Lesson 4.3.2.4

4.3.2.4 Considerations in choosing topic and methods Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.2.4, Considerations in choosing topic and methods: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Sociology (7192), Unit 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which of the following is a practical consideration when choosing a research method?

    • The age of the researcher, which automatically decides whether the study is quantitative or qualitative in every case
    • Time, cost and access to participants, which may limit which methods are feasible for a study
    • The number of books in the university library, which determines which theories a researcher is able to use
    • The colour of the researcher's office walls, which may affect the mood of participants during interviews held there

  2. Which ethical principle requires that participants agree to take part in a study with full understanding of its purpose?

    • Informed consent, which requires voluntary agreement based on adequate information about the research
    • Compulsory participation, which requires that every person selected for a study must take part, regardless of their wishes
    • Deception, which involves hiding the purpose of a study from participants in order to obtain more natural responses
    • Confidentiality of the researcher's funding, which requires that the sources of research money are never disclosed publicly

  3. A researcher wants to observe how people behave in a crowd without telling them they are being studied. What is the main ethical concern?

    • Covert observation is only a concern if the researcher uses a camera, since note-taking raises no ethical issues at all
    • Covert observation has no ethical concern, since public behaviour can always be recorded without any consideration of consent
    • Covert observation involves deception and may breach participants' right to informed consent and privacy
    • Covert observation is ethically required, since telling participants about the study would always invalidate the findings

  4. Which ethical principle requires that participants' data are protected so that they cannot be identified in published research?

    • Generalisability, which requires that every finding apply to the whole population, regardless of its sample size
    • Replicability, which requires that every study be repeated by a second researcher before its results are published
    • Confidentiality and anonymity, which protect participants' identities and personal information from disclosure
    • Reciprocity, which requires researchers to share the profits from published books with participants in every study

  5. Why might a researcher choose a topic that is theoretically relevant to a current debate?

    • To guarantee that the research will be funded automatically, since every topic linked to a current debate receives public money
    • To avoid reading any previous research, since current debates are always resolved and have no further evidence to consider
    • To ensure that the research is never criticised, since topics linked to debates are always accepted by all sociologists
    • To contribute to existing theory and to make the findings useful for further research and for policy discussion

  6. A researcher wants to study a hard-to-reach group of people who are wary of outsiders. Which consideration is most important when choosing a method?

    • Access and trust, since the method must allow contact and rapport with participants who may be reluctant to be studied
    • Cost of printing, since printed questionnaires are the only method that can be used with hard-to-reach populations
    • Speed of publication, since the research must be finished within a few weeks to satisfy the researcher's funding body
    • Size of the sample, since a large sample is always the most important feature of any study of a hard-to-reach group

  7. Which feature of a study would most help to demonstrate its reliability?

    • A conclusion that agrees with the researcher's personal beliefs, which shows that the research is consistent with their values
    • A clear, documented procedure that another researcher could follow to repeat the study and check the results
    • A large number of unexplained variables, which shows that the researcher considered every possible factor in the study
    • A short report with no description of the methods used, which allows the reader to focus only on the main conclusions

  8. What is the main purpose of an ethics committee review of a sociological study?

    • To decide whether the research question is interesting enough to be published in a leading academic journal each year
    • To choose the statistical software that the researcher will use to analyse the data after collection is complete
    • To assess whether the study's risks to participants are justified and that appropriate safeguards are in place
    • To guarantee that the findings will be accepted by government, so that policy can be changed on the basis of the study

  9. Which factor is most likely to affect the quality of data collected through interviews?

    • The number of pages in the final report, which determines how many quotations from each interview can be included
    • The day of the week on which the interview is held, which has no influence on the responses that participants give
    • The rapport between interviewer and participant, which can influence how openly people answer questions
    • The colour of the paper on which the interview questions are printed, which affects participants' concentration in the session

  10. Which consideration is most relevant when deciding whether to use deception in research?

    • Whether the potential benefits justify the deception, and whether participants can be debriefed afterwards
    • Whether the deception will attract media attention, which is the main reason to use it in any research project
    • Whether the deception will make the research easier to write up, since shorter reports are always preferred by reviewers
    • Whether the deception will make the data look more impressive, since results always improve when participants are unaware

  11. Why is the 'Hawthorne effect' a concern in research design?

    • Participants are always paid for their involvement, which makes their responses less honest in every research setting
    • Participants are never able to see the research findings, which means that the results cannot be checked by anyone else
    • Participants may change their behaviour because they know they are being studied, which can distort the findings
    • Participants always forget that they are being studied, which means that their behaviour is never affected in any way

  12. Which principle requires that researchers give participants the right to withdraw from a study at any time?

    • Compulsory participation, which requires that every person who starts a study must complete it before receiving any payment
    • Mandatory publication, which requires that every participant's data appear in the final report in full and in their own words
    • Unlimited disclosure, which requires that participants' personal information be shared publicly so that others may use it
    • Voluntary participation, which allows people to leave a study without penalty or pressure to continue

  13. What is a key consideration when deciding between a large survey and a small qualitative study?

    • The name of the university, which automatically requires that all research carried out there be quantitative in every case
    • The researcher's favourite colour, which determines whether a survey or a qualitative study will be carried out by the team
    • The number of pages the researcher intends to write, which decides the method regardless of what the research question is
    • The research question, as a survey suits questions about patterns across populations while qualitative work suits questions about meaning

  14. Which consideration is most important when a researcher's own values may influence the study?

    • Reflexivity requires that researchers hide all personal information from every participant, so that their values remain secret
    • Reflexivity requires that researchers publish only those findings that support their own beliefs, to avoid any confusion
    • Reflexivity is unimportant, since researchers with strong values always produce the most objective results of any kind
    • Reflexivity, which requires the researcher to acknowledge and examine how their own position may shape the research

  15. Which statement about research costs is most accurate?

    • Costs are always zero for sociological research, since participants volunteer their time without any need for payment or expenses
    • Costs such as travel, transcription and software influence the feasibility and scale of a study
    • Costs have no effect on research design, since all studies are funded equally by public bodies in every country and field
    • Costs are only relevant to laboratory experiments, since social surveys and interviews require no financial resources at all

  16. Why must researchers consider the possibility of harm to participants when choosing a topic?

    • Sensitive topics never cause harm, since participants always know in advance what the research will involve and how it will affect them
    • Sensitive topics are only a concern for children, so adult participants never require any protection in sociological research
    • Sensitive topics can cause distress or stigma, so researchers must plan safeguards and be ready to stop the research if needed
    • Sensitive topics cause harm only to the researcher, who alone bears any emotional or reputational cost of the study

  17. What is meant by 'feasibility' in planning a research project?

    • Whether the project can realistically be completed with the time, money, skills and access available to the researcher
    • Whether the participants are willing to be paid for their time, which determines the total amount of funding required
    • Whether the research question has been answered before by other researchers, which would make the new study unnecessary
    • Whether the findings will be accepted by every academic journal, regardless of the quality of the methods used in the study

  18. A researcher discovers an error in published data that undermines a finding. What is the most appropriate response?

    • Quietly leave the error in place, since correcting it would damage the reputation of the researcher and the university
    • Change the data in the next study to match the published findings, so that the results remain consistent over time
    • Report the error openly and correct the published findings, as honesty and integrity require
    • Delete all records of the original data, so that no other researcher can detect the error in the published work

  19. Which of these best describes 'ethical considerations' for research with children?

    • Greater safeguards, including consent from parents or guardians and careful attention to the child's ability to understand the study
    • No consent is needed at all, since children are not legal persons and their views are never relevant to a sociological study
    • No special safeguards, since children are always fully capable of giving informed consent for any research they are invited to join
    • Consent is needed only from the school, since schools are responsible for all decisions about research involving pupils

  20. Why is debriefing an important part of ethical research?

    • It informs participants about the study's purpose and findings afterwards, and allows any distress or misunderstanding to be addressed
    • It allows the researcher to collect extra data from participants after the study has ended, without asking for their further consent
    • It allows the researcher to sell the participants' responses to commercial companies, which funds the publication of the report
    • It allows the researcher to avoid writing a final report, since participants are told the results directly and no written account is needed

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