types of data

• Types of data:

  • Qualitative
  • quantitative
  • Primary
  • Secondary (Including meta-analysis)
• qualitative data

  • Non-numerical data expressed in words
  • Strength = richness of detail
  • More meaningful => greater external validity
  • Limitation = difficult to analyse
  • Harder to identify patterns and make comparisons - leads to subjective interpretation and researcher bias
• Quantitative data

  • Numerical data
  • Strength = easier to analyse
  • comparisons between groups can easily be made
  • Limitation = narrower in meaning
  • Expresses less detail => lower external validity (as may be less like ‘real life’)
• primary data

  •  'first-hand' data collected for the purpose of the investigation
  • Strength = fits the job
  • Study designed to extract only the data needed - information is directly relevant to research aims
  • Limitation = requires time and effort and expense
  • Secondary data can be accessed within minutes
• secondary data

  • collected by someone other than the person who is conducting the research (eg work of other psychologists or government statistics)
  • Strength = inexpensive
  • Desired information already exists => minimal effort is required making it inexpensive
  • limitation = quality may be poor
  • Information may be outdated or incomplete - challenges the validity of any conclusions
• meta-analysis

  •  type of secondary data that involves combining data from a large number of studies (calculation of effect size)
  • Strength = increases the validity of conclusions
  • The eventual sample size is much larger than individual samples => increases the extent to which generalisations can be made
  • Limitation = publication bias
  • Researchers may not select all relevant studies, leaving out negative or non-significant results => conclusions may lack validity