Conclusion
Experimental positivist epistemology of realism attempt to find the causes of a phenomena through manipulating variables to test a hypothesis. Advantages of objectivity and reliability allow more scientific conclusions to be drawn. However results are disadvantaged through artificiality and some phenomena are impossible to measure.
Relativist qualitative epistemology of idealism tries to discover the meaning of a phenomena by looking at linguistic constructs, with the hypothesis emerges from data. Comprehensive research provides a rich, in-depth understanding of complex behaviour from a natural context. Methods are not limited to rigidly defined variables making examination possible of complex phenomena which often elude quantitative methods. Limitations are evident with problems of poor reliability, difficulties of replicability and subjectivity with inbuilt researcher bias. The comprehensive approach to data gathering proves expensive, time consuming and limits scope.
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