Positivist Perspective Research Articles

Interpretive media study and interpretive social science

Described by their proponents as an alternative to positivistic perspectives on media effects that ignore audience activity, interpretive approaches center on the interpretive processes employed by audience members in their decoding of media content. Meaning is viewed as a product of the interaction between media texts and the varied, at times contradictory, interpretive strategies employed by audience members. This article defines the major theoretical influences on interpretive approaches in mass communication, examines the central concepts of these perspectives and provides a critique of these approaches. In criticizing these perspectives, this article holds that researchers often have unquestioningly adopted premises and concepts from a variety of disciplines. More broadly, the adoption of interpretive approaches in mass communication has ignored varied critiques of interpretive social science.

Do the Conditions Exist for Pedagogic Development in the Swedish University?

Abstract During recent years the need for pedagogic development in the Swedish university has been given great prominence in the public discussion of higher education. The present article indicates how the conditions for such development can be studied from various perspectives. There is a more thorough presentation of studies based on the rationalistic perspective, the system perspective or the anarchistic perspective. In conclusion there is a discussion of the possibilities for, and obstacles to, pedagogic development.

Relevance of the Rationalist/Constructivist/Relativist Controversy for the "Validation" of Scientific Knowledge-Claims

The framework set out in this article attempts to synergistically engage both "external" influences and "internal" constraints in an assessment of the process of scientific inquiry that does justice to relevant aspects of the various rationalist, constructionist, and relativist perspectives. The framework's assessment structure is deeply qualitative in character and the conclusion reached is that such non-quantitative assessments are not only possible but can be systematically and reliably made and "rationally "justified. The article ends with a constructive critique of the present development of the framework.

Reckless Rationalism and Heroic Reverence in Homer's Odyssey

A decision-theoretic analysis of the central incident of Homer's Odyssey reveals the insufficiency of rational calculation as a guide for political prudence. Surprisingly, the poet distinguishes between two rational and formally identical calculations in no uncertain terms; he condemns one as utter recklessness and praises the other as consummate wisdom. I maintain that this discrepancy is neither an artifact of sloppy editorial patchwork nor the result of a “homeric nod” but instead points toward a politically significant distinction as yet obscured by a merely rationalistic perspective. The recklessness of Odysseus' crewmen, who deliberately slaughter sacred cattle to forestall starvation, consists in their rationalistic transgression of the limits of reason. These limits are most evident in the defiance of commensurability that characterizes the sacred. The wisdom of Odysseus, by contrast, is manifest in his learning to temper reason with respect for the sacred. By virtue of reverence, Odysseus wins his struggle to preserve his psychê, home and regime.

Negative incentive steering in a policy network

In this article the process of developing a policy for the recent comprehensive retrenchment operation in the Dutch university system is analysed from a theoretical point of view on decisionmaking. The article especially addresses the question whether some empirical evidence can be found for the rationalist view of collective decision-making, which states that a process of social communication should eventually lead to a unanimous and rational consensus concerning the selection of the optimal policy. The actual analysis concerns the way a retrenchment policy has been developed in a process of social communication between the most important actors: the Minister of Education and Science and the thirteen Dutch universities. It is assumed that the various communicative linkages between these actors can be interpreted as a policy network in which both governmental and non-governmental actors operate. The article concludes that in the Dutch university policy-network a complicated balance of interdependencies exists and that several sub-networks can be distinguished. It is also concluded that the Minister, while recognizing the interdependencies in the network, was able to use a special kind of (negative) incentive, inducing the universities to act as he wished. This negative incentive steering, however, also persuaded the universities to go to the utmost in their consultation efforts, thus trying to reach the rationalist ideal of collective decision-making. The final conclusion therefore is that the rationalist view of collective decision-making does not appear to be unrealistic. The article ends with a warning against a common mistake made regarding the normative appearance of the rationalist perspective.

“SCIENCE” AND THE FUNDING OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Misunderstanding of phenomenology and positivism as perspectives upon the philosophy and practice of science has important implications for the future of geographic research and research funding in America. Positivistic perspectives on the philosophy of science appear to be seen as fundable, whereas the scientific status and the possibilities for funding of phenomenological and other perspectives on the philosophy of science seem to be in question.

The Rationalistic Opportunity Perspective on Criminal Behavior

Most schools of crtminological theory do not depict persistent in volvement in property crime as rational economic activity similar to other more conventional income-producing endeavors. Yet, the no tion of earning one's living by illicit means frequently appears in the criminological literature, notably in discussions of "professional crim inality." This paper presents a synthesis of ideas drawn from crimi nological theory, economics, and the sociology of occupations in an attempt to generate an alternative explanation of crime as work; this alternative view is termed the "rationalistic opportunity perspective."

Gender differences in graffiti: A semiotic perspective

Synopsis Male and female restroom graffiti analyzed from a semiotic point of view as texts, structures of meaning, illuminate basic societal processes. We learn that there are fundamental gender differences in patterns of communication in same-sex encounters, and we see revealed in such humble data as toilet graffiti a silent political discourse about the distribution of power in American society. These understandings, however, are only achieved if we move beyond a positivist perspective to the underlying level of meaning and if we construct an interpretation that takes account of both the male and the female data, simultaneously.

Interstate conflict and coalition‐building: structural analysis of the situation in the middle‐east in 1967

Abstract Two approaches have exerted continuous influence on the study of coalition‐behaviour in situations of conflict. One has focused entirely on the working of “rational” factors and the other on that of residual factors, which, at least from the rationalistic perspective, seem to have distinct “irrational” undertones. The former has happened to be far more influential, but it is argued here that the latter should not be discounted for it may be highly relevant in certain type of situations. The Arab‐Israeli war. of 1967 is a telling case in point and it is used to illustrate the empirical validity of this contention. “Nations begin in the minds of men … Conflict between nations also begins with human emotions, desires, ideas, and aspirations”. R. Stagner

On keeping the faith in matters scientific

Evidence abounds that a segment of our field views the current status of communication research with alarm. Whether the specific issues involve the logic of theory construction, the methodologies employed in collecting and analyzing data, or the criteria used in assessing scientific evidence, the refrain is constant: prevailing research practices are fruitless and wrong-headed and our wrong-headedness will be remedied by an alternative approach that will lead to a tree scientific understanding of human communication. In other words, the lost souls responsible for promulgating heathen research practices of old are urged to repent and to accept the word of the philosophical and scientific messiahs who have come to save them. A new gospel is compelling when sinners are convinced that they have really sinned or when they are persuaded that it is indeed new and better than the prevailing theology. Unfortunately, we find the scriptures of alarmists jumbled. Rather than presenting a ringing reaffirmation of our own faith, we will content ourselves with pointing out several of the confusions and ambiguities encountered in the critics' writings. There are two kinds of confusions and ambiguities: those associated with practices which are characterized as the reigning paradigm and those associated with certain alternative paradigms that have been advocated. Although our comments are relevant to the problem of assessing scientific evidence, they also relate to broader issues concerning the epistemological moorings of communication research. INDICTMENTS OF THE REIGNING PARADIGM: OR, ARE YOU POSITIVE THAT'S A POSITIVIST? Disciples of the new research order frequently warn that stubborn adherence to prevailing practices forces the researcher to worship at the pagan shrine of an outmoded, discredited logical positivism. Despite the religious fervor of their remarks, it is often difficult to discern just how or in what ways these critics equate current communication research practices with positivism. Indeed, some skeptics have dismissed the effort to make such an equation as a red herring which relies on a naive or distorted view of logical positivism. For instance, Robert Bostrom stated in a recent paper that close attention to most of these polemics reveals a standard tactic: the construction of a far-fetched and altogether unrepresentative set of assertions which are blandly identified as the essence of the positivistic position.(1) As we attempt to untangle some of the ways that prevailing research practices have been linked with positivism, it will become apparent that we are at least partially sympathetic with Bostrom's indictment of this practice. In some cases, allegiance to logical positivism is equated with paying homage to the covering law model of explanation. Typically, the argument proceeds as follows: (1) logical positivism champions the covering law model of explanation; (2) the covering law model demands universal, invariant generalizations; (3) no such generalizations have been discovered in communication; therefore, (4) the covering law model is deficient; and (5) logical positivism is deficient. This argument is patently specious, both on intellectual and practical grounds. Nowhere in the literature of logical positivism does one encounter the claim that covering laws constitute the sole acceptable means of scientific explanation. In his classic analysis, Carl G. Hempel distinguishes three types of scientific explanation, two of which rely upon statistical or probabilistic premises.(2) An astute critic of the law-governed approach to theory construction, Donald Cushman, has characterized the logical positivist position regarding explanation thus: According to this view [positivism], laws enunciate the uniform concomitance of phenomena, the prototype instance of which is either a universal implication (all A are B) or a problematic correlation [italics ours].(3) Simply stated, total allegiance to the covering law model of explanation is not an inherent feature of a positivistic perspective, nor does knowledge of one's position regarding the efficacy of covering law explanations permit his or her classification as positivist or non-positivist. …

Toward a hermeneutic phenomenology of communication

The relationships among ontology, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and communication are developed. Communication is both a resource of the social world and that which constitutes the social world. As such, communication is hermeneutic —the interpretive and critical scheme —and the ontological foundation of the social world. Phenomenology is the perspective in and through which this foundation — seen as presuppositions — is critically examined. The phenomenological and positivistic perspectives are contrasted in terms of the respective emphases on ontological and epistemological objectives. Finally, a portion of a study is discussed as an illustration of the preliminary moves made in a phenomenological approach to communication research.