Objectivity

Objectivity in science refers to an impartial, rational analysis of a natural

phenomenon that is not influenced by the characteristics of the analyst studying
the phenomenon. In that sense, objectivity means that the object of study has
been measured and evaluated in such a way that the same results can be
reproduced by another analyst.
The objective approach has been criticized from a post-structuralist perspective
as being difficult to apply to the social sciences, as it assumes that an analyst
can impartially select phenomena to study and that the methods and process
of analysis are not affected by the analysts personal prejudices and IDENTITY.
For example, Harr and Secord (1972), Brown (1973) and Armistead (1974)
have argued that the social psychology research of the 1960s and 1970s
implicitly voiced the values of dominant groups. Secondly, the objective
stance presupposes that a text can be separated from the social and historical
conditions in which it is produced and consumed, while thirdly it could be
argued that objectivity (or the desire for it) is a stance in itself, albeit
unacknowledged. Critical and post-structuralist analysts have therefore
viewed objectivity as problematic, instead suggesting that researcher
REFLEXIVITY and transparency of their own (changing) positions should
become part of the research process. Objectivity is associated with POSITIVISM.
See also SUBJECTIVITY.