Research Methods - Descpirive Stats/data

Question 1

What is nominal data?

Answer 1

When data is put into categories.
Eg. How many boys? How many girls?

Question 2

List 2 strengths of nominal data:

Answer 2

• easy to generate data
• quick to draw main conclusions at glance

Question 3

List 2 weaknesses of nominal data:

Answer 3

• unable to measure a degree of response from PP’s (intensity)
• non linear scale, can’t use all forms of central tendency

Question 4

What is ordinal data?

Answer 4

Used when data can be put into order/ranking
Eg. Rate attractiveness: 1st, 2nd, 3rd

Question 5

List 2 strengths of ordinal data:

Answer 5

• easy to generate data from likart scales
• can use median and mode as measures of central tendency

Question 6

List 2 weakness of ordinary data:

Answer 6

• units of measurements are not equal, so can’t tell us the gaps between.
• opinions are biased and subjective

Question 7

What is interval data?

Answer 7

When there is an equal gap between each unit of measurement.
Eg. cm on a ruler

Question 8

List 4 strengths of interval data:

Answer 8

• direct comparisons, as points are equal scale
• easy to generate from closed questions
• can use all measures of central tendency to assess
• scientific/precise - reliable

Question 9

What Is primary data?

Answer 9

• when researchers are working directly with PP’s
• witnessing an event or carrying out an experiment
• directly from the source

Question 10

Strength of primary data:

Answer 10

• researcher gets exactly the info they need, conducting it how they want it.

Question 11

Weakness of primary data:

Answer 11

• can be time consuming
• can be resource intensive

Question 12

What is secondary data?

Answer 12

• when researchers obtain the data second hand
• through analysing pre-existing data
• using statistics or existing research to develop our own theories

Question 13

Strength of secondary data:

Answer 13

• time and efforts that would’ve been needed is reduced
• cost effective

Question 14

Weakness of secondary data:

Answer 14

• researcher has no control over research
• quality may be compromised
• may not find exactly what they want

Question 15

Top tips for drawing graphs:

Answer 15

• give a fully operational title
• label axis with units/segments for pie chart

Question 16

Interpreting graphs - findings are…

Answer 16

… what the researcher actually found.

Question 17

If asked to suggest 2 findings… include:

Answer 17

• the lowest and highest scores
• measures of central tendency/dispersion between conditions
• any anomalies/ouliers

Question 18

Conclusions are…

Answer 18

… what the results suggest.

‘THIS SUGGESTS…’

Question 19

What are the measures of central tendency?

Answer 19

Mean, mode, median

Question 20

Explain how to calculate the mean.

Answer 20

All the values in the data set are added together and divided by the number of values.

Question 21

Explain how to calculate the median.

Answer 21

Data is order numerically, and the middle value is selected.

Question 22

Explain how to calculate the mode.

Answer 22

The most frequently occurring value in the data set.

Question 23

What are the measures of dispersion

Answer 23

Range, variance, standard deviation

Question 24

Strength of range:

Answer 24

• easy to calculate
• takes extreme scores into account

Question 25

What is variance?

Answer 25

Tells us about the spread of scores around the mean - small variance = scores are similar + close to the mean - large variance = scores are larger distance from the mean

Question 26

Weakness of using range:

Answer 26

- most data is ignored - doesn’t reveal the full extend of the distribution - extreme scores can distort range

Question 27

Strength of variance:

Answer 27

- every score taken into account - not distorted by range/extreme values

Question 28

Weakness of variance:

Answer 28

- produced a squared number, not the same units as mean.

Question 29

What is standard deviation?

Answer 29

Tells the average distance from the mean fo the data point. Tells how spread out the scores are around the mean.

Question 30

Strengths of standard deviation:

Answer 30

- uses every data point, representative - final value is the same units as mean - easy to make direct judgment

Question 31

Learn the equation for standard deviation.

Answer 31

Please x

Question 32

Summary of how to work out standard deviation:

Answer 32

1. find mean 2. minus mean from numbers 3. Square numbers 4. Add together 5. Divide by (n-1) 6. Square root