Sociology & Science

• What is a central feature of today’s society?

  Science
• How have science and technology impacted life?

  They have revolutionised practically every aspect of life
• Who sought to establish sociology as a science?

  Modernist sociologists like Durkheim
• What method did Durkheim use to increase knowledge of society?

  The scientific method
• What do some argue about the study of society compared to science?

  It is fundamentally different from science
• What are the features of science?

  • Reliability
  • Objectivity
  • Predictions
  • Falsification
  • Hypothetico-deductive method
• What do positivists believe about sociology?

  It can be scientific and desirable
• How do positivists view the subject matter of society?

  Similar to natural science, objective and factual
• What do functionalists claim about cultural institutions?

  They restrict human behaviour through socialisation
• How is human behaviour viewed by positivists?

  As caused and predictable like natural matter
• What do positivists aim to produce about society?

  Scientific laws to predict future events
• How can sociologists follow natural science research logic?

  By producing quantitative data and being objective
• What method did Durkheim use to study suicide?

  Comparative method with official statistics
• What did Durkheim find about suicide rates?

  They varied between countries and sub-groups
• What scientific law did Durkheim develop about suicide?

  It is caused by too little or too much social control
• What do interpretivists believe about sociology and natural sciences?

  It is unsuited to the study of human beings
• What fundamental differences do interpretivists claim exist?

  Between the social world and the natural world
• How do interpretivists view human reactions to external forces?

  They do not react in a causal way
• What do interpretivists emphasize in human behavior?

  Feelings, meanings, and emotions
• How do phenomenologists like Katz view crime?

  Guided by individual meanings, not just structure
• What do interpretivists believe about achieving verstehen?

  We need to see the world from people's viewpoints
• What do interpretivists claim about research subjectivity?

  All research is inevitably subjective and value-laden
• What does Kuhn suggest about science?

  It is paradigmatic with fixed rules and principles
• How does Kuhn view sociology in relation to science?

  It is pre-paradigmatic and lacks consensus
• What is evident about sociology according to Kuhn?

  There are a range of theories and perspectives
• What do critics of Kuhn question about science?

  Whether science itself has a paradigm
• What do interpretivists favor in research methods?

  Qualitative methods like observation and interviews
• What does a non-scientific approach generate?

  Data that is highly valid and insightful
• What did Dobash and Dobash achieve through their research?

  A true understanding of women's experiences
• What do interpretivists believe about studying suicide?

  It cannot be studied scientifically
• How do interpretivists view official statistics on suicide?

  As social constructions shaped by coroners
• What shapes suicidal behavior according to interpretivists?

  Individual meanings rather than wider society
• What methods do sociologists use to discover meanings?

  Qualitative methods like interviews and documents
• What do postmodernists reject about scientific truth?

  • All knowledge is uncertain
  • No scientific theory can claim truth
  • Reject meta-narratives and grand theories
• Why do postmodernists see science as a meta-narrative?

  It has lost support due to human risks
• What problems do postmodernists associate with rational thinking?

  It has failed in various contexts
• What is the title of the recommended reading by Webb et al.?

  AQA A level Sociology, Book Two
• What is the title of the recommended reading by Browne?

  Sociology for AQA Vol 2
• What type of questions are included in the A-level sample questions?

  Outline and explain arguments
• What is the focus of Paper 1 in the A-level sample questions?

  Arguments for sociology as a science