Type of data Flashcards
What is qualitative data?
Data that is not numerical
What is quantitative data?
Numerical data
What is primary data?
Data collected from first hand experience
What is secondary data?
Data collected from an already published source
What is meta-analysis?
A technique for combining the findings of independent studies, often with smaller samples to create a larger sample
What are strengths of qualitative data?
It is richer in detail than quantitative
Can express the motivations and intent behind feelings and actions
What are limitations qualitative data?
Less reliable than quantitative data
Difficult to objectively analyse
Two different psychologists may draw different conclusions
What are strengths of quantitative data?
Reliable
Objective
Useful when conducting experiments to count how many people do a particular thing
Can be analysed statistically to reveal trends and correlations
What are limitations of quantitative data?
Can’t be used to express feelings
Doesn’t have a lot of rich detail
What are strengths of primary data?
Gathered for the purpose of addressing the specific research hypothesis as this increases the validity
What are limitations of primary data?
Time-consuming and expensive
Psychologist may not have the funding to have a large sample which other sources may have
What are strengths of secondary data?
Readily available so quick and possibly inexpensive
What are limitations of secondary data?
Second hand so already undergone some interpretation so may have some inherent biases
What are some strengths of meta-analysis?
Useful in situations where a topic has been extensively studied
With a large amount of data, it is possible to spot trends/correlations
What are limitations of a meta-analysis?
Reliant on the psychologists who did the research doing a good job
Might not be a topic where there has been much research
