Postvism

• Positivism


  A methodological approach to research in society that was developed amongst others by Emil Durkheim
• Positivism


  • Approaches the study of society in a systematic and scientific way
  • The argument of early positivists was that individuals could be studied in a similar way to the natural sciences because behaviors could be observed and recorded in a scientific way
  • These behaviors or social facts could be measured and quantified to allow researchers to study cause and effect relationships between social institutions and individuals in society
  • By using a scientific approach, sociologists would be able to test theories through repeating research and checking the findings to make sure that they were consistent with sociological theories of behavior
• Key idea of positivism


  Society is shaped by social institutions and these institutions (things like education, family, religion, work) shape the behavior of individuals
• Positivists


  • Take a more structural view of society, looking at the bigger picture rather than the interactions between individuals
  • Are concerned with the impact of social forces and how these shape individual behaviors
  • Generally look to collect quantitative data (data in numerical form) because they see it as being more objective and scientific rather than relying upon a researcher's interpretation of events
  • Believe that society can be studied in the same way as the natural sciences and that sociology can be used to predict social behaviors
• Methods used by positivists

  • Lab experiments
  • Field experiments
  • Comparative method
  • Surveys with closed questionnaires and structured interviews
  • Non-participant observations
• Strengths of positivist methods

  • Can provide a cause and effect relationship between events and behaviors
  • Produce quantitative data that is seen as more objective than qualitative data
  • Quantitative data is preferred by governments and non-governmental organizations for large-scale applications and policy-making
  • Can be reproduced by other researchers and results can be checked to ensure they are correct (falsification principle)
• Limitations of positivist methods

  • Often lack validity as they might demonstrate changes in behavior but don't provide a rationale behind those changes
  • Judgment is subjective and imposed upon those being studied, which means it may not be representative of the views of all of those being studied
  • Focuses too heavily on structural elements of society and can be seen as deterministic, ignoring the agency and free will of individuals
  • Have very fixed approaches to research that don't always reflect the diversity and fluidity of contemporary society
  • Reduces people's attitudes and opinions to numerical values which do not demonstrate the importance of the meanings and motivations of why people do things
• Positivist research


  • Durkheim's study of suicide across European countries
  • Research on rates of offending, educational achievement, and how factors such as social class, ethnicity, and gender impact them
  • Social attitude surveys on topics like division of labor in the home, consumer purchasing habits, social media usage
  • The UK census