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Theory and Methods, - Coggle Diagram
Theory and Methods
Functionalism
Organic analogy
Parsons identifies similarities between biology and wider society: system which is both are self regulating with parts that fit together. Organism needs is which is an organism does not have its needs met it will die. Functions is where an organism needs to fulfil its needs otherwise it will die - these are its functions.
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System needs
Adaptation: the social system meets the needs of everyone through the economic subsystem.
Goal attainment: set goals and methods to achieve them, this is the role of the political subsystem with institutions like parliament.
Integration: parts of the system need to be integrated to peruse shared goals.
Latency: the process that maintains society over time. The kinship sub-system provides pattern maintenance (socialising individuals to perform societies roles) and tension management (a place to relieve stresses after work).
Social change
Parsons identifies the two types of society (traditional and modern):
Traditional society: Ascribed status - status based on fixed traits by virtue of existence (eg. royal family). Collective orientation - putting the group need before the individual need. Diffuseness - relationships are broad with a wide range of functions. Particularism - norms emphasise treating people differently through kinship. Affectivity - immediate gratification of desires.
Modern society: Achieved status - status based on performance (eg. education). Self-orientation - individualism and pursuing self-interest. Specificity - relationships are narrow and limited to specific purposes and functions. Universalism - norms and values that apply to the whole nation and emphasise treating people equally. Affective neutrality - deferred gratification (eg. working for qualifications and long-term goals.
Objectivity and Values
Positivists
Sociology can be studied free from values because it is objective. Mrdal and Gouldber - sociologists should only identify their values, but openly taking a side, espoused the interests of actual groups. It is undesirable to be neutral.
Weber
Sociology can be value free when the research method has been chose, but the values need to be explicitly stated. Value is used about what to research not how to conduct research. Sociologists must be objective when collecting data. Values in the interpretation of data is important. Sociologists cannot stray away from raising social issues in their work.
Interpritavists
Sociology is subjective and therefore cannot be value free. The sociologists values are influenced by:
- choice of research topic.
- choice of research method.
- funding body.
Lab experiments
Advantages:
- can be reproduced because it states the exact steps to do it again.
- can identify cause and effect relationships.
Disadvantages:
- carried out in a artificial environment and may not represent how people would act in the real world.
- hawthorn effect.
- the researcher needs informed consent - this is difficult.
- small scale means not representative.
- you cant control variables that link to social issues.
Field experiments
Advantages:
- less artificiality: are set in natural environment.
- validity: peoples are unaware and therefore there is no hawthorn effect, as people are in their natural environment they will act normally.
Disadvantages:
- involves carrying out experiments without consent.
- less control over variables.
- can only be applied to a limited amount of research
- cannot be reproduced
Questionnaires
Advantages:
- quantitative data.
- cheap and quick.
- it can be repeated because of pre-set questions.
- limited ethical issues: don't have to answer question.
Disadvantages:
- low response rate.
- people are willing to lie.
- people from certain groups (m/c) are more likely to answer them.
- no follow up questions.
Structured interviews
Advantages:
- training administrators and interviewers is cheap and easy.
- reach a geographically widespread research sample.
- produces quantitative data.
- it can be easily reproduced.
Disadvantages:
- people may lie of exaggerate.
- right answer-ism.
Official statistics
Advantages:
- cheap and easy to obtain.
- easy to access.
- allow to cross examine, cause and relate effects.
- compare trends over time.
- reliable: have to be filled out by law.
Disadvantages:
- the government collects this data for their own perpous. Sociologists may misinterprit the data.
- unreliable: census coders may make error, or people may fill them out incorrectly.
Unstructured interview
Advantages:
- the informality allows the interviewer to develop a relationship with the interviewee.
- questions not restricted - flexible.
- as they are flexible the interviewee is more likely to be truthful.
Disadvantages:
- they take more time and have a smaller research sample.
- it is costly to teach interviewers sensitivity.
- small research sample - unrepresentative.
- not quantifiable because the questions are opening, you can't reach a solid conclusion.
Historical documents
Advantages:
- allows comparisons over time.
- useful in assessing the outcomes of social policy.
Disadvantages:
- some document may have been destroyed, lost or altered.
- may have been written selectively.
- may have been written by a person it has attributed to.
Personal documents
Advantages:
- written for a personal purpose so they are more likely to be honest.
- they are cheap and save researcher time.
- illuminates many aspects of social life.
- can be used to confirm other accounts of events.
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