Positivism and interpretivism Flashcards
What is positivism
An approach to sociology that relies on scientific evidence
What do positivists believe?
that there are causes which make up societies social structure that mould people’s ideas and actions
– these are known as external forces.
What data do positivists favour
Quantitive data
Positivist methods
Experiments (lab, controlled or field)
Comparative methods (social groups)
Surveys(closed questionnaires)
Non-participant observation
Strengths of positivists
Proffered by the government
Reliable
Produce quantitive data - seen as scientific
Can demonstrate cause and affect relationships.
Limitations of positivists methods
Lack validity (demonstrates trends but with no explanation) Too fixed (no variation) Does not gain insight into the lives of individuals
What do interpretivists believe?
that behaviour is influenced by the interpretations and meanings they give to social situations.
What did George mead suggest?
Mead suggested researchers need to develop empathy with their subjects,
What data to interpretivists prefer
Qualitative data
Interpretivists like to:
• Focus on individuals or small groups of people rather than on large scale amounts
• Are subjective in their approach to
research
• Believe we have freewill, choice and consciousness
Interpretivists methods
Observations (participants and non-participants)
Secondary sources
Surveys
Strengths of interpretivists
Higher in validity
Produce qualitative data
Gains an insight into hard-to-reach groups
Gives a voice to the unheard
Limitations of interpretivists
Can be overly influenced by researcher’s interpretation/ opinion
Seen as unscientific
Small-scale nature of methods (unable to generalise population)
Difficult to replicate methods
