McGrath&Johnson - reading assignment Flashcards
(10 cards)
What entails positivist paradigm?
(a) that there is an orderly, material world that is independent of the observer
(and of the observed individuals in the case of research on human systems);
(b) that it is in principle knowable, via rational inquiry;
(c) that the knowledge thus gained is (or in principle can be) independent of the
observer
What entails alternative paradigm?
knowledge and experimenters are not independent
human behavior is situated within a particular context and can’t be studied
independent of noise
What is the role of objectivity in positivist paradigm?
The idea of objectivity plays a pivotal role in our scientific enterprise. The phenomena
we study, our procedures, and we as researchers must attain objectivity for the
knowledge we obtain to also be objective.
Explain what the authors mean with the following phrase: ‘Quantification
imposes a very strong meaning system on the information thus gathered’
With the ‘meaning system’, the authors refer to the hidden assumptions of quantitative analyses and measurement procedures. When researchers apply a quantitative analysis, they (un)consciously also give meaning to their data and results
What are examples of meaning systems?
many statistical procedures are based on a linear relationship between
variables, which is not usually questioned
there is only a focus on a number of variables so that imposes an assumption of
which and how many variables are relevant
p-value of .05
McGrath and Johnson argue that positivism only aims for efficient causality. What is efficient causality?
Positivism only aims for the kind of causality in which A leads to B, and B leads to C (a chain of events).
What are pitfalls of over-focusing on efficient causality?
Humans don’t always work as “chains of events” (A -> B -> C)
We constantly reconsider our actions, and there are tons of factors that might get in the way of those causal relationships. A more systemic, holistic idea of causality might be
more suitable in the human sciences
How does positivist paradigm deal with concept of time?
The conceptualization of time is very limited in positivist research: there is no attention
for the embedding in a particular time and age.
If positivist research deals with time it’s often in a limited fashion, and almost never over a longer period of time.
What are authors criticism on alternative paradigm?
If we take the alternative paradigm too far, it doesn’t do any justice to the value of the scientific method and the scientific enterprise (which have given us so much)
What is main purpose of McGrath and Johnson paper?
They show that both the quantitative and the qualitative paradigm are restricted, since
both paradigms put constraints in the kind of conclusions we draw. They are both valuable but limited. Hence, we must do both!
