types of data

Question 1

quantitative data

Answer 1

quantitative data involves numbers; it usually takes the form of individual scores from participants

Question 2

qualitative data

Answer 2

involved words, it may take the form of a written description of the thoughts, feelings and opinions of participants

Question 3

quantitative data strengths

Answer 3

it can be measured objectively due to the numerical bias so is less influenced by researcher bias

this type of data is immediately quantifiable, therefore is relatively simple to analyse and comparison between groups can be easily drawn

Question 4

quantitative data limitation

Answer 4

lacks detail due to the narrower scope, which may decrease validity of findings

Question 5

qualitative data strengths

Answer 5

this offers the researcher much greater detail than quantitative data as it is broader in scope, participants are able to develop their thoughts and feelings on a given subjects, so has greater validity

Question 6

qualitative data limitatins

Answer 6

this data is based on the subjective interpretation of language by the researcher, this therefore may be influenced by researcher bias if the researcher has preconceived ideas about what they expect to find

this type of data has to be transformed and is only quantifiable if the data is put into categories and the frequency is counted

Question 7

primary data

Answer 7

original data
is collected first hand from the participants
the data is collected for the purpose of the investigation, it is gathered by conducting an experiment, questionnaire, interview or observation

Question 8

secondary data

Answer 8

pre-existing data
collected by someone else for some other purpose
the data might include the work of other psychologists, attained though journal articles, books or websites - it can also take the form of governmental statistics

Question 9

primary data strengths

Answer 9

primary data is authentic data as it is obtained from the participants themselves

it also provides more than a surface understanding as it is carried out for the purpose of the research

Question 10

primary data limitation

Answer 10

to produce primary data requires time and effort on the part of the researcher, for example, conducting an experiment requires considerable planning, preparation and resources

Question 11

secondary data strength

Answer 11

this data is inexpensive and easily accessed requiring minimal effort

Question 12

secondary data limitation

Answer 12

the content of the data may not quite match the researchers needs or objectives

there may be substantial variation in the quality and accuracy of secondary data

Question 13

meta-analysis

Answer 13

this is the process of combining research from a number of studies, which have involved the same research questions and methods of research. this may involve a qualitative review of conclusions or a quantitative analysis of the results producing an effect size. this gives an overall statistical measure of difference/relationship between variables across a number of studies

Question 14

meta-analysis strength

Answer 14

this allows us to view data with much more confidence and results can be generalised across larger populations

Question 15

meta-analysis limitation

Answer 15

publication bias, the researcher may not select all relevant studies choosing to leave out those with negative or non-significant results