15. Types Of Data AO3 Flashcards
A strength of primary data
Fits the job - study designed to extract only data needed - information directly relevant to research aims
A weakness of primary data
Requires time & effort - design may involve planning & preparation - secondary can be assessed in minutes
A strength of secondary data
Inexpensive - info already exists - requires minimal effort
A weakness of secondary data
Poor quality - info may be outdated or incomplete - challenges validity of conclusions
A strength of meta-analysis
Increased validity of conclusions - eventual sample size much larger than individual samples - increases generalisations made
A weakness of meta-analysis
Publication bias - researchers may not select relevant studies - leave out negative or non significant findings - data could be biased - incorrect conclusions drawn
A strength of the mean
Includes all scores - overall impression of average
A weakness of the mean
Unrepresentative - one very large or small number distorts findings - others aren’t easily distorted
A strength of the median
Unaffected by extreme scores - focussed on middle values - more representative of data as a whole
A weakness of the median
Not all scores included - extreme values may be important
A strength of the mode
Relevant to categorical data - represented in categories - sometimes most appropriate measure
A weakness of the mode
Overly simple measure - may be many modes in set of data - not useful way of describing data
A strength of the range
Easy to calculate - simple formula - easier than standard deviation
A weakness of the range
Not as precise as SD - doesn’t account for distribution of scores
A strength of standard deviation
More precise than range - includes all values - more accurate picture of overall distribution
