Research methods (paper 2)

What is primary data

Information collected directly from an individual and is first hand

Explain content analysis and how it can be used to analyse results

It is an observational study where behaviour is observed indirectly in both written or verbal materials. Researchers have to make decisions about the sampling method and behavioural categories used

How might a researcher assess the reliability of content analysis in a stud

Use inter-observer reliability to see the extent to which there is an agreement between 2 or more observers involved in observations of a behaviour

Explain why data collected from interviews may be more informative than data collected by diary logs

The information will be more in depth because they are descriptive and detailed

Write a qualitative question that can be asked to provide qualitative data

Ask to describe a period of time

Identify a limitation of qualitative data

It is difficult to analyse and conclude the data

Explain how a researcher can obtain informed consent from parents for their children to take part in a study

They need to tell parents in depth exactly what the experiment will entail with any risks and allow them to ask any questions they choose

Identify the type of experiment involving 10 different 2 year olds from different nurseries where they were observed in their nursery environment

Quasi experiment because it is because the IV is is naturally occurring and the DV can be measured

Explain what a pilot study is and how it can improve a study

A pilot study is a small scale test run of the study about to be conducted to test aspects and make improvements. This can improve the accuracy of the large scaled study

Explain how a stratified sample can be chosen from a larger group of kids into a smaller group

A stratified sample is when a researcher splits a larger group down into a smaller group based on similar characteristics

Explain the reason an unrelated t-test was used to analyse raw data from a study

It is best suited to the data collected and data is being compared

Why is a researcher unlikely to make a type I error

A type I error is when a researcher rejects a null hypothesis