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Item A Positivist sociologists argue behaviour can be measured and therefore researchers should focus on using empirical methods. They emphasise the importance of using scientific methods where findings can be checked by other researchers. Interpretivists, however, regard these methods as entirely inappropriate for studying people. They focus on the importance of understanding why people behave the way they do. 1) Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that positivist methods are the most suitable for studying social life (20 marks). Introduction Positivists: scientific methods provide reliable data which is empirical. Interpretivists: these methods are unsuitable for studying human behaviour and researchers should instead focus on understanding motivations and meanings behind behaviour. AO1: Human behaviour is influenced by social institutions/structures (social facts). Links with structuralism, e.g. functionalism/Marxism. Therefore need to use quantitative methods which can measure human behaviour empirically, e.g. structured questionnaires which can use closed questions to produce numerical data in the form of official statistics. Enables cause and effect relationships to be studied and hypotheses to be tested. AO3: INTERPRETIVISM: Behaviour is influenced by people’s meanings and motivations, not society. Need to use qualitative methods to understand these meanings and motivations, e.g. Becker and labelling. Cannot use quantitative data as it doesn’t tell us why people behave the way they do. Methods such as official statistics are simply social constructions as they simply record what official think it is important to record and it only tells us how these officials categorise what they record. Methods such as informal, unstructured interviews are better as participants can fully explain why they behave the way they do. AO1: Need to use large scale (macro) methods, e.g. official statistics, surveys. This makes research more representative and enables findings to be generalised to the wider population and improvements to society can be made. These methods also need to be reliable (standardised/repeatable). This enables other sociologists to check the findings for accuracy. Formal/structured interviews can easily be repeated by another researcher. AO3: INTERPRETIVISM: Small scale research (micro) is needed to fully understand behaviour. Macro methods do not enable verstehen to be developed. In micro research this can be developed as the researcher can take part in the same activities as the participants, e.g. participant observation. This enables them to develop empathy and provides in depth, valid data. For example Venkatesh was able to produce detailed research about the gang members he lived with for 7/8 years. AO1: Methods used need to be detached and value free. This avoids researcher bias, the Hawthorne effect and social desirability. It ensures research is objective. Non participant observation and formal interviews ensure the researcher’s own values don’t influence the research and enable data to be produced which is value free. AO3: Gouldner: being value free is still a value. Value free sociology is impossible as values are at every step of the research process, e.g. choosing a topic and methods. FEMINISM: positivist methods such as formal interviews are malestream and result in sociology neglecting the experience of women. Oakley: These methods produce a power relationship between researcher and participant. This doesn’t encourage women to discuss their experiences in society. Interpretivist methods, e.g. unstructured, informal interviews, are better as it encourages women to talk about their experiences. In Oakley’s study of first time motherhood she discussed her own experiences with the women studied which encouraged them to talk in detail about their experiences and feelings. Sociology should be value committed not value free. Feminist research should focus on improving the lives of women. Becker: sociology should focus on improving the lives of the oppressed and disadvantaged.