research methods - data Flashcards
4 types of data
-primary
-secondary
-quantitative
-qualitative
quantitative data
data expressed numerically
how can quantitative data be obtained?
using closed questions
what is qualitative data?
data expressed in words/non numerically
how can qualitative data be obtained?
using open questions
what does quantitative data aim to produce?
-results that can be easily compared and analysed
-produces results that can go through statistical tests to see if they are significant
what does qualitative data aim to produce?
-meaningful data
-to understand phenomena from the point of view of an individual
strengths of quantitative data
-easy to analyse statistically
-lets comparisons and trends be seen
weaknesses of quantitative data
-lack of detail/representativeness
-responses can’t explain complex human behavior
strengths of qualitative data
rich in detail:
-gives investigator meaningful insights into human behaviour
-high external validity, info is more likely to represent a real world view
weaknesses of qualitative data
-can be subjective because of ppts detail, interpretations rely on opinions & judgements of the researcher
primary data
-data that has been collected for a specific reason firsthand by the original researcher
-sometimes called field research
advantages of primary data
authenticity
↳ it is collected with the sole purpose of being for a specific investigation
↳ the data collected is to suit the aims of the research, this enables the researcher to exert a high level of control
great probability that the data generated will fit the aims of the investigation:
↳ wasted time is reduced on behalf of the researcher
↳ info is relevant
disadvantages of primary data
designing and carrying out a psychological study can take a long period of time and considerable effort:
↳ expenses can accrue (time investment)
what is secondary data?
-information that was collected by other researchers for a purpose other than the investigation in which it is currently being used
-data which already exists
-sometimes referred to as desk research
advantages of secondary data
the information already exists in the public domain:
↳ less time consuming and expensive to collect
disadvantages of secondary data
concerns over accuracy:
↳ the information was not gathered to meet the specific aim of the research
quality of the data may be poor:
↳ much of the data may be of little or no value to the researchers
meta-analysis
-investigators combine findings from multiple studies (secondary data) on a specific phenomenon to make an overall analysis of trends and patterns arising across research
advantages of meta-analysis
-since the results are combined from many studies, rather than just one, the conclusions drawn will be based on a larger sample which provides greater confidence for generalisation
↳ increases the validity of the patterns and trends identified
disadvantages of meta-analysis
issues of bias
↳ since the researcher is selecting data from research which has already taken place, the may choose to omit certain findings from their investigation
(especially if the previous findings showed no significant results)
↳ the findings and conclusions from the meta-analysis will be biased as they do not accurately represent all of the relevant data on the topic
time consuming
which 3 levels of measurement do quantitative data fall into?
-nominal
-ordinal
-interval
nominal data
categorical data
how nominal data is discrete
each participant will only appear in one category
ordinal data
-ordinal if it is ordered in some way and the intervals between the data are not equal
-typically, this is used to rank data