Primary and Secondary Data

Question 1

Primary Data

Answer 1

Data that has been collected first hand by the researcher for the study they are undertaking

Question 2

Secondary Data

Answer 2

Data that’s already available and that wasn’t collected by the researcher for the study they are undertaking

Question 3

Srengths of Primary Data

Answer 3

• Targets the sepcific information the researcher needs - Primary research allows researcher to make sure the data is in the correct format to test hypothesis

Question 4

Limiations of Primary Data

Answer 4

• Expensive
• Time-consuming

Ex: A researcher may use a questionnaire to collect primary data. They would have to design a questionnaire, send them out and then wait for responses + This costs money and takes time - If this researcher uses data on a Government website instead, then they don’t have to wait to analyse it and they don’t have to pay to gather the data

Question 5

Strengths of Secondary Data

Answer 5

• Cheaper/More cost effective
• Minimal effort to collect data
• Less time-consuming - Researcher wouldn’t have to wait for responses or for data to be collected, they can simply begin analysing

Question 6

Limitations of Secondary Data

Answer 6

• The information may not be specific to the study - Ex: A researcher may be investigating the correlation between exercise and depression, whereas the secondary data may be about mental health as a whole

Question 7

What is another name for primary research?

Answer 7

Field research

Question 8

What is another name for secondary research?

Answer 8

Desk research

Question 9

If a researcher uses some of their old data which they collected for a different study, to use in their new study, is this primary or secondary data?

Answer 9

Although the researcher did collect the data first hand, it would be secondary data, as the data was collected for a different study than the one the researcher is currently undertaking

Question 10

Meta-Analysis

Answer 10

When a resercher combines results from multiple different studies on the same topic to create an overall conclusion

Question 11

Is a meta-analysis an example of primary or secondary data?

Answer 11

Secondary data

Question 12

Strengths of Meta-Analysis

Answer 12

• Generalisability - Researchers have access to more Ps data than if they conducted their own study + Can allow the researcher to draw upon more accurate conclusions
• Usually has a high validity - If the studies analysed are similar, well-designed and valid, then the conclusion is likely to be valid

Question 13

Why might a meta-analysis not have high validity?

Answer 13

If the studies analysed to contruct the conclusion were not similar, well-designed or valid, then the meta-analysis’ conclusion will be invalid

Question 14

Limitations of Meta-Analysis

Answer 14

• Due to publication biases, some researchers intentionally don’t publish all their data, (specifically negative results), because editors prefer publishing positive findings and ‘headline grabbing’ studies - This can give a false representation of what the researcher is investigating

Question 15

Can a Psychologist use both primary and secondary data in the same study?

Answer 15

Yes