Question

Discuss why social scientists strive to be objective or neutral in their research. Provide example(s) to illustrate your arguments.​

Answer 1

Objectivity in social research is the principle drawn from positivism that, as far as is possible, researchers should remain distanced from what they study so findings depend on the nature of what was studied rather than on the personality, beliefs and values of the researcher (an approach not accepted by researchers in the critical, standpoint or interpretivist traditions).

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Objectivity and bias. Objectivity as orientation. Findings should not depend on who did the research. Early positivism: the detached ‘scientific’ view. Is neutrality actually conservative? Declaring values in ‘qualified objectivity’. Are researchers aware of their lack of objectivity? Value freedom as an unachievable goal, at all stages of a project. Qualified objectivity; standpoint theory; credibility/transparency/density in qualitative methods. Reliability and validity.