Abstract

CUENYA, LUCAS  and  RUETTI, ELIANA. Epistemological and Methodological Controversies Between the Qualitative and Quantitative Paradigm in Psychology. Rev. colomb. psicol. [online]. 2010, vol.19, n.2, pp.271-277. ISSN 0121-5469.

The distinction between qualitative and quantitative methodologies defines two fields of research that are ruled by opposing paradigms. Scientific knowledge is characterized as rational and objective, factual and verifiable, coinciding largely with the attributes of the quantitative method. By contrast, qualitative studies seek to understand phenomena in their natural environment, obtaining data from the descriptions of situations, events, people, interactions, documents, etc. The qualitative approach is used to discover and refine research questions, but hypothesis are rarely tested. The paper analyzes the main characteristics of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and discusses the importance of ensuring the control and scientific rigor when examining the complex phenomena of behavior.

Keywords : qualitative methodology; quantitative methodology; scientific method; validity.

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