Download Item A Positivist sociologists argue behaviour can be measured and

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.