Intro to Qualitative research Flashcards
How do we form research questions in quantitative research?
Hypotheses about causes and relationships between defined variables
How do we collect data in quantitative research?
Numeric data, controlled/ experimental conditions
How do we analyse data in quantitative research?
Statistical tests, falsifiability
How do we interpret data in quantitative research?
Objective ‘facts’ about the world and human behaviour, generalisability
What are the 3 main reasons why sometimes qualitative research is preferable over quantitative research?
1) Sometimes personal significance is more important than ‘truth’
2) Sometimes there may not be an appropriate theory to draw a hypothesis from (i.e. if the research area is new and lacks previous research)
3) Sometimes isolating causes in controlled conditions leads us to overlook the importance of context (i.e. quantitative data may have an effect in a particular situation but may not apply to other situations with different contexts/environments)
Psychologists tend to be interested in understanding people and in improving people’s lives but this is a challenging goal because….? List 4 reasons
1) People’s experiences and lives are complex
2) There tend to be multiple, interacting causes and influences
3) People are not passive, they are actively involved in creating their lives and experience
4) We can be very different to one another
Quantitative research is a powerful tool for making progress in psychology but focussing solely on ….?
Hypothesis testing
Quantification and objectivity can lead us to overlook ….?
Vital information needed to understand a problem
Is quantitative research…?
a. Non-numeric data (interview)
b. Numeric data
b. Numeric data
Is qualitative research…?
a. Non-numeric data (interview)
b. Numeric data
a. Non-numeric data (interview)
What research is this…?
Concerned with meaning. Interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world (Merriam, 2009)
Qualitative
What is qualitative research?
Concerned with meaning. Interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world (Merriam, 2009)
What does qualitative research aim to understand?
Aims to understand ‘what it is like’ to have a particular experience in particular conditions (e.g. what it means and how it feels to live with chronic illness or to be unemployed) and how people manage certain situations (e.g. how people negotiate family life or relations with work colleagues)
What is qualitative research mainly focused on?
Focussed on describing and possibly explaining or interpreting
Interested in the detailed description of experiences rather than numerical measures
What type of settings do qualitative research study people in?
Studies people within naturally occurring settings (such as the home, schools, hospitals, and the street) to understand how experience and meaning are shaped by context
What type of settings do qualitative research study people in?
Asks questions about processes, such as ‘What do people do when they form groups?’, ‘How do people manage change in the workplace?’ or ‘How do people live with chronic pain?
What are the 3 key features of research questions under qualitative research?
1) Descriptive
2) Interpretive
3) Deductive
What are the 4 key forms of data analysis under qualitative research?
1) Thematic analysis
2) Interpretative Phenomenological analysis
3) Grounded theory
4) Conversation analysis
What are the 4 key forms of data collection under qualitative research?
1) Interviews
2) Naturally recorded talk
3) Observation
4) Images
What are the 6 main areas of psychology that use qualitative research?
1) Health
2) Clinical
3) Organisational
4) Educational
5) Products and marketing
True or False?
Qualitative researchers are objective and make similar methodological choices depending on their philosophical position
False
Qualitative researchers are diverse (subjective) and make different methodological choices depending on their philosophical position
Define ontology
When we are concerned with the nature of reality
Simply = What can we know? What exists?
When we are concerned with the nature of reality
This is known as…?
Ontology
What are the 2 extreme arguments of ontology?
Realism vs. Relativism
What does realism argue in ontology?
Realism: there is a single objective reality that exists independently of the researcher that can be uncovered
If we use the right tools, we can find out what that one reality is like
Does quantitative research use realism or relativism?
Realism
What is problematic about realism?
Does not explore people’s personal experience and how experience can differ depending on the context
What does relativism argue in ontology?
Relativism: reality is constructed through interpretation so the social world is comprised of multiple realities and perspectives, each one as relevant as any other
Considers people’s experiences as valid and equal
Does qualitative research use realism or relativism?
Relativism
What is problematic about relativism?
If all experiences are valid and equal, is there such a thing as the truth?
What is the midpoint between realism and relativism in ontology?
Subtle Realism
It acknowledges the existence of an independent reality, a world that has an existence independent of our perception of it, but denies that there can be direct access to that reality
Simply = Yes, there is an objective truth but we look at that truth through the lens of our own experiences
There is a single reality that exists independently of the researcher that can be uncovered
This is known as…?
Realism
Reality is constructed through interpretation so the social world is comprised of multiple realities and perspectives, each one as relevant as any other
This is known as…?
Relativism
Acknowledges the existence of an independent reality, a world that has an existence independent of our perception of it, but denies that there can be direct access to that reality
This is known as…?
Subtle Realism
Define Epistemology
How is knowledge created?
How is knowledge created?
This is known as…?
Epistemology
What are the 2 extreme arguments of Epistemology?
Positivist vs Interpretivist/constructionist
What do positivists argue in Epistemology?
Positivist: Genuine knowledge is objective, observable, law-like, and value-free and can be uncovered through scientific methods
What do Interpretivist/constructionists argue in Epistemology?
Interpretivist/ Constructionist: All knowledge is socially constructed, an interpretation, not value free
Simply = People’s personal experiences may not be factually true but it is the way that person has constructed their view of the world
All knowledge is socially constructed, an interpretation, not value free
This is known as…?
Interpretivist/ Constructionist
Genuine knowledge is objective, observable, law-like, and value-free and can be uncovered through scientific methods
This is known as…?
Positivist
What type of research questions does qualitative research form?
Exploratory, focusing on individual experiences, meaning and interpretation
What type of data collection does qualitative research do?
Non-numeric, rich, detailed data. Collected in context or in natural settings
What type of data analysis does qualitative research do?
Facilitates discovery of unanticipated insights, inductive, captures complexity and variation
What type of data interpretation does qualitative research do?
Subjective, transferrable, acknowledges the active role of the participants and researchers in constructing knowledge
