RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 / STEP 5 Flashcards
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 - COLLECT THE DATA
- What type of data will be collected?
- QUALITATIVE DATA
- QUANTITATIVE DATA
- SUBJECTIVE
- OBJECTIVE
- Qualitative data
- Describes the qualities or characteristics of the data
- In the form of descriptions, words, meanings, pictures or text
- Usually subjective
- Quantitative data
- Information about the quantities or amounts of what is being studied
- Usually expressed in numbers or units of measurements
- Usually objective
- Subjective
- Based on opinion and open to interpretation
- Objective
- Not open to interpretation
- Measure the same by everyone
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 - COLLECT THE DATA
- How will the data be collected?
- Observation
- Case studies
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
- Interview
- Questionnaire
- Psychological test
- Self report
- Rating scale
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 - COLLECT THE DATA
- Self reports
- Questionnaires
- Interviews
SELF REPORTS
- Where people are asked to to freely express their thoughts by answering questions (Written or verbally)
- A form of SUBJECTIVE data
- However they can collect both quantitative (ratings on multi point scale) and qualitative data
QUESTIONNAIRES
- Highly structured or more open-ended (Respondents able to express themselves in their own words)
- Harder the Q = the lower the response rate will be
INTERVIEWS
- Can be unstructured (conversation is informal)
- Can be structured: series of questions to be asked
- Data collected is QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 - COLLECT THE DATA
- Questionnaires (Strengths)
- Interviews (Strengths)
QUESTIONNAIRES
- Able to study large samples of people fairly easy
- Examine a large number of variables
Carried out relatively cheaply
INTERVIEWS
- Conducted in a casual manner provide information that is more spontaneous and realistic THAN those obtained in a formal interview
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 4 - COLLECT THE DATA
- Questionnaires (Weaknesses)
- Interviews (Weaknesses)
QUESTIONNAIRES
- May not respond truthfully (Cannot remember or they may want to present themselves in a socially acceptable manner)
- If it is open-ended = lead to much more subjectivity when it comes to its interpretations
INTERVIEWS
- Sampling of subjects is considered a problem
- Demand characteristics (Interviewer bias and Response bias) = provide leading Questions or subtle reinforcements
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Raw data
- Processed data
- Descriptive stats
- About organizing, summarizing, and representing data in a logical manner
RAW DATA:
- Actual data
- Broken into smaller set (average)
- They are individual scores
PROCESSED DATA:
- The results after data has been collated and summarized
DESCRIPTIVE STATS
- Used to summarize patterns and organize data (Frequency tables / Bar charts / Line graphs)
- Analyses of quantitative data
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Measures of central tendency
MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
- Examples of descriptive data statistics
- Depict an overall ‘central’ trend of a set of data
- three key measures: Mode / Median / Mean
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Measures of variability (Dispersion)
- Range
- Standard Deviation (SD)
MEASURES OF VARIABILITY (DISPERSION)
- Provide a single number that tells us the degree to which scores in a distribution are SPREAD out or CLUSTERED together
RANGE:
- Difference between HIGHEST and LOWEST SCORE in a. distribution
- Not a very informative measure. Doesn’t give an indication of how the scores are SPREAD
STANDARD DEVIATION (SD)
- How spread out numbers are around the mean or AVERAGE
- A measure of dispersement in statistics
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
= Expected to calculate a mean as a measure of central tendency for a set of data
POWERPOINT (SLIDE 53)
STANDARD DEVIATION (SD)
- Useful to compare the means and the spread between two or more samples
- Higher SD = Greater spread / variation in the data set
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Outliers
- A value that “lies outside” most of the other values in a set of DATA
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Representing the data
= Tables
= Bar charts
= Line graphs
TABLES: Use a table and normally one other graph
BAR CHARTS: used to graph categorical data AND discrete numerical data
LINE GRAPHS: Used to graph continuous numerical data
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Representing the data
= Pie chart
= Scatter plot
PIE CHART: Used to graph categorical data
SCATTER PLOT: used for correlational data
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Positive correlation
- Negative correlation
(+) CORRELATION
- Two variables are changing in the same direction
- As one increases so does the other
(-) CORRELATION
- Two variables are changing in the opposite direction
- As one increases, the other decreases
RESEARCH METHODS: STEP 5 - ANALYZE THE DATA
- Strength of correlation
- Higher number = stronger the correlation
- = Postive correlation
- = Negative correlation
- -1.0 or +1.0 = Perfect correlations
