Types of Data Flashcards

1
Q

Quantitative Data

A

Numerical data

eg reaction time or number of wins

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2
Q

One Strength of Quantitative Data

A

+ Easier to analyse. Can draw graphs and calculate averages. Can eyeball data and see patterns at a glance

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3
Q

One Limitation of Quantitative Data

A
  • Oversimplifies behaviour. eg using rating scale to express feelings. Means that individual meanings are lost
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4
Q

Qualitative Data

A

Non-numerical data expressed in words

eg extract from a diary

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5
Q

One Strength of Qualitative Data

A

+ Represents complexities. More detail included (such as explaining your feelings). Can also include information that is unexpected

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6
Q

One Limitation of Qualitative Data

A
  • Less easy to analyse. Large amount of detail is difficult to summarise. Therefore, it is difficult to draw conclusions
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7
Q

Primary Data

A

First hand data collected for the purpose of the investigation

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8
Q

One Strength of Primary Data

A

+ Fits the job. Study designed to extract only the data needed. Information is directly relevant to research aims

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9
Q

One Limitation of Primary Data

A
  • Requires time and effort. Design may involve planning and preparation. Secondary data can be accessed within minutes
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10
Q

Secondary Data

A

Collected by someone other than the person who is conducting the research
(eg taken from books, journals, articles etc)

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11
Q

One Strength of Secondary Data

A

+ Inexpensive. The desired information may already exist. Therefore, requires minimal effort making it inexpensive

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12
Q

One Limitation of Secondary Data

A
  • Quality may be poor. Information may be outdated or incomplete. Therefore, challenges the validity of the conclusions
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13
Q

Meta-Analysis

A

A type of secondary data that involves combining data from a large number of studies.
Calculation of effect size

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14
Q

One Strength of Meta-Analysis

A

+ Increases validity of conclusions. The eventual sample size is much larger than individual samples. Therefore, increases the extent to which generalisations can be made

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15
Q

One Limitation of Meta-Analysis

A
  • Publication bias. Researchers may not select all relevant studies, leaving out negative or non-significant results. Data may be biased because it only represents some of the data and incorrect conclusions are drawn
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16
Q

Mean

A

Arithmetic average.

Add up all the scores and divide by the number of socres

17
Q

One Strength of the Mean

A

+ Sensitive. Includes all the scores in the data set within the calculation. Therefore, more of an overall impression of the average than median or mode

18
Q

One Limitation of the Mean

A
  • May be unrepresentative. One very large or small number makes it distorted. The median or mode tend not to be so easily distorted
19
Q

Median

A

Middle value.
Place scores in ascending order and select middle value if there are two values in the middle, the mean of these is calculated

20
Q

One Strength of the Median

A

+ Unaffected by extreme scores. The median is only focused on the middle value. Therefore, it may be more representative of the data set as a whole

21
Q

One Limitation of the Median

A
  • Less sensitive than the mean. Not all scores are included in the calculation of the median. Therefore, extreme values may be important
22
Q

Mode

A

Most frequent or common value.

Used with categorical/nominal data

23
Q

One Strength of the Mode

A

+ Relevant to categorical data. When the data is discrete (ie represented in categories). Sometimes, the mode is the only appropriate measure

24
Q

One Limitation of the Mode

A
  • An overly simple measure. There may be many modes in a data set. It is not a useful way of describing data when there are many modes
25
Range
The difference between highest to lowest value (+1)
26
One Strength of the Range
+ Easy to calculate. Arrange values in order and subtract largest from smallest. Simple formula, easier than the standard deviation
27
One Limitation of the Range
- Doesn't account for the distribution of the scores. The range doesn't indicate whether most numbers are closely grouped around the mean or spread out evenly. The standard deviation is a much better measure of dispersion in this respect.
28
Standard Deviation
Measure of the average spread around the mean. The larger the standard deviation, the more spread out the data is
29
One Strength of the Standard Deviation
+ More precise than the range. Includes all values within the calculating. Therefore, a more accurate picture of the overall distribution of the data set
30
One Limitation of the Standard Deviation
- It may be misleading. May hide some of the characteristics of the data set. Therefore, extreme values may not be revealed, unlike with the range
31
Three Types of Measures of Central Tendency
Mean Median Mode
32
Two Types of Measures of Dispersion
Range | Standard Deviation