Other research methods (content analysis, systematic review, case study, meta-analysis)

Question 1

Systematic review -

Answer 1

A review of research involves identifying an aim and then searching for research studies that have addressed similar aims and hypotheses. Achieved through looking through various databases. A decision will be made about what the search criteria may be, deciding what studies will be included or excluded. Looking at attachment may involve only studies of the strange situation.

Question 2

Meta-analysis -

Answer 2

A researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies and produces a statistic to represent the overall effect. This technique produces an effect size (a measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables) as the dependant variable in order to assess variable trends.

Question 3

Meta analysis strengths -

Answer 3

• Can increase the validity of reviewing multiple studies rather than just one as they are based on a wider sample, also allows a more accurate conclusion to be made.

Question 4

Meta analysis limitations -

Answer 4

• Research which comes from different study samples which means that the studies are not truly comparable and therefore making accurate conclusions may not be accurate.

Question 5

Case study-

Answer 5

• Detailed study of a single individual, institution or event.
• May involve questionnaires or interviews to produce psychological data about what happened or the person.
• Case studies are generally longitudinal, where they follow the group or event or person for a long time.

Question 6

Case studies strengths -

Answer 6

• Offers rich, in-depth analysis so that information that is most likely to be overlooked by other research isn’t achieved.
• Can also consider many factors throughout the study as there is long time to assess them.

Question 7

Case studies limitations -

Answer 7

• Case studies are only identified after a key event (for example the change of brain structure) and we cannot be sure that those changes observed were not originally present.

Question 8

Content analysis -

Answer 8

Kind of observational study which behaviour is observed in terms of written, verbal material (qualitative data) is converted into quantitative data. It is measured indirectly as its not observing people directly.