objectivity and values in sociology Flashcards
1
Q
what is objectivity?
A
based on facts instead of personal values
2
Q
what is subjectivity?
A
based on or influenced by personal values
3
Q
what is value freedom?
A
all personal values should be eliminated from the research. if this is achieved, then it can be described as objective.
4
Q
what is value laden?
A
interpretivist term - it is impossible to keep values out of research as sociologists are humans with values
5
Q
what is value committed?
A
feminists and marxist’s believe that sociology should contain values and be used to improve society
6
Q
how do personal values enter the research process?
A
- choosing a topic: e.g. feminists choose gender, marxists choose social class
- funding: if working for someone, their views could reflect in the work they give out
- choosing a research method: interpretivism and positivism
- selecting questions
- operationalising key concepts
- recording responses
- interpreting findings
- selecting which findings to use in the write up
7
Q
the early positivist stance - COMTE and DURKHEIM
A
- sociology should be objective and value free, similar to natural sciences
- argue in order to create a better society, we can’t rely on subjective values and opinions about what is best
- a sociologists job is to discover the truth about how society works and to improve human life
8
Q
DURKHEIM’s study of suicide
A
- DURKHEIM claimed his study of suicide was based on social facts (levels of integration and regulation)
- it was objective and value free - based on the collection of facts about individuals
- interpretivists claim that the actual death is categorised based on the coroners common-sense assumptions
9
Q
BECKER - abandoning value freedom
A
- argues no knowledge is value free
- abandon the idea of value freedom - research should not be neutral
- sociologists should support the ‘under dogs’ and bring about social change
- his research looked at how people get labelled as outsiders - the mentally ill and criminals
10
Q
GOULDNER - services for free
A
- argues value free sociology is impossible, as either the sociologists or funding bodies values will be present in the research
- if sociologists dont use their own values to guide research, they are putting up their services for sale
- sociologists should support oppressed groups in society - represent their interests
- there should be clear value commitment in sociology
11
Q
different perspectives influencing choices in topics and methods
A
- feminism sees sociology based on gender inequality and promote the rights of women
- functionalists see society as harmonious and support conservative values - select quantitative methods
- marxism sees society as conflict ridden and strive for classless society - select quantitative methods
- interactionists will always select qualitative methods
- all of the above contains values
12
Q
funding and careers
A
- sociological research needs to be financed
- funding bodies control the direction of the research and the questions that need to be asked
- risk not being published if funding body do not like finds
- to further a sociologists career, this could influence their choice of topic
13
Q
A
13
Q
A
14
Q
modern positivist claims
A
- claim to be ‘value free’
- they argue that their own values are irrelevant to their research as science is concerned with matter of fact, not values
- believe sociologists should remain morally neutral - establish the truth, not judge it
15
Q
GOULDNER - modern positivists changing sociology
A
- GOULDNER argues modern positivists have changed sociology
- it is no longer a critical discipline
- sociologists have become spiritless technicians
- no longer problem makers but problem takers - hired themselves out to politicians and businesses to solve their problems
16
Q
MAX WEBER - sociology is value laden
A
- sees a role for values in sociological research
- we can only select areas of study in terms of what we regard as important based on our own values
- values are essential in selecting what aspects to study
- e.g. feminists study gender equality and use the concept of patriarchy
17
Q
MAX WEBER - how to deal with values
A
- values are inevitable, but sociologists must be objective and unbiased
- keep values and prejudices out of research process
- methods should be applied systematically
- no leading questions
- careful when sampling
- consider values when examining ethics
- researchers could discover criminal behaviour but have promised confidentiality - should they publish research that could cause harm?
18
Q
postmodernist perspective - LYOTARD
A
- take a relativist view of all knowledge
- they reject the idea that one account of knowledge is superior
- whatever you believe to be true, is true for you
- any perspective that claims to be the truth is just a meta narrative or big story
- all knowledge, whatever the perspective, is based on values and assumptions
