Introduction - Qualitative Research Methods - Lecture Slides, Slides of Research Methodology

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Introduction

A distinct research process

Inquiries of knowledge that are outside the framework prescribed by the scientific method, as well as assumptions of inferential statistics

Important to review modern philosophies of science which have set rules for how psychologists have thought about research for past 80 years.

What is the ‘philosophy of science’?

• concerned with the question of how we should carry out scientific research given our understanding of the nature of knowledge. - how most scientists actually work given the social and practical circumstances of their work.

Reality, Knowledge & Science

Philosophers interested in the relation between

• Ontology (the study of what actually exists)
• Epistemology (the study of what knowledge is, what we can know and what the limits of knowledge are)
• Methodology (the study of the ways in which the world can be studied ).

Ontological assumptions ↓

Epistemological assumptions

↓ Methodological assumptions

What is science?

• Objective testing of theories based on evidence
• Public sharing of data
• Theories competing with each other
• Careful measurements/recording/data analysis
• Therefore psychology is a science…?

Comte, Ayer and logical positivism

Auguste Comte (1798-1857) three phases of searching for understanding theological ; metaphysical ; positive or scientific

Positivism ‘unity of science project’

• process of induction.
• Vienna Circle 1920s - ‘logical positivism’
• emphasis on theories & logical deduction of hypotheses

Alfred Ayer (1910-89,) Language, Truth and Logic 1936.

a statement can only be true only if

(i) it is a self-evident analytic, deductive truth (e.g. ‘2+2=4’)

(ii) the statement matches reality precisely.

Statements had to be verifiable to be meaningful.

commitment to empiricism , checking ideas against the world.

Positivism

• Facts
• Facts
• More facts
• Generalise from those facts
• = induction

Logical Positivism

• Theory
• Verifiability
• Tests
• Generalise
• = deduction

Several problems:

• theories and observations are neither independent nor neutral
• science is a practical business - find best answer rather than the application of logic

Science should proceed in 4 stages:

1. Formal Stage. theory checked for internal consistency. 2. Semi-formal Stage. separate propositions which do/do not have empirical consequences 3. Comparison Stage. new theory compared with existing theories If it explains the same/less known facts then new theory should be abandoned. 4. Empirical Testing Stage. test hypothesis least likely to be true - informativeness. And if prediction not supported? still our best guess

• Criticism: scientists propose ‘auxiliary hypotheses’

Kuhn and revolution: Paradigms

• Thomas Kuhn(1922-96) scientific progress not a purely rational process: peaceful interludes- normal science where scientists share a paradigm - punctuated by violent intellectual revolutions.
• scientists don’t listen to the data
• Routine procedures and ideas = paradigm
• Normal science
• Revolutionary science

• most scientists conservative: do not abandon or revise theory but dismiss data
• when inconsistent data build up and new radical paradigm is offered there is a revolution
• old paradigm is never decisively shown to be wrong but simply withers away as fewer and fewer experiments are carried out within its frame of reference.