topic 1: theory and methods- positivism Flashcards
what is positivism in general?
refers to a particular set of assumptions about how the social world or society is organised and the appropriate ways of studying it.
Positivists are influenced by the natural sciences
how do positivist sociologists apply the ideas of the natural sciences?
they argue that people should be treated as objects who’s behaviour can be observed, measured and counted in the same ways as natural phenomena such as birds, animal, weather
Positivists argue just as there’s natural laws governing behaviour of these natural phenomena,
so there are social forces or laws shaping and determining social actions of people
what does it mean to say that people are “puppets of society”?
Positivists argue the social structure of particular societies produce social forces or laws over which people have little/ no control.
Positivists view free will as less influential in societies ability to shape human behaviour
By “ puppets of society” positivists mean behaviour is only important as a part of a wider collective whole
how do positivists take a ‘macro’ approach to the study of sociology?
They take a large-scale approach
They’re mainly concerned with relationships between different parts of the social structure to work out ‘effects’ on the behaviours of members of society
Positivists aren’t interested in seeing the world through eyes of people
what is quantitative data?
It is data that can be expressed in numerical form and presented in form of graphs, tables, bar charts…
Positivists are keen on quantitative data
Patterns and trends?
Patterns and trends are broad consistencies and regulations in human behaviour- these are demonstrated by quantitative data and can be observed and compared to establish correlations or links between aspects of social class structure e.g social class/ social behaviour
These correlations can be used to help uncover cause-and-effect relationships which establish ‘social facts’ or ‘laws’
objectivity/ value freedom?
objectivity, also referred to as value freedom, both refer to the state of mind of the sociologist who is free from bias, detached and neutral
Positivists believe research should be objective and value free, meaning investigation should be free from personal/ political opinion and prejudice
This can be done through procedures e.g random sampling, bias is reduced
They also believe findings should be evaluated and validated by other sociologists
social facts?
Positivist sociologists argue the scientific approach that they advocate can produce absolute truth or scientific laws of human behaviour that they call ‘social laws’ or ‘social facts’
Correlations from data help uncover cause-and-effect relationships which can establish ‘social facts’ or ‘laws’
