Interpretivist sociologists would choose to not use lab experiments because they lack ecological validity as they are conducted within an environment that is artificial to the participant. This means that the results don’t reflect true-life behaviour because of both the environment they conducted the task in, and the nature of the task wasn’t true to real life and can also be said to not be generalisable to a population because of their small sample sizes in which lab experiments are conducted. Furthermore, participants might have been aware that they were being studied and so might not act normally, which is called the Hawthorne effect. Another reason why interpretivist sociologists don’t choose to use lab experiments is that they say human behaviour cannot be measured or explained in terms of cause and effect, and instead humans act in terms of feeling, choices and also individual motives. Society doesn’t lend itself to be studied in a laboratory and this is because it is so complex and cannot be artificially created.
The untrained individuals would look at psychopathology as being a study of mental disorders on the mere manifestation of different behaviors. However, we in the field of psychology would determine what is by going through the basics. It is commonly referred to as abnormal psychology which is the clear understanding of nature, certain treatments, and the many different causes. There are several ways in fact to where individuals in the field of psychology may use to explain psychology. For example, one psychologist may use descriptive psychopathology to which will strive to provide answers for symptoms or mental illness.
Another advantage of qualitative research is that it gives more thorough data in the shape of complete descriptions in written form or visual evidence, such as photographs. This type of research looks at context and social meaning and how it affects individuals, which is beneficial mostly in the social sciences. The disadvantage of qualitative research is the interpretation of researcher s’ own biased view, which can misinterpret the facts. Another disadvantage is that this research method is very time consuming. Quantitative research allows assessing and analyzing data.
Other alternatives to laboratory experiments are field experiment and the comparative method. Assuming it is possible to create a controlled environment for sociological experiments; there are still many practical issues with experimental methods; firstly there is no possible way for experiments to research past social trends which reduces the range of information available to a sociologist. Secondly, if a laboratory environment has been created for sociology, this could only be used to study limited sample and therefore would not create very reliable data. Finally it is argued that the artificial environment of and experiment would provoke the ‘Hawthorne Effect (Elton Mayo) ‘because if people know they are being studied, they will behave differently e.g. by trying to second guess what the researcher wants them to do and acting accordingly, which would not give very valid data.
One reason a valid experiment may produce null results is a. the range of levels in the independent variable was insufficient to show an effect. b. the dependent variable reflects a broad range of performance. c. that the experiment is conducted in an environment that is too difficult. d. that reactivity occurs in the participants (e.g., they adopt the role of “good behavior”). 7.
Another reason why sociologists may not want to use questionnaires is their inflexibility. This meaning that once questionnaires have been sent out the researcher is stuck with the questions asked and cannot probe deeper or change the questions. This becomes a problem if during the research there becomes new areas of interest which now can no longer be explored. However it is argued that this can be partially combatted with the use of follow up questionnaires. Interpretivists sociologists also tend to not use questionnaires as they argue that they lack validity and do not give
Discussion 6. Which species appear to benefit from increasing fragmentation? Which species are negatively impacted? Based on your knowledge of environmental science, what could explain these observations? Support your answer with specific results from your data and ideas from your readings.
Why do some people object to the term ‘mental illness’? To understand the complexity of the term ‘mental illness’, it is necessary to explore a diverse range of perspectives on varying topics that often arise within the ‘world’ of mental health. Using the elements of the K225 course model as a basis for exploration, this essay shall aim to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the individual experiences that could lead to possible reasons why, some people may not be in favour of the term ‘mental illness’. (Unit 1, p.19). The ‘world’ of mental health briefly consists of people, services, policy, and legislation.
Furthermore, empirical results are often unclear or confusing. For instance, one statistical test might indicate one thing while another the opposite. Likewise, an explanatory variable that is significant in one regression might be insignificant in another regression. There is nothing you can do
Abnormal Psychology Lisa Mac Donald-Clark PSY/410 December 19, 2011 Mark Hurd Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology, also known as psychopathology, is the branch of psychology that deals with abnormal behaviors and mental illness (Hansell & Damour, (2008). Although psychopathology is a fascinating field of study it can be equally challenging, covering a broad range of disorders, illnesses, and symptoms. Defining abnormal psychology also poses a challenge. The fundamental concept of abnormal would seem simple in that it would include anything that falls outside of what societies considers normal. Narrowing the group association is essential in defining the behavior as normal or abnormal.