The Comparative Method
Ethical Advantage of the Comparitive Method
As it is conducted using official statisitics and already collected data it poses no ethical issues such as harming or decieiving participants.
The groups Durkheim studied to prove his hypothesis...
Catholics and Protestants
This method is designed to...
Discover cause and effect relationships.
An example of a study that uses a comparitive method...
Durkheims classic study on sucide
Practical Advantage of the Comparitive Method
It can be used to study past events that sociologists would no longer be able to study using primary methods such as observations.
Durkheims Hypothesis
Low levels of integration of individuals into social groups caused high levels of sucide.
Thought Experiment
The experiment is only carried out in the mind of the sociologist. It does not involve the researcher actually experimenting on real people at all.
Theorectical Disadvantage
The researcher has less control over variables when using this method rather than others such as field experiments, meaning the research is less accurate and valid. We are less certain whether a thought experiment has really discovered the cause of something, it could just be a corrolation.