Content Analysis Qualitative data can be seen as ‘of limited use’ because it is difficult to analyze This is why it is often converted into quantitative data using content analysis

Aims for today Definition Types Content Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses Application

The Definition - Content Analysis The method by which you take qualitative data and analyse it in order to draw conclusions.

How to do it Coding units are identified to analyse the data.eg. acts of violence or gender stereotypes. But each has to have operationalised definitions – e.g. be specific about what is meant by an act of violence etc. A representative sample of qualitative data is first selected – from interviews, or printed material or other media

Types of Content Analysis 1. Frequency Analysis - the number of times certain words come up e.g. number of times that ‘stress’comes up in day-time television Or pick categories e.g. major life events, work place stress etc. and count frequency of occurrence for each category

How can we analyse the data? There are ways you can ‘chunk’ this evidence? For example you can identify themes E.g. Was having difficult relationships a common source of stress? Was feeling overwhelmed by too many things to do at the same time a source of stress?

Types of Content Analysis 2. Concordance Analysis - the number of times certain phrases come up. e.g. “I’m so stressed I can’t cope” “Holy guacamole I’m so stressed out”

Types of Content Analysis 3. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPS) Read transcript several times Identify emergent themes Order and organise themes into clusters Create a table of themes

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPS) “Well! You are welcome, too,’ Dibs exclaimed. “And now I will open the window so fresh air can come in.” (Opens Window) “Come in, air! Come on in and be with us.” (He grinned at me) “Papa doesn’t like me to talk to the air, but in here I will if I feel like it.” In here if you feel like it okay” I remarked. “Papa says people just talk to people. Papa says I ought to talk to him, but I don’t. I listen to him, but I don’t talk to him. No, often I do not answer him. It upsets him very much.” “Good morning” he says to me. I don’t look at him. I don’t answer him. “What is the matter with you” he says “I know you can talk” But I don’t say anything. I don’t look at him. He gets so upset!’ (Dibs laughs) Category - Father’s disapproval Papa says I ought to talk to him Papa says people just talk to people Papa doesn’t like me to talk to the air What is the matter with you

Once you have converted qualitative data into quantitative data You can do a statistical analysis –this makes the data easier to analyse and compare

Evaluation It allows us to explore Individual Differences What is good about doing a content analysis of a conversation rather than just doing a questionnaire or psychometric test? It allows us to explore Individual Differences It allows us to study emotions and motivation It can help establish what caused the behaviour We can study rare behaviours in detail It becomes easier to see patterns in the data, and easier to summarise and present. Statistical analysis can be carried out

Evaluation Why should we not use content analysis? Care is needed to avoid bias in defining coding units, or deciding which bits of information fit particular units. subjective Reliability - how one person views the data may be different from someone else, so consistency could be a problem Validity - the language/data source could be ambiguous and may be misinterpreted. Qualitative data has more detail which is lost when converted into numbers

Application What areas of relationship psychology might use content analysis in its research? Why?

Lonely hearts research Waynforth and Dunbar (1995) Conducted a content analysis of lonely hearts columns to see what males and females look for in a potential mate. Also what they offer. Their findings support the idea of sexual selection and the difference between male and female mating strategies. See page 119 PHG

For Example The study by Laurenceau et al (2005) on the effect of self-disclosure on relationship satisfaction in married couples (P121 PHG) They recruited 100 married couples for a study on relationship satisfaction They asked ppts to keep a daily diary of their self-disclosure to their partner over a 1 month period They used content analysis to analyse the data from the diaries Results showed self-disclosures could be grouped into different themes; sex, previous relationships, family matters, thoughts about the future, and health concerns. Intimacy and satisfaction were related to the degree of perceived self disclosure

Making it work for you (PHG) POINT: one advantage of using content analysis is being able to identify Individual Differences EXPLANATION: This is an advantage because using content analysis allows us to show what each individual feels about an issue which gives us greater insight into the situation we are researching EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE: For example, in the study by Laurenceau et al (2005) on the influence of personal disclosure in relationship satisfaction , they found that self-disclosure was linked to higher levels of intimacy in LT married couples. Such findings increase our confidence in the validity of the theory that self-disclosure leads to more satisfying relationships.

Summary Definition: The method by which you take qualitative data and analyse it in order to draw conclusions. Types of analysis Frequency Concordance IPS Content Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses Application Studies on human relationships – what leads to intimacy? Support for socio-biological theory of sexual selection Easier to see patterns Easier to analyse the data Open to bias Detail lost when qualitative data is Reduced to numbers

Look in your AS & A2 text books P 157 GHG P64-65 PHG P 26-28 Oxford. Read about Content Analysis. Make a list of its strengths and weaknesses Identify the 5 steps involved in designing a content analysis. (Oxford) You may be asked to design a content analysis in your exam this summer. Or you could be asked about thematic analysis

Include the following terms Categorising Quantifying Coding Extension Activity Describe and evaluate the use of content analysis to learn about human relationships Include the following terms Categorising Quantifying Coding Operationalising Inter-rater reliability Thematic analysis Subjectivity