A/B/C RM- Self-Report Methods, Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Question 1

self-report methods

Answer 1

forms of research where the participants give their own accounts and provide information about their own feelings, thoughts and behaviours on a topic

Question 2

what data do self-report methods gather?

Answer 2

quantitative and qualitative

Question 3

what type of data is easier to analyse

Answer 3

quantitative

Question 4

what type of data provides more detail

Answer 4

qualitative

Question 5

quantitative data

Answer 5

measure of values or amounts
-numerical

Question 6

qualitative data

Answer 6

data representing information and concepts collected through interviews, open questions and content analysis. It allows researchers to develop insights into the nature of subjective experiences, opinions and feelings.

Question 7

likert scale

Answer 7

a scale used to represent people’s attitudes to a topic

Question 8

investigator effects

Answer 8

occur when a researcher unintentionally or unconsciously influences the outcome of any research they are conducrting

Question 9

anonymity

Answer 9

condition of being anonymous

Question 10

population validity

Answer 10

the extent to which the sample can be generalised to similar and wider population

Question 11

replicabiltity

Answer 11

obtaining the same results if the experiment is repeated exactly in the same way with similar conditions and methods.

Question 12

reliability

Answer 12

the consistency of the findings or results of a psychology research study- staying the same?

Question 13

validity

Answer 13

the test measures are precisely what is aimed to be measured, so the data collected is accurate

Question 14

what are questionnaires?

Answer 14

involve providing participants with a written set of questions to complete

Question 15

evaluation points of questionnaires

Answer 15

1. little interaction between researcher and participant
   -less chance for demand characteristics or investigator bias
   -may be confusion amongst understanding questions
2. questions are fixed and the same
   -use standardisation, can be easily replicated to show reliability
   -doesn’t give flexibility into exploring something in more depth
3. can be given face-to-face, post or online
   -online is quicker, faster for responses and cheaper
   -post takes longer, effort and may not respond
   -face to face will not be misleading, risk of bias and investigator effects.

Question 16

what are the the two types of questions in questionnaires

Answer 16

open and closed

Question 17

what are open questions?

Answer 17

questions that allow for participants to answer in their own words
-likely to provide more quantitative data

Question 18

what are closed questions?

Answer 18

questions that require participants to select an answer form given options
-likely to provide more quantitative data

Question 19

what issue may arise if the questions are not easy to understand?

Answer 19

misinterpretation
-produce invalid answers
-responses may be irrelevant and inaccurate

Question 20

what issue may arise if the questions are leading?

Answer 20

invalid responses
-bias answers
-respondents answer in a way they think is expected/ desired.

Question 21

what issue may arise if participants work out the aim of the research?

Answer 21

demand characteristics
-affect validity of responses

to stop this use filler/ distractor questions

Question 22

what can be used to help hide the aim of the study?

Answer 22

filler/ distractor questions
-not relevant to the topic being investigated

Question 23

are questionnaires easy to repeat?

Answer 23

yes
-high replicability
-improves population validity (larger sample)

Question 24

how can questionnaire data be more truthful and valid?

Answer 24

respondents may feel more able to reveal personal information if they are assured anonymity

Question 25

do questionnaires have any investigator effects? why?

Answer 25

no, there is no need for an investigator to be present, increasing validity of responses BUT, ppts may misinterpret questions

Question 26

advantages of collecting quantitative data in questionnaires?

Answer 26

-easy to analyse -easier to draw comparisons

Question 27

what is acquiescence bias? is it present in questionnaires?

Answer 27

the tendency to agree -this decreases validity of responses as it may not be truthful (may be more likely in interviews)

Question 28

what is social desirability bias?

Answer 28

respondents deliberately answer in a way which makes them appear more socially acceptable

Question 29

what are interviews?

Answer 29

they involve social interaction between researcher and participants -involve a trained researcher asking questions directly to a ppt and their responses are recorded or transcribed.

Question 30

what types of questions do interviews use?

Answer 30

both open and closed questions

Question 31

what are the three types of interviews?

Answer 31

structured unstructured semi-structured

Question 32

what are structured interviews?

Answer 32

fixed predetermined questions

Question 33

what are unstructured interviews?

Answer 33

no fixed questions, researcher asks questions depending on their answer

Question 34

what are semi-structured interviews?

Answer 34

there are guidelines for questions to be asked, phrasing and timing are up to the interviewer

Question 35

why might participants show social desirability bias in interviews?

Answer 35

there is no anonymity -reduces validity

Question 36

why might acquiescence bias occur in interviews?

Answer 36

may feel pressure to agree as they are in a social situation -reduces validity

Question 37

why are interviews better when dealing with sensitive topics?

Answer 37

researcher can reassure ppt and pick up signs of distress -less ethical issues

Question 38

why is there low inter-rater reliability in interviews

Answer 38

each interview will have different timings and phrasing of questions -unstructured interviews are very low in reliability -causes a lack of consistency in participant responses.

Question 39

why is it an advantage when interviews use open questions?

Answer 39

gains qualitative data -more depth and detail -better understanding -higher validity

Question 40

why can interviews be time consuming?

Answer 40

-only one can be conducted at a time -researchers need to be skilled -need to find time and place convenient for ppt this usually means interviews gain a smaller sample of ppts -less representative

Question 41

what is qualitative data?

Answer 41

non-numerical data which is used to explore subjective experiences and attitudes

Question 42

what is quantitative data?

Answer 42

numerical data and the analysis of statistical methods -produces objective data

Question 43

what is qualitative data used for?

Answer 43

attitudes, beliefs and opinions

Question 44

what is quantitative data used for?

Answer 44

hypotheses, identify patterns and make predictions

Question 45

is quantitative data more or less objectively analysed that qualitative data?

Answer 45

more -less interpretation -comparisons can be drawn more easily

Question 46

when collecting quantitative data do respondents feel forced to select answers that do or do not represent their real thoughts?

Answer 46

that do not represent their real thoughts and feelings, leading to data which is superficial and lacks detail -has a lower validity

Question 47

does qualitative data help researchers gain new insights?

Answer 47

they can provide unexpected answers and rich detail allowing new insights to be reached -the data is rich in depth and detail

Question 48

is qualitative data easier or harder to analyse due to large number of possible answers?

Answer 48

it is harder -making it difficult to draw comparisons and conclusions between data sets

Question 49

which data is scientifically objective?

Answer 49

quantitative -numerical data can be interpreted using statistical analysis -analysis is free from bias and interpretation, high in objectivity

Question 50

which data is highly subjective?

Answer 50

qualitative data -includes non-numerical data -data cannot be easily compared or categorised -data is open to bias and interpretation, not scientifically objective

Question 51

which data is highly valid?

Answer 51

qualitative data -non numerical data -in depth and insightful data -can capture more descriptive data

Question 52

which interview method allows for the most in depth detail

Answer 52

-unstructured interviews -collects qualitative data which is more valid

Question 53

which type of data gathering is more time and cost effective?

Answer 53

quantitative data are time and cost effective -immediate production of information that is numerical -easily compared quickly

Question 54

which data is more reliable?

Answer 54

quantitative data -based on measured, numerical values -requires minimal interpretation from researchers, so is directly comparable to see consistency of responses.

Question 55

what makes a good questionnaire and interview? (question constructions)

Answer 55

-avoid leading questions -avoid ambiguity -avoid double-barelled questions (two part) -avoid complex phrases or technical terms -not be too long -organise questions in appropriate order

Question 56

give some ways to assess and improve the validity and reliability of ppts answers?

Answer 56

-lie identifiers -distractor/ filler questions -reverse the scoring of likert scales if using several -do a pilot study -try to reduce social desirability when dealing with sensitive topics (use anonymity)