The Comparative Method

Question 1

What is the Comparative Method?

Answer 1

Used to collect data about different societies or social groups, OR the same society in different time periods - comparing two pieces of data. This method is preferred by Positivists as it can identify causes of behaviour.

Question 2

An example of the Comparative Method:

Answer 2

Durkheim used official suicide statistics to determine what factors were linked with suicide. He compared variables such as marital status, religion, etc and concluded that suicides were mainly due to religious beliefs.

Question 3

Strengths of the Comparative Method:

Answer 3

Discovers causal relationships, can be studied in the past, avoids artificiality, cheap, easy to access.

Question 4

Weaknesses of the Comparative Method:

Answer 4

No control over variables, difficult to operationalise variables, method usually relies on the use of official statistics which interpretivists argue are socially constructed.