Positivist Research Methods Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the positivist research methods?
- lab experiments
- questionnaires
- structured interviews
- official statistics
What was Banduras lab experiment?
- a child watched a women beating a clown bobo for 10 minutes
-child is then left alone with the bobo and is seen hitting the bobo - another set of children watched a woman doing nothing with the bobo
- these children were then left alone with the bobo and acted passively
What was Milgrams lab experiment?
- There are 3 people: experimenter, student and teacher.
- The experimenter and student are both actors while the teacher is the candidate.
- Milgram told the teachers that they were signing up to conduct a test of memory.
- The teacher and the experimenter were in the same room while there’s a wall separating the student and the teacher. The teacher would ask the students a question and if they answer wrong then the teacher must electrocute them. However the electrocutions are fake and there are noises played that mimic the students pain. The teachers are frightened but electrocute the students anyway out of fear and need to comply.
What was Asch lab experiment?
There are 5 actors and 1 candidate, and they are all shown 3 different length lines which they need to compare the length to the original line. All 5 actors say the wrong answer to see if the candidate will conform or say the actual right answer, most candidates conform
This was tested again but one of the actors says the right answer and since the candidate knew they wouldn’t be the only one saying a different answer they were more likely to say the true answer
What are the Practical issues of lab experiments?
Pros
- data is easy to analyse
Cons
- finding needed
- need participants and skilled people
- time consuming
What are the ethical issues of lab experiments?
Pros
- post hoc consent
Cons
- harm
- informed consent is hard to get, have to lie
What are the theoretical issues of lab experiments?
Pros
- reduced bias
- positivist
- reliable
Cons
- not representative
What was Sullivans questionnaire?
Surveyed pupils using questionnaires to assess their cultural capital. By asking about a range of cultural activities, and testing their vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures. She found that children that read complex fiction and watched more serious documentaries developed better cultural knowledge.
What was the census?
An official count or survey taken every 10 years needed to be taken by the whole population
What are the practical issues of questionnaires?
Pros
- quick
- cheap
- easy to distribute
Cons
- need skills for statistical analysis if its close ended
What are the ethical issues of questionnaires?
Pros
- anonymity
- detachment to reduce bias
Cons
- detachments can come across as impersonal and insensitive
What are the theoretical issues of questionnaires?
Pros
- quantitative (close ended)
-qualitative (open ended)
- representative
Cons
- close ended- not enough depth according to interpretivist
- open ended - not objective according to positivists
What was young and willmotts structured interviews?
They used structured interviews that asked 933 family members about their roles and relationships
What are the practical issues of structured interviews?
Pros
- questions are set so no need to make them up on the spot
Cons
- need space for interview
- need a sample of participants
- time to process data
What are the ethical issues of structured interviews?
Pros
- people can withdraw at any time
Cons
- could ask harmful questions
What are the theoretical issues of structured interviews?
Pros
- easily replicated
- increased validity as they can expand on their answers
Cons
- right answerism in a face to face situation
What is the crime survey for England and wales?
A hugely important means for the government to understand the true level of crime which is readily displayed on the internet
What was durkheims official statistics?
Durkheim used official statistics to study subdivide rates
- he found that the groups with lowest suicide rates were catholics ages 16-30 with children
- highest sucicide rates were Protestants age 31-50 without children because of isolation and lack of intergration
What are the practical issues of official statistics?
Pros
- free and quick to find
- available for everyone
Cons
- takes long time to analyse
What are the ethical issues of official statistics?
Pros
- anonymous
- dont need anyone’s consent
- not adding harm
Cons
- could create setereotypes
- the could be source bias (picking information based on hypothesis)
- detachment
What are the theoretical issues of official statistics?
Pros
- accurate and representative
- consistent results, reliable
Cons
- missing depth of knowledge
- lots of numbers with no explanations
