Objectivity and values in sociology Flashcards
What is subjectivity?
Refers to bias, lack of objectivity, where the individuals own viewpoint influences their perception or judgement.
What are the three main competing positions adopted by sociologists in the values debate?
Sociology should be and can be value-free (value-freedom)
Sociology cannot be completely value free (value-relevance)
Sociology should not be value free, even if it were possible (value-laden and value-committed)
How is value freedom achieved? (2)
It is achieved if researchers remain detached and avoid personal involvement in their studies by using quantitative methods.
It is reinforced by letting other researchers repeat research or check findings for any bias. (Open belief system)
What theory argues that sociology can be value free?
Positivism
Comte and Durkheim
How can Durkheim’s study of suicide be described as value free? (3)
It has empirical evidence of observable facts from statistics making it objective
It is theoretical because it shows a cause and effect relationship where a lack of integration and moral regulation are what creates higher suicide rates.
It is systematic because it can be falsified and verified to be found that instead urbanisation was the key factor.
What sociologist argued that sociology cannot be value free?
Weber
What did Weber recognise?
He recognised that values would influence the choice of topics for study.
He argued that social relaity is made up of a meaningless infinity of facts that make it impossible to study in its totality.
We can only select certain facts in terms of what we regard as important based on our own values. (value relevance)
What did Weber conclude?
He did not think that complete value freedom was possible but he did believe that once a topic for research had been chosen, the researcher could be objective.
What example could be used to support Weber’s view?
Mac an Ghail: The Making of Men.
What does Mac an Ghail’s study show? (3)
The exchange of flowers between two males was institutionally more threatening than the physical violence of the male fight.
This shows that personal incidents of sociologists shape the research topics that they choose. It shows value relevance because they selected what to study in terms of what was important.
How does Durkheim’s study of suicide show value relevance? (2)
It had personal context because a close friend of his from his student days, Victor Hommay committed suicide. Durkheim struggled to make sense of his friend’s death.
He remained objective but he chose to study this due to his own values because it’s what he regards as important enough to study.
What sociologist argued that sociology cannot be value free?
Gouldner
What are domain assumptions?
These are basic assumptions that sociologists make about the nature of social life and human behaviour which direct the way the research is conducted and conclusions are reached.
Domain assumptions about human behvious will tend to determine whether quanititative or qualitative methods are used.
How would we know if qualitative methods are used? (4)
Validity and verstehen
Subjectivity
Socially constructed
Bottom-up approach (social action)
How would we know if quantitative methods are used?
Reliability and cause and effect
objectivity
patterns and trends
Top-down approach (structural)
