Week #9 Flashcards
what is a reactive measurement?
-occurs when the subject knows or suspects that their behaviour is under scrutiny. To some degree, the behavior of the subject is in reaction to the observers presence and hence may be modified and distorted from the natural response
what must you do if conducting reactive measurements?
If you are a research you have to build a RAPPORT, or trust
It says presence but sometimes the interviewer/researcher isn’t there, but they still react to your questions
what is an example of reactive measurement?
Ex. Experiment, survey research, in-depth interviewing
what is a non-reactive measurement?
- behavioral observations we obtain without the study participant’s awareness
- not dealing with study participants
what is unobtrusive research?
- Research in which data collection does not involve direct elicitation from the study participants
- Our goal is to get truth, and if participants keep changing their minds it is a threat to validity and reliability
what are the 4 types of unobtrusive resarch?
(1) Naturalistic observation (non-participant observation)
(2) comparative & historical research
(3) content analysis
(4) secondary data analysis
what is naturalistic observation?
A research method in which researchers watch subjects’ behaviour in their natural environment without intervention
Often used in psychology & social psychology
what are examples of naturalistic observation?
Behaviour watching (e.g., single or interaction)
people watching,
Co-present
Public space, not alone have other people there
Coffee shops, bus stations, malls, cafeterias
what are the moral implications of natural observation?
-observing people without their consent -does it violate one’s privacy in a public space?
what is a limitation of naturalistic observation?
Weak in explaining a causal relationship?
- it is not always clear what causes certain reactions when you are dealing with so many variables
- We don’t know what happened before they enter the public space so we don’t really know why they behave how they behave
What are the common methodological characteristics of comparative historical analysis?
(1) use more than one ‘case’ to address a substantive problem
(2) emphasize the connectedness of various geographically defined units of analysis
(3) try to understand a social phenomenon from various historical points (connecting the past to the present)
what are the appropriate topics for comparative historical analysis
(1) Tracing the development of social policies over time
(2) Comparing historical events (e.g., women’s movement) phenomenon policies across countries
what are the sources of data for comparative historical analysis
-official documents, publications
what are the requirements for evaluating sources?
- Appraises the authenticity & authorship of the data source -verify facts and details -
- -identify any assumptions, value positions and historical significance for the analysis purpose
what is archival research?
locating, evaluating and systematic interpretation and analysis of sources found in archives
what are the four types of comparative historical analysis?
- Historical Events Research
- Historical Process Research
- Cross-sectional Comparative Research
- Comparative Historical Research
Explain Historical Events Research
(single event) -focuses on one short historical period (1 case, 1 time period) ex: the civil rights movement (the Berkeley riots in the 1960s)
Explain Historical Process Research
(longitudinal)-traces a sequence of events over a number of years (1 case, many time periods) ex: the evolution of the civil right movements
Explain cross sectional comparative research
-compares data from one time period between two more nations (many cases, 1 time period) ex: experiences of conflict in Russia & Ukraine
explain comparative historical research?
-longitudinal comparative research (many cases) over a prolonged period of timeex: impact of global recession in different western countries in different times
What are the characteristics of Content Analysis?
Study of recorded human communications(e.g., books, videos, text messages, news papers)
Contains a set of techniques useful for analyzing and understanding collections of text
Can be either quantitative or qualitative oriented
Explain the Quantitative process of content analysis?
- Research question
Identifying units of analysis - operationalize variables
-the process of defining how variables can be measured - observe the content
- coding scheme
-a list of categories or themes for the subsequent analysis
Analyze our data that we observed, create preliminary categories - sampling -determine how many different kinds of data you want, what time frames you will collect data (e.g., random or stratified)
May want to gather more samples after coding scheme - coding
After content is collected, (quantifying the codes or creating thematic categories)-intercoder reliability (checking consistency)
what are the final steps of content analysis?
Descriptive Statistics (quantitative) -organizing and summarizing data Ex: Percentage, Mode, Median, Mean
Memo Writing-the act of recording reflective notes about what the researcher is learning from the data-memos evolve as the research proceeds and may differ substantially in style (accumulation)
what are the strengths of content analysis?
- unobtrusive
- no ethical issues involved
- lower cost
- fit into social scientific research
what are the limitations of content analysis?
- time consuming
- different coding styles (subjectivity)
- comparison, mutual checking
Explain secondary data analysis?
The reanalysis of previously collected large-scale survey data that were originally gathered by others (e.g., Statistics Canada)
what are the advantages of secondary data analysis?
Lower cost
Less time consuming
Easy access (public microdata) vs. restricted master files – confidentiality
Large sample size – external validity
Population representation (general vs. specific)
Timeliness (linked to current policies or issues)
what are the disadvantages of secondary data analysis?
- Fit between research question & data set
Say you pose exciting research question but can’t find variable you need in data set
If the ideal variables not there find an alternative one - Measurement (ideal-reality gap)
- Data driven? (compromising our RQ)
- Cost of learning a new data set
explain the process of secondary data analysis?
Selecting an appropriate data set
-cross-sectional vs. longitudinal
-subgroups of interest
Selecting relevant variables
Run statistical analysis (descriptive & inferential)
