Data Flashcards
define raw data
the data you receive from your participants
what must you do before estimating?
round to one significant figure
describe what primary data is
data collected by the researcher himself directly from participants
give an example of primary data
-experiments, surveys, direct observations
describe secondary data
when researcher uses data that has been collected by someone else, reanalysing data another psychologists data
give an example of secondary data
-school examination results
describe quantitative data
methods that focus on numbers and frequencies rather than on meaning and experience
describe qualitative data
methods that concerned with describing mean rather than just with drawing statistical inferences
give an example of quantitative methods
-experiments, questionnaires, and psychometric tests
give an example of qualitative methods
-case studies and interviews
give the strengths of quantitative data
- allows the use of inferential statistical tests on data
- objective and does not require interpretation so higher in reliability than qualitative data
give the strengths of qualitative data
- provides depth and detail since it looks deeper than analysing feelings and behaviour so increases validity
- allows a detailed picture to be built up about why people act
give the weaknesses of quantitative data
- not enough depth as to why it occurred
- personal accounts so may be biased, researcher effects and social desirability
give the weaknesses of qualitative data
- more time consuming
- generally smaller sample size
- people may interpret things differently so lowers the reliability and the data is subjective
What is nominal data?
data as totals of named categories
what is ordinal data?
data as points along a scale, such as rating or likert scale
what is interval data?
scientific measure performance or result
What are the advantages of using nominal data?
- quick to find mod to access central tendency
- easy to understand
- large amounts of data collected quickly increasing reliability
What are the disadvantages of using nominal data?
- simple and undescriptive
- only mode can be used
- without linear scale, participants unable to express a degree of response
What are the advantages of using ordinal data?
- easy to generate likert and rating scales
- median and mode used
- more information than nominal
What are the disadvantages of using ordinal data?
- participants may interpret the scale differently
- subjective
- mean cant be used as the gaps aren’t equal
What are the advantages of using interval data?
- easy to generate closed questions
- all points of equal value
- scientific measurment are highly reliable and have no baseline
What are the disadvantages of using interval data?
-no baseline
