Debate 1 - Positivism vs Interpretivism Flashcards
According to positivists, is it possible and desirable for sociology to be a science
Yes
What do positivists believe can be established from sociology being a science
Cause-and-effect relationship
Social facts
What type of perspective is positivism
Macro & Top Down - focus on social institutions
What is society according to positivists
An objective factual reality - it exists out there, shapes individuals behaviour and can be studied/ measured like the natural world
Do positivists value reliability or validity
Reliability
What type of data do positivists prefer
Large scale quantitive data to be applied to the wider population
According to positivists, should the researcher be objective or subjective
Objective
According to interpretivists, is it possible and desirable for sociology to be a science
Sociology is not a science
It is not desirable or possible
What is society according to interpretivists
It is socially constructed through people interactions
No such thing as ‘social facts’
According to interpretivists, should the research be subjective or objective
Subjective
What type of data do interpretivists prefer
Small scale, valid and qualitative data
What type of perspective is interpretivism
Micro & Bottom up - focus on understanding people individuals meanings
What are methods preferred by positivists
Questionnaires
Structured interviews
Official statistics
Experiments
What methods are preferred by interpretivists
Unstructured interviews
Semi-structured
Group interviews
Observations
Documents
