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Sociology - Theories > Methodology > Flashcards

Methodology Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What type of data do positivists like?

A

Quantitative data

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2
Q

What do they believe about social behaviour? (positivists)

A

It can be measured and explained objectively

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3
Q

What scale is positivist research more likely to be?

A

Large scale / Macro

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4
Q

What did Comte argue sociology should be based on?

A

Methodology of sciences as should be treated as such
Laws of society can show the development of society

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5
Q

What is Comte’s ideas on positivism?

A

It is all about observable facts and not invisible things
External forces affect behaviour in both natural world and society

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6
Q

Durkheim’s idea on social facts

A

Should be treated in the same way as natural world factors
Social facts are the institutions, religious beliefs, norms and values

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7
Q

What is Durkheim’s famous study on suicide?

A

It is society that causes suicide not the psychology of the individual

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8
Q

What was suicide down to according to Durkheim?

A

The level of integration within society

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9
Q

Strengths of positivist approaches?

A

Can establish cause and effect relationships or correlations between events
Produce quantitative data
Reliable - can be replicated

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10
Q

Criticisms of positivist approaches

A

Interpretivists criticize positivists by saying they give little opportunity for people to elaborate on their feelings
Statistics are just social constructions

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11
Q

What is interpretivism?

A

A methodological approach concerned with understanding the meanings that individuals give to situations

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12
Q

What data do interpretivists like?

A

Qualitative data

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13
Q

What approach do interpretivists take?

A

An inductive approach to form theories
Ideas to then create a hypothesis

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14
Q

Interpretivists preferred methodology?

A

Unstructured, open ended questionnaires
Unstructured interviews
Small scale studies
Participant observation

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15
Q

Douglas approach to suicide apposing Durkheim

A

Statistics are social constructs
Suicide verdicts and the statistics based on them are the product of interactions and negotiations of those involved

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16
Q

How does Douglas criticise Durkheim in his study?

A

Ignores the meanings of the act for those who kill themselves, and assumes suicide has a constant meaning

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17
Q

Strengths of interpretivist approaches?

A

Higher in validity
Produce qualitative data
Championing the underdog in society
Gains a further insight

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18
Q

Criticisms of interpretivism

A

Hawthorne effect may change participant behaviours
Lack of reliability - can’t be repeated
Small scale so can’t generalise

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19
Q

How do feminists criticise positivism?

A

Ignored and excluded women and issues of concern to women
Uses ‘male stream’ methods to research women experiences

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20
Q

What methods are feminists more sympathetic to?

A

Interpretivists

21
Q

How did Oakley conduct her study of first time motherhood?

A

Unstructured interviews
Two way interaction process
Shared her own experiences and offered advice
Helped participants feel at ease drawing out their feelings
Produced valid data

22
Q

Who argues that sociology should and can be value-free?

A

Comte and Durkheim
Positivists

23
Q

Sociology should and can be value free…

A

We should use similar methods to natural sciences
Society is made up of social structures and social facts so they can be separated from the values

24
Q

Who argues sociology CANNOT be value-free?

A

Interpretivists
Max Weber

25
Q

What does Max Weber argue about value-freedom?

A

He rejects it and argued that scientists and sociologists are also human beings and they must not dodge the moral and political issues

26
Q

What do interpretivists argue that values allow them to do?

A

Have an insight into the social conditions that people face and to understand the rationale behind their behaviour

27
Q

What does Gouldner argue about value-free?

A

Sociologists should not try to be value-free, but value committed

28
Q

What does Gouldner mean by being value committed?

A

He argues that sociologists have public responsibility to improve the lives of others so should work to take the side against powerful groups

29
Q

What does Becker argue that sociology has a responsibility to support?

A

The underdog

30
Q

What does Becker state about all of sociology?

A

That it is influenced by values and this drives sociologists to take sides

31
Q

What do Postmodernists argue?

A

It is impossible for sociology to be value free

32
Q

Do positivists say that sociology is or isn’t a science?

A

It is a science

33
Q

How do positivist argue that sociology is a science?

A

They argue human behaviour is a response to external forces such as socialisations so we must study and test the external forces

34
Q

What do positivists argue that causes events in the social world?

A

Social facts cause events in the social world

35
Q

What can sociologists discover like scientists? - positivism

A

Just like scientists discover laws that govern nature (like gravity),
sociologists can discover laws of human nature - making it a science

36
Q

Evaluation of a positivist view that society is a science?

A

You cannot predict human behaviour
Ethical issues
Hawthorne effect
Validity?

37
Q

Who argues that sociology is not a science?

A

Interpretivists

38
Q

Do interpretivists argue there is a difference between society and the natural world?

A

Yes there is a massive difference - we do not respond to external forces, instead people interpret and give meaning to situations before responding

39
Q

What do interpretivists argue it is impossible to do?

A

Predict human behaviour or to establish cause-and-effect - instead we must discover and interpret the meaning people give to situations

40
Q

Do realists believe sociology is a science or not?

A

They believe it is a science

41
Q

What does Sayer suggest about science?

A

Says there are 2 types
Closed systems - physics and chemistry
open systems - Meteorology (weather)

42
Q

Because sociologists can study open systems what does this mean?

A

Realists argue this makes sociology a science

43
Q

What do realists say about human behaviour?

A

We cannot predict completely but we can still explain it in terms of underlying structures

44
Q

What does Karl Popper argue about sociology as a science?

A

It isn’t scientific but can be in the future

45
Q

What analogy does Karl Popper use?

A

The black swan analogy - all swans are white until you see one black one
instead of trying to prove theories - try disprove them

46
Q

What does Kuhn argue about sociology as a science?

A

It is not scientific but can be

47
Q

What does Kuhn say that science operates in?

A

It’s own paradigm (a framework of concepts and theories which states how the natural world operates)

48
Q

How did Kuhn apply his notion of scientific paradigms to sociology?

A

Sociology does not operate in 1 paradigm as the natural science do
If sociology was objective and one single ideology it would be scientific for Kuhn

49
Q
A

Sociology - Theories (3 decks)

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