✓ Content Analysis (AO1 + AO3)

Question 1

What is content analysis?

Answer 1

a type of observational research in which ppl are studied indirectly via the communications they have produced

it may include analysis of:
- conversations
- written work/emails
- books/magazines
- TV/films

content analysis involves looking at word data & turning it into numerical data in order to quantify it & potentially statistically analyse it

Question 2

What are the aims of content analysis?

Answer 2

to turn qualitative data (word data) into quantitative data (number data)

the aim is to summarise & describe the communications (written/verbal/media) in a systematic way so overall conclusions can be drawn

Question 3

What is the method of content analysis?

Answer 3

coding:
1. create categories that you are looking for in the book
2. create a coding system (grid)
3. tally the no. of times each category appears in the data
4. make comparisons (e.g. before/after an event or from different types of media)

Question 4

What are the positives of content analysis?

Answer 4

• no ethical issues in this research as the material the psychologist wants to study exist in the public domain
  (e.g. TV adverts, newspapers)
• reliability if the coding system is used & researchers are trained they should get the same results when repeated

Question 5

What are the negatives of content analysis?

Answer 5

• reductionist as reducing qualitative data into individual categories so loses richness in data
• subjective as the categories one researcher chooses may not be the same as what another researcher may choose