RM Q1 Flashcards
What is Positivism?
- Positivists argue that the world can be understood in a logical systematic, objective way.
- People live and die but society continues
- Individualism is less influential than society
What are the key methods of Positivism?
- Patterns in data
- Trends
- Objectivity
- Value freedom- no individual opinion
- Quantitative data- data found by closed questionnaires, structured interviews, and numerical info.
Why are these methods favoured by Positivists?
-Data found on a macro scale, with no individual interpretations or opinions allow the researcher to form generalisations of their findings and therefore change social policy or find valid conclusions.
How does Durkheim ensure a scientific approach to his study?
- 4 Categorised reasons for suicide
- Showed trends in the characteristics of those who commit suicide.
- Used quantitative data e.g. suicide rates.
- His study was to prove that suicide is not a random individual act.
What were Durkheim’s key observations?
- 4 Types of suicide to categorise ( Altruistic, Egoistic, Fatalistic, Anomic)
- These reasons based on level of integration in society and their levels of regulation.
- Behaviour varied by socical/economic factors
Which ‘social facts’ did Durkheim find?
- Unmarried and childless people had a higher rate than those not
- Rate rose and fell during wartime and recession, showing variations in the same society.
Evaluation of Durkheim
- Suicide cannot be categorised because there have been suicides that do not fit into his 4 types.
- Outdated study in an era where suicide was sinful and the common population didn’t understand why someone’s would do something sinful- found what he was looking for.
- However his research can be replicated better than interpretivists, as quantitative data produces larger results and less time consuming.
What is Interpretivism?
- People are conscious beings with the ability to make choices on the way we behave
- Focus on the individual rather than a scientific approach
- Qualitative data
What is Verstehen?
- Verstehen refers to the understanding the meaning of action from another’s point of view.
- Verstehen helps to build rapport.
What is rapport and how does it help research?
- Rapport is when the researcher / interviewer establishes a relationship or a degree of comfort with the participant.
- This can mean they can gain access to in participant observation and you may get better information and data.
What is researcher imposition?
- When researchers unintentionally impose their own views or frame work on the people being researched and don’t really get at what respondents think.
- Interpret their opinions differently
What are the meanings and experiences argued by interpretvists?
- Reject the view that behaviour is beyond control
- People are active creators rather than passive victims
What is reflexivity and why is it important for qualitative research?
- Reflexivity is about acknowledging your role in the research. Assumptions and beliefs will influence the research process.
- This is important due to the researcher being able to be aware of your beliefs and potentially influencing the data.
What is representativeness?
-Representativeness simply means the extent to which a sample mirrors a researcher’s target population and reflects its characteristics.
What is reliability?
-The reliability of a method refers to the extent to which, were the same study to be repeated, it would produce the same results.
