SCS 2150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Antipositivism, Empiricism, Social Science

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Social Sciences
• Course: SCS 2150
• Professor: Zeina Abou- Rizk

Document Summary

Finding the research, finding the gaps and based on gaps, write the research question. Helps you identify the methods, methodologies and theories that can be used. Critical comparison and analysis of the information used, synthesize the results of the research that has been done. Inductive vs. deductive can be seen as epistemologies. There is a truth out there that can be collected or found. Aim: collect data on the social world in order to explain social phenomenon and human behavior. The social scientist, according to positivism, must study social phenomenon in the same state of mind of a biologist or mathematician. Positivism is characterized by the prediction and explanation of behaviours and phenomenon thought the pursuit of objectivity or the researchers detachment from the research, attempt to be as neutral as possible. Another characteristic of positivism is that it is deductive. Start with a theory and prove or reject or develop a new one, generalize findings to a larger population.