data analysis : kinds of data Flashcards
define qualitative data
data that is expressed in words and non-numerical
what may qualitative data be converted into and why ?
into numerical data for analysis
define quantitative data
data that can be counted, usually given as numbers
define primary data
information that has been obtained first hand by the researcher for the purpose of a research project
in psychology where would primary data typically be gathered ?
directly from the participants as part of an experiments , (self-report or observation)
define secondary data
information that has been collected by someone else and so predates the current research project
in psychology what would secondary data include ?
the work of other psychologists or government statistics
define meta-analysis
a research method where the results of many studies on the same topic are combined and analyzed together
why is meta-analysis used ?
this helps researchers get a clearer overall picture of the findings by looking at a large amount of data
give an example of meta-analysis
if many studies have looked at the effectiveness of therapy for depression, a meta-analysis would combine their results to find out how effective therapy is overall
what may qualitative data take the form of ?
written description of the thoughts,feelings and opinions of participants
give an examples of qualiative data
- a transcript from an interview
- an extract from a diary
- notes recorded within a counselling session
where might one collect qualitative data ?
from interviews or unstructured observation
what do quantitative data collection techniques usually gather?
numerical data in the form of individual scores from participants
give an example of quantitative data collection techniques ?
- number of words a person was able to recall in a memory experiment
what is quantitative data open to do ?
being analysed statistically
what can quantitative data be converted into ?
graphs,charts etc..
what is the significant overlap between quantitative data and qualitative data ?
researchers collecting quantitative data as part of an experiment may often interview participants as a way of gaining more qualitative insight into their experience of the investigation
what is the number of ways of doing ?
qualitative information can be converted into numerical data
what is secondary data often referred as ?
desk research
what does statisitical data mean?
to information that is collected, measured, and analyzed using numbers
an example of statistical data
if you surveyed 100 people about how many hours they sleep each night, the numbers you collect (e.g., 7 hours, 8 hours, etc.) are statistical data.
give a strength of meta-analysis ?
view data with much more confidence and results can be generalised across much larger populations
a limitation of meta-analysis (3) (PPB)
- prone publication bias sometimes referred to as file-drawer problem
–> researchers may not select all the relevant studies - may leave out those studies with negative and non-significant results
–> therefore the data will be biased because it only represents some of the relevant data and incorrect conclusions are drawin
what does qualitative data offer the researcher much more of than quantitative data ?
- richness of detail
–> broader in scope –>gives the respondent more license to develop thoughts , feelings and opinions of a given subject
what does qualitative data tend to have greater than quantitative data ?
external validity
–> provides the researcher with more meaningful insight into the participant’s worldview
what is it difficult to do with qualitative data and why ?
analyse
–> it tends not to lend itself to being summarised statistically
–> so patterns and comparisons within and between data may be hard to identify
what do conclusions often rely on in qualitative data and what is the problem with that ?
- subjective interpretations of the researcher
–> subject to bias
–> especially if the researcher has preconceptions about what he/she is expecting to find
what is strength of quantitative data and this means that ?…
relatively simple to analyse
–> therefore comparisons between groups can be easily drawn
what does numerical form tend to be therefore ..?
- more objective
–> less open to bias
what is quantitative data much (?) than qualitative data which means ..?
-narrower in scope and meaning than qualitative data
–> thus may fail to represent ‘real-life’
what is primary data sometimes called ?
‘field research’
what is the main strength of primary data ?
it fits the job
- authentic data obtained from the participants themselves
–> for the purpose of a particular investigation
what can be designed in a specific way to receive specific information from participants and how ?
questionnaires and interviews
–> can be designed in a way that they specifically target the information that the researcher requires
what does it require in order to produce primary data ?
time and effort on the part of the researcher
what is an example of the limitation above ?
requires considerable planning , preparation and resources
how is secondary data better than primary data in terms of (time and effort) ?
SD - can be accessed within a matter or minutes
compared to primary data , secondary data is … ?
may be inexpensive and easily accessed requiring minimal effort
when the researcher is examining secondary data ..?
they may find the desired information already exists and so there is no need to conduct primary data collection
what is the limitation of secondary data ?
- there may be substantial variation in the quality and accuracy of secondary data
–> information might at first appear to be valuable and promising but on further investigation may be outdated or incomplete
what may the content of secondary data do for the researcher’s needs ?
quite match
