Methodology

Question 1

What type of data do positivists like?

Answer 1

Quantitative data

Question 2

What do they believe about social behaviour? (positivists)

Answer 2

It can be measured and explained objectively

Question 3

What scale is positivist research more likely to be?

Answer 3

Large scale / Macro

Question 4

What did Comte argue sociology should be based on?

Answer 4

Methodology of sciences as should be treated as such
Laws of society can show the development of society

Question 5

What is Comte’s ideas on positivism?

Answer 5

It is all about observable facts and not invisible things
External forces affect behaviour in both natural world and society

Question 6

Durkheim’s idea on social facts

Answer 6

Should be treated in the same way as natural world factors
Social facts are the institutions, religious beliefs, norms and values

Question 7

What is Durkheim’s famous study on suicide?

Answer 7

It is society that causes suicide not the psychology of the individual

Question 8

What was suicide down to according to Durkheim?

Answer 8

The level of integration within society

Question 9

Strengths of positivist approaches?

Answer 9

Can establish cause and effect relationships or correlations between events
Produce quantitative data
Reliable - can be replicated

Question 10

Criticisms of positivist approaches

Answer 10

Interpretivists criticize positivists by saying they give little opportunity for people to elaborate on their feelings
Statistics are just social constructions

Question 11

What is interpretivism?

Answer 11

A methodological approach concerned with understanding the meanings that individuals give to situations

Question 12

What data do interpretivists like?

Answer 12

Qualitative data

Question 13

What approach do interpretivists take?

Answer 13

An inductive approach to form theories
Ideas to then create a hypothesis

Question 14

Interpretivists preferred methodology?

Answer 14

Unstructured, open ended questionnaires
Unstructured interviews
Small scale studies
Participant observation

Question 15

Douglas approach to suicide apposing Durkheim

Answer 15

Statistics are social constructs
Suicide verdicts and the statistics based on them are the product of interactions and negotiations of those involved

Question 16

How does Douglas criticise Durkheim in his study?

Answer 16

Ignores the meanings of the act for those who kill themselves, and assumes suicide has a constant meaning

Question 17

Strengths of interpretivist approaches?

Answer 17

Higher in validity
Produce qualitative data
Championing the underdog in society
Gains a further insight

Question 18

Criticisms of interpretivism

Answer 18

Hawthorne effect may change participant behaviours
Lack of reliability - can’t be repeated
Small scale so can’t generalise

Question 19

How do feminists criticise positivism?

Answer 19

Ignored and excluded women and issues of concern to women
Uses ‘male stream’ methods to research women experiences

Question 20

What methods are feminists more sympathetic to?

Answer 20

Interpretivists

Question 21

How did Oakley conduct her study of first time motherhood?

Answer 21

Unstructured interviews
Two way interaction process
Shared her own experiences and offered advice
Helped participants feel at ease drawing out their feelings
Produced valid data

Question 22

Who argues that sociology should and can be value-free?

Answer 22

Comte and Durkheim
Positivists

Question 23

Sociology should and can be value free…

Answer 23

We should use similar methods to natural sciences
Society is made up of social structures and social facts so they can be separated from the values

Question 24

Who argues sociology CANNOT be value-free?

Answer 24

Interpretivists
Max Weber

Question 25

What does Max Weber argue about value-freedom?

Answer 25

He rejects it and argued that scientists and sociologists are also human beings and they must not dodge the moral and political issues

Question 26

What do interpretivists argue that values allow them to do?

Answer 26

Have an insight into the social conditions that people face and to understand the rationale behind their behaviour

Question 27

What does Gouldner argue about value-free?

Answer 27

Sociologists should not try to be value-free, but value committed

Question 28

What does Gouldner mean by being value committed?

Answer 28

He argues that sociologists have public responsibility to improve the lives of others so should work to take the side against powerful groups

Question 29

What does Becker argue that sociology has a responsibility to support?

Answer 29

The underdog

Question 30

What does Becker state about all of sociology?

Answer 30

That it is influenced by values and this drives sociologists to take sides

Question 31

What do Postmodernists argue?

Answer 31

It is impossible for sociology to be value free

Question 32

Do positivists say that sociology is or isn't a science?

Answer 32

It is a science

Question 33

How do positivist argue that sociology is a science?

Answer 33

They argue human behaviour is a response to external forces such as socialisations so we must study and test the external forces

Question 34

What do positivists argue that causes events in the social world?

Answer 34

Social facts cause events in the social world

Question 35

What can sociologists discover like scientists? - positivism

Answer 35

Just like scientists discover laws that govern nature (like gravity), sociologists can discover laws of human nature - making it a science

Question 36

Evaluation of a positivist view that society is a science?

Answer 36

You cannot predict human behaviour Ethical issues Hawthorne effect Validity?

Question 37

Who argues that sociology is not a science?

Answer 37

Interpretivists

Question 38

Do interpretivists argue there is a difference between society and the natural world?

Answer 38

Yes there is a massive difference - we do not respond to external forces, instead people interpret and give meaning to situations before responding

Question 39

What do interpretivists argue it is impossible to do?

Answer 39

Predict human behaviour or to establish cause-and-effect - instead we must discover and interpret the meaning people give to situations

Question 40

Do realists believe sociology is a science or not?

Answer 40

They believe it is a science

Question 41

What does Sayer suggest about science?

Answer 41

Says there are 2 types Closed systems - physics and chemistry open systems - Meteorology (weather)

Question 42

Because sociologists can study open systems what does this mean?

Answer 42

Realists argue this makes sociology a science

Question 43

What do realists say about human behaviour?

Answer 43

We cannot predict completely but we can still explain it in terms of underlying structures

Question 44

What does Karl Popper argue about sociology as a science?

Answer 44

It isn't scientific but can be in the future

Question 45

What analogy does Karl Popper use?

Answer 45

The black swan analogy - all swans are white until you see one black one instead of trying to prove theories - try disprove them

Question 46

What does Kuhn argue about sociology as a science?

Answer 46

It is not scientific but can be

Question 47

What does Kuhn say that science operates in?

Answer 47

It's own paradigm (a framework of concepts and theories which states how the natural world operates)

Question 48

How did Kuhn apply his notion of scientific paradigms to sociology?

Answer 48

Sociology does not operate in 1 paradigm as the natural science do If sociology was objective and one single ideology it would be scientific for Kuhn