Sociology key terms

Information expressed in numerical form.

A research approach that collects numerical information to measure patterns and compare people or groups.

Research that collects numerical data, such as counts, percentages or fixed-choice responses that can be summarised statistically.

A set of written questions that respondents answer, often by completing it themselves.

A sample formed by recruiting set numbers from categories in proportion to their presence in the wider population.

Selecting participants non-randomly until preset numbers for relevant categories have been filled.

Unequal treatment of people on racial grounds.

Prejudice or beliefs about ethnic superiority or inferiority that can lead to people being treated unfairly because of ethnicity.

A feminist approach which sees patriarchy as the fundamental source of women’s oppression and argues that legal reform alone cannot remove deeply rooted male power.

A sample selected so that every 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 relationship of trust and understanding between a researcher and participants.

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.

Information collected during research before it has been organised, summarised and interpreted.

An approach to sociological research that seeks to uncover the underlying social structures, mechanisms and processes that produce observable events.

A change to facilities, equipment or working arrangements that removes or reduces a disadvantage faced by a disabled person.

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

A family in which one or both partners have children from an earlier relationship; also called a stepfamily or blended 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 resources to obtain the diets, activities and living conditions widely available in the society in which a person lives.

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 extent to which a research procedure can be repeated to produce consistent results.

A system of beliefs and practices concerning the sacred or divine, often shared by a community.

Unfair treatment of a person because of their actual or perceived religion or beliefs.

Crime that has been reported to the police.

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