Positivism and Interpretivism

Question 1

Which approach focuses on quantitative data (numbers, statistics etc.) ?

Answer 1

Positivism

Question 2

Which approach focuses on qualitative data (long answers, detail, emotions etc.) ?

Answer 2

Interpretivism

Question 3

Which famous sociologist supports the positivist view?

Answer 3

Emile Durkheim

Question 4

Which famous sociologist supports the interpretivist view?

Answer 4

Max Weber

Question 5

Which approach produces highly valid results (but low reliability) ?

Answer 5

Interpretivism

Question 6

Which approach produces highly reliable results (but low validity) ?

Answer 6

Positivism

Question 7

What do positivist question tend to be like?

Give an example.

Answer 7

Positivist questions are usually closed questions, a simple yes or no. This is because they do not delve deep into detail, they focus on statistics.

Ie. Do you like sixth form (yes or no question)

Question 8

What do interpretivist questions tend to be like?

Give an example.

Answer 8

Interpretivist questions are open ended questions. They look for rich, detailed results which allow them to understand the participants’ thoughts, emotions, meanings and motives.

Ie. How do you feel about sixty form (causes the participant to share their emotions and give a more in depth response)

Question 9

What do positivists believe?

Answer 9

They believe that sociology can be studied as if it were a natural science (Chem, Bio, Physics)

They believe the social world is predictable and can be studied logically