Theoretical Approaches to Research: Positivism Flashcards
How do Positivists argue we shoudl treat people?
Like objects
Why do Positivists think we should treat people like objects?
So their behaviour can be observed in the same way as animals or the weather etc
Do Positivists take a top-down or bottom-up approach?
Top-down
What does it mean about the perception of human behaviour for Positivists if they take a top-down approach?
They see human behaviour as a product of society
Why do Positivists see human behaviour as a product of society?
Because society produces social laws which we cannot change instantly
What research method types do Positivists tend to use?
Quantitative Research Methods
What scale are Positivists more likely to be able to do their research on if they do Quantitative methods?
Large scale
Name a theoretical strength of research being done on a large scale beginning with “R”
It is Representative
What does it mean if Quantitative Data is reliable?
It means that if the research method was followed again, it would produce the same results
Are Quantitative research methods standardised? What does this mean?
They are standardised, meaning that the way of doing the research method is kept the same
Name 2 ways Quantitative data is usually presented in
Graphs or Tables
What do Positivists look for in the quantitative research tables or graphs?
Patterns and trends in data
Is large-scale research called Macro research or Micro research?
Macro Research
