types of data

Question 1

qualitative data

Answer 1

expressed in words and non-numerical

Question 2

quantitative data

Answer 2

counted, usually given in numbers

Question 3

primary data

Answer 3

information that has been obtained first hand by a researcher for the purpose of gathered directly from participants as part of experiment, self-report or observation

Question 4

secondary data

Answer 4

information that has already been collected by someone else and so predates the current research project

Question 5

meta analysis

Answer 5

the process of combining the findings from a number of studies on a particular topic
- the aim is to produce an overall statistical conclusion based on a range of studies

Question 6

where is quantitative data used ?

Answer 6

recall memory experiment

Question 7

how is primary data gathered ?

Answer 7

conducting an experiment, questionnaire, interview or observation

Question 8

where is secondary data found ?

Answer 8

journal articles, books or websites

Question 9

qualitative data - evaluation

Answer 9

• greater external validity than quantitative data - provides the researcher with a more meaningful
  insight into the participants world view
• difficult to analyse - lend itself to being summarised statistically so that patterns and comparisons withing and between data may be hard to identify
• rely on the subjective interpretations of the researcher ad these may be subject to bias

Question 10

quantitative data - evaluation

Answer 10

• simply to analyse
• more objective and less open to bias
• much narrower in meaning and detail
• may fail to represent real life

Question 11

primary data - strength

Answer 11

strength: fits the job
- authentic data obtained from the participants themselves for the purpose of a practical investigation

Question 12

primary data - limitation

Answer 12

requires time and effort on the part of the researcher - considerable planning, preparation and resources

Question 13

secondary data - strength

Answer 13

inexpensive and easily accessed requiring minimal effort - researcher may have found the desired info which already exists

Question 14

secondary data - limitation

Answer 14

may be outdated or incomplete - may not match the researchers needs or objective - challenge the validity of any conclusions

Question 15

meta analysis - strength

Answer 15

creates a large, more varied sample and results can than be generalised across much larger populations which increases validity

Question 16

meta analysis - limitation

Answer 16

prone to publication bias - may leave out those studies with negative or non significant results

Question 17

nominal data

Answer 17

data that is grouped into categories, where the categories do not have a natural order

Question 18

ordinal data

Answer 18

data that is grouped into categories that do have a natural order

Question 19

ratio

Answer 19

data that tells us how much bigger one number is than the other
- values can not go below 0

Question 20

interval data

Answer 20

data that tells us exactly how much bigger one number is than the other
- can go below 0

Question 21

discrete data

Answer 21

quantitative data that is restricted to just certain numbers
- nominal ordinal ratio and interval

Question 22

continuous data

Answer 22

quantitative data that is not restricted to just certain numbers
- ratio and interval only