Essay about The Two Psychological Paradigms

Submitted By HazHogarth
Words: 1037
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Two Psychological Paradigms
There has been considerable debate concerning the philosophical issues and the relative virtues of quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research functions within an orderly material world that is independent of the observer, and that it is knowable via rational inquiry (McGarth & Johnson, 2003). It is based on the gathering of ‘facts’, stresses the importance of devising valid and reliable measurement procedures, and adopts the principles of scientific method by emphasising the importance of generalisation and replication of results. On the other hand, qualitative research functions within a naturalistic approach that aims to maintain fidelity to the real world and stresses the importance of social reality in people’s perceptions of their environment (Baum, 1995; Gray & Densten, 1998; Guba & Lincoln, 1989; Morse, 2006). Each of these approaches is based on a particular paradigm, a patterned set of assumptions concerning reality (ontology), knowledge of that reality (epistemology), and the particular ways of knowing that reality (methodology) (Sale, Lohfeld & Brazil, 2002). Hence, the major contrast between the approaches is evident in the differing views concerning how social reality should be studied.
The qualitative paradigm is based on interpretivism and constructivism. Ontologically, there are multiple realities or multiple truths based on people’s constructions of reality. Reality is socially constructed and so is constantly changing (Guba & Lincoln, 1989). On an epistemological level, there is no access to reality independent of people’s minds, no external referent with which to compare claims of truth. The investigator and the object of study are interactively linked so that findings are mutually created within the context of the situation that shapes the inquiry. The emphasis of qualitative research is on process and meaning. Samples are not meant to represent large populations but, rather, small purposefully selected respondents who can provide important information (Brewer & Hunter, 1989; Greene, Caracelli & Graham, 1989; Guba & Lincoln, 1989; 2005; Howe, 1992; McGarth & Johnson, 2003; Yardley & Bishop, 2007).
In contrast, the quantitative paradigm is based on positivism characterised by empirical research, where all phenomena can be reduced to empirical indicators that represent the truth (Sale et al., 2002). The ontological position of the quantitative paradigm is that there is only one truth, an objective reality that exists independent of human perception. Epistemologically, the investigator and investigated are independent entities. Therefore, the investigator is capable of studying a phenomenon without influencing it or being influenced by it. The goal is to measure and analyse causal relationships between variables within a value-free framework. Samples sizes are much larger than those in qualitative research so that statistical methods with samples that are representative can be used (Brewer & Hunter, 1989; Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Morgan, 1998; Sullivan, 1998).
In quantitative research, validity is related to accuracy, relevance, and reliability of measurement; in qualitative research, the aim is not to measure, but rather to understand, represent, or explain something, usually some fairly complex social phenomenon. The concept of validity does not sit well in the qualitative research paradigm, originating as it does in the positivist tradition; however, many qualitative researchers continue to support its relevance (Guba & Lincoln, 2005; Morse, 1999). In qualitative research, an account is valid “if it represents accurately those features of the phenomena that it is intended to describe, explain or theorise” (Hammersley, 1987 p. 69). A crucial distinction between objective quantitative research and valid qualitative research is accepting that the researcher’s individual attributes and perspective have an influence on the research process (Finlay, 2002).
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about The Two Psychological Paradigms

Theories Of Disability And Social Model

the psychological processes she contributed? How did Erikson elaborate/change Freud’s theory? What are his stages? What is the epigenetic principle? What is social learning theory? What is a schema? What are the two processes Piaget identified in his Cognitive Development theory? What are his stages of cognitive development? What are Crate’s 5 stages? How does disability affect human development? Conceptualization of Disability What is Disability Studies? What is the old disability paradigm? What…

Words 600 - Pages 3

Critical Essay research in music (Time perception)

In the last two decades, the growth of literature in the psychology of music has been a remarkable phenomenon. Even though there are numerous of important journals that have been published, the research and the publications in this field had been increased dealing with the different aspects of music psychology. So how can we understand music and its relation to our cognitive responses, such as emotion, perception, language, etc.? Why is music involved in the human cognitive process? These questions…

Words 2847 - Pages 12

Torture In America Pros And Cons

World. Incorporating the behavioral research done by contract academics, the manual revealed a new form of torture that was based on sensory deprivation and “self-inflicted” pain for an effect that, for the first time in the two millenia of this cruel science, was more psychological than physical. (Ibid.:…

Words 986 - Pages 4

Standardization And Objectivity Analysis

scientist prefer a standardized package as it helps to make research like a routine. The pressure of continuing research is then diverted towards the solidarity in which researchers work in a standardized manner. This may be seen as a version of paradigm being followed based on standardization and objectivity. He also talked about absolute objectivity being judgments by experts while formal objectivity refers to procedures leading to standardization. For instance, measurement saw conflicts between…

Words 2805 - Pages 12

Abnormal Psychology Essay

Chapter 2 Summary A psychological disorder is the control or any dysfunction of the individual. These psychological disorders can be associated with the stress or impairment. The psychological disorder is seen in individuals that have behaviors or dysfunctions that identifies of the essence of abnormality (Durand & Barlow, 2010). To identify that the person has psychological disorder, psychologist looks for some abnormalities in individual behavior…

Words 782 - Pages 4

Essay on The Definition Art

primitivist influenced period, also challenged conservative notions of art. The Dada group in 1916, who Kurt Schwitters was part of, completely focused its efforts on producing ‘non-sensical’ works of art. Anti-art was a major part of this Great Paradigm Shift that was the visual shift from the iconic, through the symbolic to the indexical and challenged the established notions of what art is where initially seen by the art world of the time as ‘anti-art’ and were repeatedly rejected by it. Anti-art…

Words 2611 - Pages 11

Holden Caulfield Identity Analysis

the story of protagonist Holden Caulfield as he journeys through the ups and downs of his young adult life. Appearing in times of youth protests, the novel spurred even more critical remarks about youth identity, especially regarding Holden’s psychological behavior. In fact, many parallels have been and still are being discovered between the author himself and his character Holden. Salinger lived an eventful life and he inserted much of his aura into his main character. Such can be seen through…

Words 487 - Pages 2

Essay on Chasing the Dream

developed societies may tend to work too hard in order to consume more material goods, and so consume too little leisure. There is nothing wrong with ambition, but if people remain unaware of the unconscious psychological impact it can have on their happiness, then happiness may remain elusive. Two interactive dimensions at the heart of an individual’s behavior—assertiveness and responsiveness. Assertiveness is the degree to which behaviors are seen by others as being directive or nondirective. Responsiveness…

Words 460 - Pages 2

HHIA And HE Analysis

the gerontology literature were reviewed and over 50 items were relevant. A psychometric analysis of the questions was done and a full version of the HHIE was developed. Description: HHIE (Weinstein, Spitzer, & Ventry, 1986) is a 25-item scale with two subscales: social function (12 items) and emotional function (13 items). Participants respond yes (4 points), sometimes (2 points) or no (0 points) to each statement; thus, scores can range from 0 to 100. The goal of the HHIE is to measure the perceived…

Words 412 - Pages 2

Master: Management and Change Essay

Creating Sustainable Change: A new paradigm in Project Management Ron Schipper Senior Consultant, Van Aetsveld Project and Change management, Amersfoort, the Netherlands Harry Rorije Principal Consultant, Van Aetsveld Project and Change management, Amersfoort, the Netherlands Gilbert Silvius 1 Professor of Business, ICT and Innovation, University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands Principal Consultant, Van Aetsveld Project and Change management, Amersfoort, the Netherlands Abstract…

Words 3968 - Pages 16