5. Methodology (unit5) Flashcards
Popper - hypothetico-deductive method
approach to research that begins with a theory about how things work and derives testable hypotheses from it.
It is a form of deductive reasoning in that it begins with general principles, assumptions, and ideas, and works from them to more particular statements about what world actually looks like and how it works.
The hypotheses are then tested by gathering and analysing data and the theory is then either supported or refuted by the results.
Durkheim -Social facts
Social facts are the institutions, religious beliefs, norms and values.
They exist EXTERNAL to us and influence us on a daily basis.
-Norms and values shape society and the way in which we believe – it isn’t the individual that creates these. Human behaviour is constrained by social facts.
Durkheim - study of suicide AO2
He argues that it is society that causes suicide and not the psychology of the individual.
There are factors in society that determine whether or not someone commits suicide.
He found that certain groups had a higher suicide rate in late 1890s.
Examples of these groups: Protestants, Married without children , Unmarried, Rural and older.
-He argues that depending on how integrated someone was in society had an affect on if they committed suicide or not.
Key definitions: Subjectivity, objectivity and values in sociology
Values - beliefs, opinion prejudices that everyone holds and are influenced by our class, gender, ethnicity and experiences.
Subjectivity: the idea that sociologists should allow their own values and beliefs to affect their research. associated with interpretivists and feminists
Objectivity: researchers should approach topics with a totally open mind and with complete detached from those being researched. They should NOT influence the process, and the researcher should collect data which is external to their own views. being free from bias! associated with positivists.
Value freedom: refers to the ability of researchers to keep their own personal biases and opinions out of the research which they are conducting.
Value laden: kind of research, thinking, or approach that has direct ties to one’s values.
Positivist: Sociology can and should be Value free
Positivists argue that society is made up of social structures and social facts and it should be separated from the values of the researcher.
-Collecting quantitative data, using the hypothetico-deductive method, we can test theories using reliable and valid data, which can then be checked / replicated by other researchers.
With these results predictions can be made and improvements to society can be found.
AO2 Durkheim study of suicide.
AO3 Evaluation of Positivists : Sociology should be value free
Postmodernists: We can assume or make predictions using data since everyone in society behave differently meaning that positivist view is too deterministic.
Interpretivists: Sociology shouldn’t be value free
Interpretivists favour more qualitative approaches to researching society, looking to
understand the deeper meanings and motivations behind the behaviours of individuals and groups.
-values allow them to have an insight into the social conditions that people face and to understand the rationale behind their behaviour.
This allows them to achieve Verstehen and discover the deeper meaning of peoples actions and behaviour.
