positivists and interpretivists Flashcards
briefly explain positivists
they believe it is possible to apply the logic and methods of the natural science to the study of society. By following these methods the positive approach could bring us true, objective knowledge of the same type found in natural sciences
explain the 8 features of positivism (what they look for in research)
behaviour which has patterns and not random
social laws that can explain these patterns
inductive reasoning (accumulating data about the world through measurement and observation)
verification of theories to be true after many empirical observations
casual factors (look for causes of behaviour to predict the future)
quantitative methods
detachment (objective research with no subjective feelings)
high in reliability
briefly summarise what research positivists use and why
methods such as structured interviews and questionaires are used because on a practical method these have the advantage of low cost per head ratio. They believe that the large number of people they study enables them to make generalisations from their findings. Positivist methods result in information which is of a scientific nature and they have high levels of reliability.
why do postivists and interpretivists criticise each others methods
Interpretivists believe Positivist methods lack depth and are low in validity. Also they criticise their scientific approach as inadequate and unsuitable to the study of humans.
Positivists believe that in Interpretivists methods, what is gained in validity is lost in terms of reliability.
briefly explain Interpretivists
they reject the idea that research should follow the model of natural sciences and argue that the subject matter of sociology is meaningful in social action which can only be understood by interpreting and finding motives of the social actors involved.
interpretivists view on sociology being compared to natural sciences
They say that sociology is about the unobservable internal meanings and not external factors. Therefore sociology is not a science because people don’t always respond to external stimuli on instinct and instead they interpret the meaning of the stimulus then respond accordingly, but natural science is studied by instinctive and predictable behaviour.
Verstehen (interpretivists do this)
empathy, putting yourself in the shoes of others
what research methods do Interpretivists use and what do these methods produce in terms of research
unstructured interviews, participant observations and personal documents are used because they are qualitative, valid, in-depth and insightful.
briefly summarise why Interpretivists use those research methods and why
they have a high cost per head ratio and researchers can gain a close relationship with those being studied. However, Interpretivist methods suffer from a small group size and therefore data is unrepresentative.
why do positivists favour questionnaires
they achieve the main positivist goal of reliability, generalisability and representativeness
