Perspectives On Methodology Flashcards
Sociologists choice of method is..
Influenced by their sociological perspective, their view of what society is like
Positivism
Structural
Interpretivism
Social action approach
Positivism meaning
Positivism sociology wants to identify the underlying causes of people’s behaviour
The data that is collected is…
Quantative- facts and numbers that are precise
What does an interpretivist sociologist want to understand
How people give meaning to the social world around them
What type of data does a interpretivist get
Qualitative - reporting the in depth experiences of those being studied
Emile Durkheim
Positivism and would choose quantitative methods
Max Weber
Interpretivist would choose qualitiatice
Positivists concern themselves with…
MACRO (society as a whole) like to look at objective and facts, think world can be studied like a science
Society is independent to individuals, an external force (positivisist )
Prefer structured quantative methods and look for predictable and formulaic pattern of behaviour
What else do positivistst look for
Casual behaviour and prefer value- free, reliable, representative, large scale quantifiable mythology
What do interpretivists concern themselves with
Micro
What do interpretivists assume
Society cannot exist without individuals: society is dependant on individuals
Society as controlled by individuals
Subjective reality created by individual interactions, society is a social construction
