Theory and Methods- Sociology and Science Flashcards

1
Q

How do scientists collect data?

A

Through experiments, observation and measurement

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2
Q

What does science value?

A

Objectivity

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3
Q

What are scientific statements based on?

A

Evidence which has been collected using systematic, logical methods

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4
Q

What do logical positivists believe?

A

That scientists go off in search of scientific laws

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5
Q

How does research start according to positivists?

A

The researcher observes something and decides it needs to be explained

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6
Q

How does the researcher explain the observed phenomenon according to positivists?

A

By thinking up a hypothesis

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7
Q

How is the hypothesis tested? (Positivists)

A

By experiments

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8
Q

What is verification?

A

If experiments agree with the hypothesis, then the hypothesis becomes a scientific law

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9
Q

What does it mean that scientific laws are universal?

A

They explain all phenomena which are similar to the one which was observed in the first place

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10
Q

What did Popper argue?

A

That experiments should try to prove the hypothesis wrong- ‘falsification’

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11
Q

Why did Popper believe that it’s not possible to know the absolute truth?

A

Because you can’t prove things are correct

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12
Q

Why has Popper’s view been criticised by later philosophers?

A

They point out that an experimental result might disagree with a hypothesis because of experimental error and silly mistakes

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13
Q

What did Kuhn believe?

A

That science uses an accepted body of knowledge to solve puzzles

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14
Q

What is a paradigm?

A

Scientists took a lot of assumptions about the world for granted and a paradigm is this assumed way of looking at the world

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15
Q

What are scientists constrained by?

A

The paradigm they take for granted

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16
Q

What is the scientific revolution?

A

Big leaps of scientific progress come about when evidence which doesn’t fit the paradigm builds up to the point where it can’t be ignored and scientists then come up with a new paradigm

17
Q

Why did Popper say that some sociological concepts weren’t scientific?

A

As they can’t be proved wrong and sociology could only be a science if it made hypotheses which could be falsified

18
Q

Why does Kuhn argue that sociology doesn’t count as a science?

A

Sociology doesn’t have a paradigm

19
Q

What are the features of objective knowledge? (3 points)

A
  • The same no matter what your point of view is
  • Provides facts that can be easily verified and falsified
  • Value-free and no bias
20
Q

What are the features of subjective knowledge? (3 points)

A
  • Depends on your point of view
  • Give data that can’t be easily tested
  • Requires interpretation
21
Q

Is sociology more or less subjective than the physical sciences?

22
Q

How does Lyotard view knowledge?

A

As something that people construct rather than discover

23
Q

What do positivists think sociology should be and do?

A

Scientific and analyse social facts

24
Q

How do positivists define social facts?

A

As things that can be directly observed and measured

25
What do positivists claim about social facts?
They are external to the individual and constrain their behaviour
26
What do positivists look for?
Correlations in data and cause and effect relationships
27
What methods do positivists use?
Quantitative methods like questionnaires and official statistics which are objective and reliable
28
What do interpretivists try to do?
To understand human behaviour from the point of view of the individual
29
What methods do interpretivists use?
Qualitative methods to discover the meanings, motives and reasons behind human behaviour and social interaction
30
What does Weber say?
That it's important to use empathy to figure out why an individual is doing what they're doing (Verstehen)
31
What do realists believe?
That sociology can be scientific
32
What is the study of closed systems?
Subjects like chemistry where the variables can be closely controlled and laboratory experiments can be done
33
What is the study of open systems?
Subjects such as meteorology where the variables are difficult or impossible to control so scientists can't make very accurate predictions and can't easily test them experimentally
34
What methods do realists use?
Qualitative and quantitative
35
What do realists argue about science?
Science isn't fundamentally defined by the collection and recording of observable data
36
What do realists argue about sociology?
Sociology can't be entirely value-free but researchers must try to collect and present data in a clear and neutral way