AQA GCSE Sociology key terms

Unequal treatment of people on racial grounds.

Beliefs that racial groups are superior or inferior, and attitudes or practices that disadvantage people on racial grounds.

A sample selected so that each member of the population has an equal chance of inclusion.

Selecting participants by chance so that each member of the sampling frame has an equal chance of selection.

A decision made by weighing perceived advantages against disadvantages; in Carlen’s explanation, crime becomes an option when its expected benefits outweigh its costs.

Authority accepted because it rests on shared impersonal rules, laws and recognised offices.

Merton’s response in which an individual rejects existing goals and means and seeks to replace them with alternatives.

A family formed when partners bring a child or children from a previous relationship into a new family.

Crime entered into police records and included in police-recorded crime statistics.

Helping an offender change their behaviour and develop the skills needed to live without committing crime.

Lacking the resources needed to obtain the diets, living conditions and participation in activities customary or widely accepted in one’s society.

A poverty threshold set in relation to other households’ incomes. Townsend used income below 50% of the mean for the same household type.

A poverty measure that identifies households whose income falls below a chosen level relative to the income of comparable households.

Poverty defined in relation to the living standards customary or widely accepted in a particular society.

The consistency of findings when research is repeated using the same methods.

Crime that has been reported to the police.

Data or a sample that accurately reflects the relevant characteristics of the wider population being studied.

The extent to which a research sample reflects the characteristics of the population about which conclusions are drawn.

A sample reflecting the relevant characteristics of the wider population being studied.

The maintenance of existing workers and the raising of future generations of workers.

The preparation of new generations with the capacities and attitudes needed to work in the economy.

A systematic investigation that collects and analyses evidence to develop knowledge.

A statement outlining what a researcher intends to investigate.

A financial plan setting out the money available for a study and its expected costs.

The plan for a sociological investigation, including its aims, methods, participant selection and approach to analysing data.

The influence of a researcher's expectations or views on how information is collected or interpreted.

A person who answers questions in a research study.