research methods-data handling and analysis

Question 1

what is nominal data

Answer 1

categorical data that doesn’t have a natural order

Question 2

is nominal data discrete or continuous

Answer 2

discrete data-can only appear in one category

Question 3

what measure of central tendency is used with nominal data

Answer 3

mode-most common number

Question 4

positive of nominal data

Answer 4

easily generated quickly from closed questions

Question 5

Negative of nominal data

Answer 5

its a low level of data
it doesn’t enable sensitive analysis

Question 6

what is ordinal data

Answer 6

categorical data that can be put in order or ranked

Question 7

what measure of central tendency is used with ordinal data

Answer 7

median

Question 8

positives of ordinal data

Answer 8

have more detail as the scores are ranked in order

Question 9

negative of ordinal data

Answer 9

no equal intervals
often used for subjective ranks- which lacks certainty

Question 10

what is interval/ratio data

Answer 10

data tells us exactly how much bigger one number is than the other

Question 11

what is the difference between ratio and interval data

Answer 11

ratio-values cant go below 0 as it has a true 0
interval-values can go below 0 as it doesn’t have a true 0

Question 12

what type of comparisons does interval-ratio data allow you to make

Answer 12

allows you to make quantitative comparisons

Question 13

what measure of central tendancy is used with interval/ratio data

Answer 13

mean

Question 14

what is a positive of interval/ratio data

Answer 14

allows for researchers to use more sensitive statistical tests (parametric tests) which allows the researcher to make objective quantitative comparisons

Question 15

what are the 3 measures of central tendency

Answer 15

mean
median
mode

Question 16

what is it called when there are 2 modes

Answer 16

bi-modal

Question 17

2 positives of using the mode

Answer 17

-quick and easy to calculate
-The mode is unaffected by one extreme score

Question 18

2 negatives of using the mode

Answer 18

-insensitive measure as it doesn’t tell us about the other values in the data set
-there can be multiple modes so it wouldn’t be representative of the full data set

Question 19

2 positives of using the median

Answer 19

-median is unaffected by extreme scores
-the median is relatively quick and easy to calculate

Question 20

2 negatives of using the median

Answer 20

-its an insensitive measure it doesn’t tell us about any other values in the data set
-if there’s an even number the median may not even be present in the original data set

Question 21

2 positives of using the mean

Answer 21

-representative of all the data as it is calculated using all the numbers
-most sensitive measure as it includes all the values in a set of data

Question 22

2 negatives of using the mean

Answer 22

-easily skewed or distorted by extreme values
-mean may be a value which isnt present in the original data set

Question 23

what are the two measures of dispersions

Answer 23

-range
-standard deviation

Question 24

what is an advantage of the range

Answer 24

-quick and easy to calculate

Question 25

what is a disadvantage of the range

Answer 25

-skewed by extreme values as it only takes into account 2 scores

Question 26

what is the standard deviation

Answer 26

measure of the spread of data around the mean

Question 27

what does a large SD show

Answer 27

more variation and less consistent

Question 28

what does a small SD show

Answer 28

less variation and More consistent

Question 29

what is a positive of using SD

Answer 29

more sensitive measure of dispersion as it takes into account all the values

Question 30

what are the types of presentation of quantitative data

Answer 30

-bar chart -histogram -scattergraphs

Question 31

what do bar chart show

Answer 31

-discrete data -bars aren't touching

Question 32

what are histograms used to show

Answer 32

-continuous data -bars are touching

Question 33

what do scattergraphs show and when are they used

Answer 33

-relationship between the 2 co-variables -used when carrying out a correlational analysis

Question 34

what is a normal distribution

Answer 34

-bell-shaped curve -symetrical around the centre -left hand side is a mirror image of the left hand side

Question 35

describe the data in a normal distribution

Answer 35

-most values cluster around the middle -further a value is from the mean the less likely it is to occur

Question 36

what will the mean median and mode be for a normal distribution

Answer 36

same value

Question 37

what is a negatively skewed distribution

Answer 37

-most people recieve high scores but there is an extreme low score -mode is the highest -to make it more normally distributed you need to make the test harder

Question 38

what is a positively skewed distribution

Answer 38

-most people recieve a low score but there is an extreme high score -mean is the highest -to make it more normally distributed you need to make the test easier.

Question 39

what is content analysis

Answer 39

-create a checklist/categories of behaviour -read through media Eg-diary entry -counting behaviour or tallying -compare condition 1 to condition 2

Question 40

positive of content analysis

Answer 40

by converting qualitative data into quantitative the researcher is able to carry out statisical test to see if there is a significant difference between the 2 variables

Question 41

negatives of content analayisis

Answer 41

content analysis simply describes a set of data, variables are not manipulated under control conditions therefore it does not reveal causality.

Question 42

what is thematic analysis

Answer 42

1. converts data into written form 2. familiarise themselves with data by reading and re-reading 3. labels the data using codes 4. categorises the codes into themes 5. writes a report interpreting the themes an relates them back to the research topic.

Question 43

positives of thematic analyisis

Answer 43

provides a more detailed understanding of participants subjective experience

Question 44

negatives of thematic analysis

Answer 44

requires data that is in written form

Question 45

what is a meta-analysis

Answer 45

-researchers collect and collate a wide range of previously conducted research on a specific area -collated research is reviewed together -combined data is statistically tested to provide an overall conclusion

Question 46

is a meta-analysis quantitative or qualitative

Answer 46

quantitative

Question 47

what is the difference between primary and secondary data

Answer 47

primary data-data that is collected first hand by the researcher for the purpose of the investigation secondary data-data that is collected not for the purpose of your own research.