Types Of Data

Question 1

Qualitative data

Answer 1

Data that is expressed in words and non-numerical

Question 2

Advantages of qualitative data

Answer 2

-offers researcher much more richness of detail than quantitative as more broader in scope and pps allowed to develop their thoughts
-high external validity as more meaningful insight

Question 3

Limitations of qualitative data

Answer 3

-difficult to analyse as hard to summarise statistically so hard to identify trends
-conclusions often rely on subjective interpretations by researcher which may be biased, effected by researcher expectations

Question 4

What is quantitative data

Answer 4

Data that is expressed numerically

Question 5

Advantages of quantitative data

Answer 5

-relatively simple to analyse as can easily draw comparisons between groups and identify trends
-numerical data tends to be more objective and less open to bias

Question 6

Limitations of quantitative data

Answer 6

-much narrower in scope and meaning= may fail to represent real life

Question 7

What is primary data

Answer 7

Information obtained first hand by the researcher for the purpose of a research project

Question 8

Advantages of primary data

Answer 8

Authentic data obtained from pps themselves for the purpose of a particular investigation= designed to answer specific question

Question 9

Limitations of primary data

Answer 9

Requires time and effort to produce the data as planning preparation and resources are needed to conduct an experiment

Question 10

What is secondary data

Answer 10

Data that has been collected by someone other than the person conducting the research, may be the work of other psychologists or government statistics

Question 11

Advantage of secondary data

Answer 11

-inexpensive and easily accessed requiring minimal effort

Question 12

Limitations of secondary data

Answer 12

-info may be out-dated/incomplete
-content of data may not exactly match the researcher’s needs and objectives

Question 13

What is meta-analysis

Answer 13

Process of combining results from a number of studies on a particular topic to provide an overall view
-may involve qualitative review of conclusions/quantitative analysis of results

Question 14

Advantage of meta-analysis

Answer 14

-results can be generalised across much larger populations

Question 15

Limitations of meta-analysis

Answer 15

Results prone to publication bias- researcher may choose to leave out studies with negative/non-significant results

Question 16

What is nominal data

Answer 16

Named data which can be separated into discrete categories which do not overlap eg hair colour

Question 17

What is ordinal data

Answer 17

Data placed into some kind of order/scale with no standardised value for the difference from one to the next eg a happiness scale from 1-10. However is subjective

Question 18

What is interval data

Answer 18

Data that comes in the form of a numerical value where the difference between points is standardised and meaningful eg difference in temperature between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius