Trends in Social Stratification: A Case Study

Abstract

American as both open and egalitarian, appears in only one author (and somewhat ambiguously even for him) is also worthy of note. The inadequacy of the theory is shown in two ways: first, in that the main effects, height of stratification and economic basis of stratification, appeared to be ineffective to any great degree, and second, in its inability to deal satisfactorily with either Warner or Centers. In spite of these weaknesses it is believed that the work has shown the utility of Q-methodology in testing theories which are essentially qualitative. Used in this way it seems promising as a systematic method for extending and improving present methods of comparative content analysis. The chief defect in this application of Q lies in the fact that it tests not only the original theory but also the individual analyst's particular interpretation of the works considered as the universe of the study. Quite obviously, bias on the part of the assignment of scores and the selection of the universe operate to restrict the validity and reliability of the findings. There is nothing in the method itself, however, which would prevent applying adequate tests of the usual type for both reliability and validity.