Ms Mahmoud Flashcards
What is a Directional hypothesis
States the direction of the difference/relationship
Also known as a ‘one tailed hypothesis’
Non directional hypothesis
Also known as a ‘two-tailed hypothesis”
Doesn’t predict the direction of the difference or relationship
Null hypothesis
States that there’s no relationship between the two variables being tested
(One variable doesn’t affect the other)
Quantitative data
- Expressed through numbers
- usually gathered through individual scores of participants
- data is open to being analysed
Strengths of quantitative data
- simple to analyse
- comparisons between groups can be done easily
- data in numerical form tends to be less objective and open to less bias
Weaknesses of quantitative data
- Can’t go into detail with numerical data
- May fail to represent real data
What is a correlation
A mathematical technique in which a researcher investigates to find associations between variables, called co-variables
What are co-variables
Variables invested between an investigation. E.g weight and height
What is positivecorrelation
As one co-variable increase so does the other
E.g the more people in one room the more noises heard
Negative correlation
As one co-variable increases the other decreases
E.g the amount of people in 1 room means less space
Zero correlation
When there’s no relationship between co-variables
E.g rain in Peru and people in manchester
What is qualitative data
- Data expressed through words
- Can be collected through interviews or unstructured interviews
- May take form of written description of thoughts
Strengths if qualitative data
- Produces rich data with high levels of detail
- Allows participants to develop their thoughts elaborate on their views
Weaknesses of qualitative data
- Time consuming: Collection and analysis can be lengthy and labour intensive
- Subjective: Interpretation of qualitative data can be influenced by researcher bias
What is primary data
Aka field research
- Original data is collected by the researcher in the purpose or investigation
- Data is collected through experiments, questionnaires, interviews or observations
What is correlation
A statistical method used to measure strength and direction between two variables without implying cause-and-effect
What is primary data
Data that is collected directly by the researcher for a specific study
E.g Survey responses, experimental results
Strengths of a Primary Data (evaluative points)
- Control: Researchers have control over how data is collected, ensuring it aligns with the research question
- Relevance: Tailored to the specific research question (internal validity)
Limitations of Primary data
- Time & Cost: Collecting primary data is resource-intensive
- Bias: Data collection methods can introduce bias
What is Secondary data
Data collected by other researchers or organisations that’s used in a new study
E.g Government statistics, existing survey data
Directional hypothetical (One tailed)
These state the specific direction the researcher expects the results to move in
Example: higher, lower, more, less
Non-directonal hypothesis (Two-tailed)
Volunteer sample
Participants pick themselves through newspaper adverts
Overt and covert observations
Covert observations: Fewer demand characteristics but more ethical issues involved
Overt observations: More ethical but people can change their behaviours
Participant & non participant observations
Participant: the observer takes part in the activity being observed
Non participant: the observer doesn’t take part in the activity. Instead he watches from a distance
