Positivism

A sociological approach that believes that society can be studied scientifically

Positivists aim to uncover general laws of human behaviour through objective, quantitative data

Key features of positivism-

Objectivity- Researchers should remain detached and neutral

Quantitative data- Use of statistics, numbers, patterns, graphs

Scientific methods- Hypothesis testing, cause and effect, replicability

Macro approach- Focus on structures like class, education, religion

Methods favoured by positivists-

Official statistics- Ready made, large scale, measurable

Structured questionnaires- Easy to replicate, collect large amounts of data

Lab experiments- Controlled, measurable cause-effect relationships

Structured interviews- Standardises questions= reliable data

Evaluation

Strengths-

• Allows sociologists to make general laws about society

• Useful for identifying trends and patterns

• Enables replication and comparison

• Helps governments with policy-making

Weaknesses-

• Ignores meanings and interpretations (criticised by interpretivists)

• Data lacks validity- stats may not reflect real experiences

• Researcher bias can affect ‘objective studies’

• Often overlooks individual agency

Positivism vs interpretivism

Positivism-

• Quantitative

• Objective

• Scientific

• Macro

Interpretivism-

• Qualitative

• Subjective

• Humanistic

• Micro