research methods- types of data

Question 1

what is quantitative data?

Answer 1

non-numerical data expressed in words e.g. an extract from a diary

Question 2

evaluation of qualitative data

Answer 2

+richness of detail
-difficult to analyse

Question 3

ao3 of qualitative data: richness of detail

Answer 3

-much broader in scope than quantitative data
-more meaningful, greater external validity

Question 4

ao3 of qualitative data: difficult to analyse

Answer 4

-hard to identify patterns and make comparisons
-leads to subjective interpretation and researcher bias

Question 5

what is quantitative data?

Answer 5

numerical data e.g. reaction time or no. of mistakes

Question 6

evaluation of quantitative data?

Answer 6

+easier to analyse
-narrower in meaning

Question 7

ao3 of quantitative data: easier to analyse

Answer 7

-can draw graphs and calculate averages
-comparisons between groups can be made

Question 8

ao3 of quantitative data: narrower in meaning

Answer 8

-expresses less detail than qualitative data
-lower external validity- may be less like ‘real life’

Question 9

what is primary data?

Answer 9

‘first-hand’ data collected for the purpose of the investigation

Question 10

evaluation of primary data

Answer 10

+fits the job
-requires time and effort

Question 11

ao3 of primary data: fits the job

Answer 11

-study designed to extract only the data needed
-info is directly relevant to research aims

Question 12

ao3 of primary data: requires time and effort

Answer 12

-designing and collating questionnaires takes time and expense
-secondary data can be accessed within minutes

Question 13

what is secondary data?

Answer 13

collected by someone other than the person who is conducting the research e.g. work of other psychologists

Question 14

evaluation of secondary data

Answer 14

+inexpensive
-quality may be poor

Question 15

ao3 of secondary data: inexpensive

Answer 15

-desired info may already exist
-requires minimal effort making it inexpensive

Question 16

ao3 of secondary data: quality may be poor

Answer 16

-info may be outdated or incomplete
-challenges the validity of any conclusions

Question 17

what is a meta-analysis?

Answer 17

type of secondary data that involves combining data from a large number of studies

Question 18

evaluation of meta analysis

Answer 18

+increases the validity of conclusions
-publication bias

Question 19

ao3 of meta-analysis: increases the validity of conclusions

Answer 19

-eventual sample size is much larger than individual samples
-increases the extent to which generalisations can be made

Question 20

ao3 of meta-analysis: publication bias

Answer 20

-researchers may not select all relevant studies, leaving out negative or non-significant results
-conclusions therefore may lack validity