7.3: Quantitative and qualitative data Flashcards
In an experiment, researchers arranged for participants to complete a very personal and embarrassing questionnaire in a room with other people. Each participant was tested individually. The other people were confederates of the experimenter.
In condition 1: the confederates completed the questionnaire.
In condition 2: the confederates refused to complete the questionnaire and asked to leave the experiment.
The researchers tested 15 participants in condition 1, and 15 different participants in condition 2.
The researchers recorded the number of participants who completed the questionnaire in each condition.
Identify the type of data in this experiment (2 marks).
Explain your answer
Quantitative data, because the data is numerical
A psychologist was reading an article about typical dream themes in adults.
The psychologist was interested in finding out whether dream themes differed between males and females, particularly in terms of social interaction. She decided to conduct a pilot study. Twenty undergraduate students (8 male and 12 female) volunteered for the study. For a six-week period the students were interviewed at 9 am each morning when they arrived at university. Interviewers, who did not know the purpose of the study, carried out and recorded the dream interviews.
The interviews produced qualitative data.
What is meant by qualitative data? Give one strength of collecting qualitative data in this study (2 marks)
Qualitative data is non-numerical/descriptive data
A psychologist was reading an article about typical dream themes in adults.
The psychologist was interested in finding out whether dream themes differed between males and females, particularly in terms of social interaction. She decided to conduct a pilot study. Twenty undergraduate students (8 male and 12 female) volunteered for the study. For a six-week period the students were interviewed at 9 am each morning when they arrived at university. Interviewers, who did not know the purpose of the study, carried out and recorded the dream interviews.
The interviews produced qualitative data.
What is meant by qualitative data? Give one strength of collecting qualitative data in this study (2 marks).
Qualitative data is non-numerical/descriptive data.
One strength of collecting qualitative data in this study
One strength of collecting qualitative data in this study is that it enables the students to talk in detail about their dreams to develop a deeper understanding of dream content
