Types of Data
Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 7.3.1
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Researchers need to gather data. The type of data gathered depends on the methodology used. Two main types of data are quantitative and qualitative data.
Quantitative vs qualitative
- Quantitative data involves numbers, for example scores on a memory or IQ test or the number of times something is observed during an observation.
- Qualitative data is non-numerical, which usually means that it involves answers or descriptions written in words such as a description of behaviour or a verbal answer from an interview.
Experimental data
- Experiments tend to gather quantitative data. This makes it possible to calculate descriptive statistics when analysing results.
Non-experimental data
- Non-experimental methods could gather either quantitative or qualitative data, depending on the precise methodology used.
- In self-report methods, open questions gather qualitative data, while closed questions provide quantitative data.
Combination of data
- Some research studies gather both quantitative and qualitative data, for example by running an experiment and then interviewing the participants.
- Qualitative data can be converted into quantitative data by categorising written answers into different types, and then calculating the percentage of each type.
Primary and Secondary Data
Experiments and other research methods involve gathering primary data, but psychology researchers also make use of secondary data (i.e. data taken from existing sources).
Primary data
- Methods such as observation, experiments and self-report are all ways of gathering primary data. This means that the researcher is obtaining data that did not previously exist.
Secondary data
- Some researchers also gather secondary data - data obtained from existing sources.
- For example, they may analyse government statistics, school exam results, and other public sets of data.
- Another form of secondary data is the use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Systematic reviews
- A systematic review is where a psychologist reviews studies that have already been done, drawing conclusions on the basis of multiple studies and identifying gaps in the research literature.
Meta-analysis
- A meta-analysis is where the researcher calculates an overall finding on the basis of multiple previous studies.
- This is usually a more reliable result than the finding of a single study.
Test yourself on Types of Data
Which is NOT a type of data collected by researchers in psychology?
What is a psychological experiment an example of?
Which is NOT an example that would produce primary data?
Which is NOT an example of secondary data?