks studied in labs by scientists because humans have free will and choice.  This means our behaviour can not be understood in terms of cause and effect and so are critical of lab experiments for failing to give a valid picture.  Futhermore laboratory experiments are often small scale and so have a small sample size.  This means that they lack representativeness and are not typical of the target population.  However, positivists would argue that lab experiments are scientific and are standardised and so are reliable.  The original experimenter can write down each step clearly and so the original experiment can be easily repeated to check the results of the original experiment.

GCSE Sociology Unit 2

Unit one is now done!  Just unit two to go!  Here are ten top tips for unit 2:

1. Remember unit two has four topics but you only need to answer three sections:

• crime
• mass media
• power and politics

2. You do NOT need to answer the section on wealth, poverty and welfare.

3. You will need to answer three 12 marks essays so be careful with your timings (spend around 12 to 15 minutes on each essay).  Remember you only answer one from each topic area.

4. There are quite a few theories to revise for crime.  Key ones include:

• functionalist view (crime is caused by poor socialisation)
• new right view (Murray agreed with functionalists and argued diverse family types can lead to crime)
• marxist view (capitalism causes crime as poor people commit crime through need and rich people through greed)
• subcultural theories (Cohen argued status frustration leads to group deviance e.g. gang violence)
• labelling view (labelling leads to the self fulfilling prophecy e.g. being labelled as a trouble maker leads to acting like a trouble maker)
• chivalry theory (women are treated leniently by police and this is one of the reasons why statistics show gender differences in crime)

5. Mass media also has a few approaches to revise:

• hypodermic syringe (the media has a direct effect on a passive media audience)
• decoding approach (people interpret the media based on different factors such as age and the audience is active)
• uses and gratification (people use the media to meet different need e.g. to inform or entertain and the audience is active)
• pluralist view (there are lots of media sources and so consumers have choice over what they read)
• conflict view (the media is owned by rich, white, men who portray their own views in the media so they have power)

6. For power and politics there are four main approaches:

• pluralist views (even though MPs tend to be middle class, white, men they represent their constituents and represent their constituents views.  Pressure groups support democracy as they allow people to support a range of issues)
• conflict view (MPs tend to be middle class, white, men and this is an problem as MPs can represent their own views when passing laws.  This is true for other parts of the state e.g. top lawyers, judges etc also tend to be white, middle class men.  Pressure groups only tend to have any say if they are insider groups even if the pressure group has lots of support)
• Labour (have a positive view of the welfare state as they believe policies such as the NHS and minimum wage help to overcome social issues such as poverty)
• New Right (dislike many welfare policies as they believe policies such as benefits create a "culture of dependency" where people become too dependent on benefits)

7. Remember the power questions can sometimes require you to use your learning from unit 1 or elsewhere from unit 2

8. Carefully check the paper at the end to make sure you have not missed out any questions!

9. To gain high marks in your 12 mark answers remember to include examples, key terms and key thinkers/theories if they are relevant.  This shows the examiner you are an intelligent Sociologist rather than just an intelligent student!

10. Remember it is crucial that you give a contrasting view for the 12 mark question to achieve 6+ marks

Good luck!

GCSE Sociology AQA Unit 1

The unit 1 Sociology exam is this Monday!  Here are ten top tips to support with last minute preparation.

1. Remember unit 1 topics are:

• studying society
• family
• education

2. Studying society key areas to revise include

• sampling e.g. simple, stratified, systematic, snowball etc
• ethics e.g. confidentiality, informed consent etc
• strengths and weaknesses of different methods e.g. official statistics, interviews, questionnaires, observations etc.

3. One and two mark answers should be short (no more than a short sentence).  You can get away with a term, number or word.


4. Four mark answers should be a roughly one paragraph (around four sentences).  When answering a four mark question make sure you give:

• a definition
• an example
• develop your points

5. When answering a five mark questions remember to answer both parts e.g. you must describe AND explain.


6. There will be two 12 mark questions on the paper-one for family and one for education.


7. Spend around 12-15 minutes on a 15 mark answer.  To achieve high marks:

• write an introduction (defining key terms and setting out your argument)
• agree with the statement in the question (using key terms, examples, key thinkers, theory)
• disagree with the statement in the question (using key terms, examples, key thinkers, theory)
• draw conclusions

8. When revising family remember to revise theories.  Here is a very brief overview:

• Functionalists like the nuclear family as they believe it performs positive functions (PEER which stands for primary socialisation, emotional support, economic support, reproduction)
• New Right believe alternatives to the nuclear family such as lone parent families create social problems 
• Marxists argue the nuclear family keep the rich rich and poor poor e.g. through inheritance
• Feminists argue the nuclear family is patriarchal (benefits men more than women) 

9. Also revise theories for Education!  Functionalists like the education system whereas Marxists argue it keeps the rich rich and poor poor.

10. Remember you only need to answer one 12 mark question per section but apart from that attempt all questions.  Read all questions carefully and don't panic!

Good luck!