Theories Of Research

Question 1

What are the two main types of data collected by sociologists?

Answer 1

Quantitative data and qualitative data

Question 2

What type of data do positivists tend to favour?

Answer 2

Quantitative data

Question 3

What type of data do Interpretivists prefer?

Answer 3

Qualitative data

Question 4

What is quantitative data?

Answer 4

Data which can be expressed in numerical form (e.g Official statistics)

Question 5

Why do positivists prefer quantitative data?

Answer 5

• It means that aspects of social behaviour can be counted and measured
• Such data is needed to be able to test a hypothesis which suggests that there is a causal or non-causal relationship between two social variables

Question 6

Explain causal and non-causal relationships

Answer 6

A casual relationship is where one thing can be said to make another thing happen (e.g. smoking causes lung cancer). However, not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer and some people who do not smoke get lung cancer. Thus, there may be a non-causal relationship.

Question 7

What is qualitative data?

Answer 7

Data which is expressed in the absence of numbers, that rather than measuring and counting, attempts to capture how people experience social events and what they mean to them

Question 8

Why do Interpretivists prefer qualitative data?

Answer 8

Because they are looking for meanings and emotions in human behaviour. They are interested in finding our about people’s feelings, attitudes and experiences, and to do this they prefer to collect qualitative data.

Question 9

What are the three main approaches to research?

Answer 9

Positivism, Interpretivism and Realism

Question 10

What is positivism?

Answer 10

The view that sociology should aim to use scientific methods as far as possible. Positivists collect and analyse quantitative data, focussing on behaviour that can be seen and measured or counted, and identifying and measuring social structures