Types of Data Flashcards
quantitative data
3
numerical data
represents data that is measured in numbers or quantities
EXAMPLES…
• dependent variable in an experiment is quantitative
• closed questions in questionnaires collect quantitative data — numerical information about your age, how many hours you work a week, etc
• in an observational study, a tally of behavioural categories is quantitive
qualitative data
4
data that is not numerical, it cannot be counted or quantified but can be placed into categories
it can include descriptions, words, meanings pictures, etc
EXAMPLES…
• open questions in questionnaires collect quantitative data
• in an observational study, researchers can describe what they see and this would be qualitative data
differences between quantitative and qualitative data
5
quantity v quality
deals with numbers v deals with descriptions
data which can be measured v data that is observed but not measured
psychologists develop measures of psychological variables v observing people through the messages they produce and the way they act
looking at averages and differences between groups v concerned with attitudes, beliefs, fears and emotions
evaluation of quantitative data
2
easy to analyse using descriptive statistics and statistical tests which enables conclusions to be easily drawn
this data may oversimplify reality, for example a questionnaire with closed questions may force people to choose answers that don’t really represent their feelings, therefore the conclusions may be meaningless
evaluation of qualitative data
2
this data provides detailed information which can provide unexpected insights into thoughts and behaviour because the answers are not restricted by pre set options
complexity of this data makes it more difficult to analyse and draw conclusions from
primary data
4
data that is collected by the researcher specifically for the current research project being undertaken
information observed or collected directly from firsthand experience
the collection of primary data involves designing the study, gaining ethical approval, piloting the study, recruiting and testing participants, analysing the data collected and drawing conclusions
the data collected would be specifically related to the aims and hypothesis of the study
secondary data
4
data that is collected by someone else and/or for a different project than the current one
the researcher could use data collected by themselves but from a different study or data collected by another researcher
they may make use of government statistics such as information about the treatment of mental health or make use of data held by a hospital or other institution
correlation studies often use secondary data and reviews / meta analysis studies use secondary data too
evaluation of primary data
2
the researcher has a high level of control over the data as they’re collecting it themselves, the data collection can be designed by them so it is specific to the aims and hypothesis of the study
it is very lengthy and therefore expensive process to collect your own data, simply designing a study takes a lot of time and the time spent recruiting participants, conducting the study and analysing the data all adds up
evaluation of secondary data
3
it is much simpler to access someone else’s data, which makes it much cheaper because significantly less time equipment is needed
secondary data may have already been subjected to statistical testing and therefore it may already be known whether it is significant, saving more time and money
for some studies, the secondary data may not exactly fit the needs of the current study