Research Methods - Maths

Question 1

What are the 3 measures of central tendency?

Answer 1

Mean, Median, Mode

Question 2

Mean average - advantage and disadvantage

Answer 2

Advantage - uses all scores so is most powerful and most sensitive

Disadvantage - can be distorted by by extreme scores (anomalies or outliers)

Question 3

Median value - advantages and disadvantage

Answer 3

Advantages - unaffected by extreme values, easier to calculate than mean

Disadvantage - only takes into account 1 or 2 score values (middle values)

Question 4

Quantitative data (What is it? How is it used? When is it collected?)

Answer 4

• Numerical data, involves measuring something
• statistical analysis can be used
• collected in experiment-based research methods

Question 5

Qualitative (What is it? When is it collected?)

Answer 5

• Nom-numerical, descriptive data
• involves finding out what people think and feel in more detail
  -case studies, unstructured observations, unstructured interviews

Question 6

Measures of dispersion (What data is it used for?)

Answer 6

Variability (spread out)

Question 7

Range - strength and weakness

Answer 7

Strength - easy to calculate

Weakness - does not take into account of all scores and doesn’t show if scores are spread evenly around the mean

Question 8

Standard deviation - formula

Answer 8

Square root of…

(Sum of numbers in data set (every number in data set - mean)) squared

Divided by…

Number of values in data set

Question 9

Standard deviation - strength and weakness

Answer 9

Strength - takes into account all scores (more sensitive)
Weakness - less meaningful if data is not normally distributed

Question 10

Quantitative and qualitative - differences

Answer 10

Quantitative - easier to convert into graphs and charts (easier to read, comparisons easier to make), internal validity (the accuracy of the results within the population that you are studying) is usually higher.

Qualitative- greater external validity (the extent to which you can generalise the results of a study to other situations)

Question 11

Different types of graphs and tables

Answer 11

• bar chart
• histograms (percentages)
• pie charts
• scattergrams
• results tables

Question 12

What do bar charts measure?

Answer 12

Non-continuous data that usually just falls into a category

Question 13

Different types of distributions on charts

Answer 13

On bar charts and histograms, the data usually forms some kind of pattern: this is labelled distribution
there are 3 main types:
- normal distribution (looks like a hill, more symmetrical)
- negatively skewed distribution (hill but with a longer tail to the left) - usually has more higher scores than lower (ceiling effect)
- positively skewed distribution (hill but with a longer tail to the right) - usually has more lower scores than higher (floor effect)

• the median, mean and mode will occur at the peak of the curve