Quantitative Research @ Psycho Didi Doueartitative research is an inquiry into an identified problem, based (on testing @ theory, measured with numbers, and analyzed using statistical techniques. The goal of quantitative methods is to determine whether the predictive generalizations of a theory hold true. The selection of which research approach is appropriate in a given ‘study should be based upon the problem of interest, resources ‘available, the skills and training of the researcher, and the audience for ip the research ‘The process of measurement is central to quantitative research, Quantitative research requires that the variables under consideration car be measured. It provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of | quantitative relationships. 'D In simple terms, in measurement, the researcher assigns numerals to objects, events or properties according to certain rules.Quantitative Research CCharacterintcn ofthe Three Research Designs et “Fas, Mdvamtages EDA a snapshot of thecurrent tate of gente: Allows the levelopment of questions for further sty. ‘wel tiows testing of expected -ossTeatonships between and Toon eriblas ool areshog Shdamorggtvo ormore of pretora Can aseas hese ‘rues ‘eonships i everyay Me ‘yf fo Suess the causal ~, IES" pect af ons ot mare” Alows drawing of conclusions Experi ‘tout the cou relationships traong vraies Seats eee covets? Toassessthe — & Correlational Teationships betwedn No W of @ Psycho Didi expan cri Oo oO Disadvantages hte roe ned tmretieal if perticpenta do fot know they arebeing cheered Cannot be used todraw Peep chev inferences about the easal( > (prrat * relationships between and ©?" among the variables Saieesiertie BanaDescriptive Research - Descriptive research seeks to describe the current status of an identified variable. ®D These research projects are designed to provide systematic information about a phenomenon. The researcher does not usually begin with an hypothesis, but is likely to develop one after collecting data The analysis and synthesis of the data provide the test of the hypothesis. Systematic collection of information requires careful selection of the units studied and careful measurement of each variable Examples of Descriptive Research +A description of how second-grade students spend their time uring summer vacation + A description of the tobacco use habits of teenagers + A description of how parents feel about the twelve month school, year +A description of the attitudes of scientists regarding global warming englaratir Observation: @ Psycho DidiCorrelational Research BD correlational research is a type of non-experimental research in which the researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical relationship (i.e., the correlation) between them with little or no effort to control extraneous variables. For Instance, the variablos of height and weight are systematically related (correla because taller people generally weigh more than shorter people, When there are two variables in the research design, one of them is called the predictor variable and the other the outcome variable. The strength of a correlation between quantitative variables is typically measured using a statistic called Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (or Pearson's). “ Pearson's r ranges from =1.00 (the strongest possible negative relationship) to #1,00 (the strangest possible positive relationship}. {A value of O means there is no relationship oetween the two variables. When Pearson's ris 0, the points on a scatterplot form a shapeless "cloud." As its value Moves toward -1.00 or +1.00, the points come closer and closer to falling on a single straight tine Correlation coefficients neari.10 are considered small, values near * .30 are considered medium, and values near@50 are considered large. @ Psycho DidiExperimental Research The goal of experimental research design is to provide more definitive conclusions about the causal relationships among the variables in the research hypothesis than is available from correlational designs In. an experimental research design, the variables of interest are called the independent variable (or variables) and the dependent variable. The independent variable in an experiment is the causing variable that is created (manipulated) by the experimenter. The dependent variable in an experiment is a measured variable that is expected to be influenced by the experimental manipulation, The research hypothesis suggests that the manipulated independent variable or variables will cause changes in the measured dependent variables a | @ Psycho DidiQuasi-Experimental Research BD The profix quasi means “resembling.” Thus quasi-experimental research is research that resembles experimental research but is not true experimental D research, Although the independent variable is manipulated, participants are not randomly assigned to conditions or orders of conditions (Cook & Campbell, O78 Because the independent variable is manipulated before the dependent ‘®D variable is measured, quasi experimental research eliminates the directionality problem. But because participants are not randomly assigned—making it likely that there are other differences between conditions-quasi-experimental research does not eliminate the problem of confounding variables. In terms of internal vatidity, therefore, quasi-experiments are generally somewhere between correlational studies and true experiments. Quasi-experiments are most likely to be conducted in field settings in which random assignment is difficult or impossible. They are often conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment—-perhaps a type of psychotherapy or an educational intervention @ Psycho DidiType of Order Effect [Derecie fects f © taique eects (Boredom Effects ley Reerryoveretects Effects and Offsets @ Psycho Didi Definition How to Preventit Participants may become better at a certain task 5 Give each participant some time they become more familar with the testing Ito warm up with the task Participants may perform worse near the end of an ake a task shorter and/or less ‘experiment becaute they\ve become fatigue from intense to perform. performing some task over and over again. Participants may perform worse near the end of an. Make a task shorter or add more. ‘experiment simply because they get bored Ifa tasks variation to prevent boredom lovely repetitive or long, ‘Add more time in between tasks 50 participants aren’ influenced by their previous tel Participants may respond to treatments differently ‘depending onthe treatment thay were expaced to iprevicusy. Statology.o2 2 Qualitative Research @ Psycho Didi er fploratrry Qualitative research can be defined as a type of scientific research that tries to bridge the gap of incomplete information, systematically collects evidence, produces findings and thereby seeks answer to a problem or ‘question. +tis Widely used in collecting and understanding specific Information about the behaviour, opinion, values and other social aspects of a particular community, culture or Population. ‘An example of a qualitative research can be studying the concepts of spiritual development amongst college students. Cs USAT ‘YOUR FEELINGS AND INTUITIONS GUIDED Py7 Approaches to Qualitative Research There are certain approaches to qualitative research, D1. case stuay; Helps in providing an in depth knowledge of the “nature, process or phenomena of a specific case under study, Multiple methods of data collection are often used in case study research (example, interviews, observation, documents, and qliestionnaires). ‘® >. Ethnography: This approach mainly focuses on a particular community. It is more of a kind of closefield observation and “wows basically tries to study a socio cultural phenomena. Museu Ethnography can be used for comparative analysis of cultural ~ groups (e.g. eating habits of North Indians and South Indians), also known ‘Ethnology’. Further it can also be used to analyse the cultural past of group of people (e.g Harappan civilisation), also known as ‘Ethnohistory’ @ Psycho DidiApproaches to Qualitative Research Ds. Historical method: This method helps in understanding and analysing causal relationships. Data related to the occurrence of an event is collected and evaluated in order to understand the reasons behind occurrence of such events. It helps in testing hypothesis concerning cause, effects and zp trends of events that may helo to explain present events and anticipate future events as well. D4. Grounded theory; This_approach—involves~an—active -participation-of the researcher inthe activities Of the group, ‘eulture oF the community uncer study: ‘The data regarding the required information is collected with the help of observation. It is generally used in generating or developing theories. This means that the ground theorists can not only work upon generation of new theories, they can test or elaborate 2 @ Psycho DidiApproaches to Qualitative Research @ Psycho Didi 5. Phenomenology: in this method, behavioural phenomena are ®D explained with the help of conscious experience of events, without using any theory, calculations or assumptions from other disciplines The concept can be best understood with the help of one of the studies that was done in which patients were asked to describe about caring and uncaring nurses in hospitals Creswell, 1998. The patients explained those nurses to be caring who show their existential presence and not mere their physical presence. The existential presence of caring nurses referred to the positive response showed by them to the patient's request. The relaxation, comfort and security that the client expresses both physically and mentally are an immediate and direct result of the client's stated and unstated needs being heard and responded to by the nurse,Approaches to Qualitative Research @ Psycho Didi 3, Focus GROUPS > 6-10 people — nnd) Ad In this method of qualitative research, certain questions or issues are discussed by a group of participants Focus groups can be structured or unstructured and the group could be heterogeneous or homogeneous in nature. It may involve experts (referred to as Delphi group) who discuss certain important issues (for instance, health educators could discuss about certain health related issues of a certain community) or could be individuals from certain community/ area discussing about certain 2D issue (like women empowerment). The size of the group will depend on the objective(s} of the research (though an ideal size would be twelve and for Delphi groups it could be around four participants) and the participants may ‘or may not know each other. The main advantages of this method is that a lot of information is gathered. Though, there are disadvantages as well, as there could issues related to encouraging the participants to contribute equally and actively. 'D There is also the problem of social desirability on part of the participants that can impact the ‘outcome of the study.wu_p Approaches to Qualitative Research @ Psycho Didi 7, ACTION RESEARCH D Action research is "learning by doing” - a group of people identify a problem, do something to resolve it, see how successful their efforts were, and if not satisfied, try again. While this is the essence of the approach, there are other key attributes of action research that differentiate it from common problem-solving activities that we all engage in every day. What separates this type of research from general professional practices, consulting, or daily problem-solving is the emphasis on scientific study, which is to say the researcher studies the problem systematically and ensures the intervention is informed by theoretical considerations Much of the researcher's time is spent on refining the methodological tools to suit the exigencies of the situation, and on collecting, analyzing, and presenting data on an ongoing, cyclical basis. Action research became popular in the 1940s. Kurt Lewin (1946) was influential in spreading action research. He came interested in helping social workers improve their practice Participatory action research (PAR) is a special kind of action research in which there is collaboration between the study participants and the researcher in all steps of the study.Approaches to Qualitative Research @ Psycho Didi @ 8. NARRATIVE RESEARCH Narrative research aims to explore and conceptualize human experience as it is represented in textual form, Aiming for an in-depth exploration of the meanings people assign to their experiences, narrative researchers work with small samples of participants to obtain rich and free-ranging discourse. The emphasis is on storied experience. Generally, this takes the form of interviewing people around the topic of interest, but it might also involve the analysis of written documents. Narrative psychology is concerned with the structure, content, and function of the stories ‘that we tell each other and ourselves in social interaction. It accepts that we live in a storied world and that we interpret the actions of others and ourselves through the stories we exchange. Through narratives we not only shape the world and ourselves but they are sheped for us through narrative People who have undergone some sort of trauma provide instances of how they often try to make sense of the events that they are going through by creating stories or narratives A narrative is essentially a written or spoken account of connected events with an underlying time dimension,Question 1 @ Psycho didi Arrange the following steps of action research in the correct order. a) act® b) observe c) plan d) reflect 1. bea-c-d v2c a-b-d 3.a-b>c+d 4.a-c>+b~ dQuestion 2 @ Psycho didi Which of the following is not a considered a component of Focus groups? & Interviews B. Moderator C. Social desirability D. unstructuredQuestion 3 @ Peycho didi In an experiment, the independent variable is A) changed by the subjects. B) confounded by other variables. ‘B) manipulated by the researcher. D) created by other researchers.Question 4 @ Psycho didi Which of the following methods allow us to calculate the probability of people in the sample to be included in the population? A. Quota sampling < B. Judgmental sampling Xs _&/Systematic sampling “D.Stratified sampling 1.A,bandc 2.B,candd 3.AandC A.C and DQuestion 5 @ Psycho Didi Kishore wants to do a research on college students’ attitude towards reading. So he goes to the library and selects sample of 45 males and 45 females from whoever is present in the library. This is an example of A Quota sampling B. Self-selecting sample C. Purposive sampling D. Haphazard sample