The Data Puzzle

The Nature of Interpretation in Quantitative Research

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6230159
AutoresHerbert M Kritzer (autor correspondente)
Ano1996
Volume40
Fascículo1
Páginas1
Data de publicação1996-02-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAmerican Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907
EditoraJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2111692
OpenAlexW2329978808
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas39
Referências citadas42

Theory: Interpretation is central to the social scientist's process of analysis, regardless of whether that analysis relies on quantitative or qualitative data. This essay presents a reconstructed logic of the interpretation process involved in quantitative analysis. Argument: Drawing upon a broad literature on interpretation, the paper shows how the interpretive processes for quantitative data has significant similarities to interpretation in other settings. For example, both qualitative textual analysis and quantitative statistical analysis rely upon contextual and tropological paradigms, although the specific conventions differ in many respects. The process of play employed by musicians and actors in developing an interpretation of a piece of music or a dramatic role suggests ways in which the quantitative analyst might let perform to help in arriving at appropriate interpretations of statistical results. Conclusion and Implications: The lines between quantitative and qualitative social science are less clear than often presumed. Both types of analysis involve extensive interpretation, and tools of interpretation that have many fundamental similarities

Data science · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Programming language · Computer Science · Philosophy · Qualitative Research Methods and Applications · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social and Cultural Dynamics