Research Methods PSYA1 Lesson 8

Starter Can you: Give an example of a positive correlation coefficient? Give an example of a negative correlation coefficient?

Learning Objectives: 1) To develop an understanding of qualitative data analysis (content analysis). Success Criteria: 1) Read through page 118-119 about content analysis and make some notes about what it is. 2) Evaluate content analysis.

What is qualitative data? Qualitative data involves people’s meanings, experiences, and descriptions. It is particularly good for researching attitudes, opinions and beliefs. Data is usually verbal or written descriptions. The qualitative approach suggests that information about human events and experiences loses its meaning and value when reduced to numerical form.

Examples of qualitative data Unstructured observations (as data is not in categories) Open questions used in questionnaires or interviews Unstructured interviews Content analysis Case studies Post-experimental interviews

Content Analysis A form of qualitative data analysis. It is a form of indirect observation (not through their behaviour, but through the artefacts they produce). These artefacts could be a magazine, a TV show etc. When carrying out a content analysis the researcher decides on: the sampling method (what material to sample and how frequently to sample it). the behavioural categories (e.g. counting how many times a certain behaviour is conducted (quantitative) or describing each behaviour witnessed (qualitative)).

Content Analysis (step-by-step) Any similar information is grouped together Information is compressed into brief statements (called codes) Statements are compared to see if their are similarities, these are grouped together (called themes) Themes are grouped into categories and conclusions are drawn Content Analysis (step-by-step)

Tasks Give one advantage and one disadvantage of content analysis on page 29 using page 118 of the textbook. EXTENSION: Complete the content analysis task on page 29.

Task: Content Analysis We are going to watch the trailer for “The Revenge Of The Fallen”, your task is to do some content analysis for aggression. All you have to do is look for aggressive acts and note them down and we will then compare our answers.

Observation 1 Let’s recap what you noted down... What problems did you encounter? How can we improve it? So let’s do it again and see if we improve our content analysis.

Observation 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnXzKwUgDhg Was that better than the previous try? How can we check for reliability? What is this check called?

Extension You will be given a copy of two tabloid newspapers reporting one story You should look for: Similarities in codes Themes Categories You should also look for differences You need to draw a conclusion as a group

Quantitative or Qualitative? An experiment in which researchers record participants’ reaction times when presented with different types of stimulus. Solomon Asch describing the reactions of his participants when the confederates gave the wrong answer. Solomon Asch recording how often participants would go along with the confederates. Asking participants to rate their football skills on a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 is very poor and 10 is very good. Asking football fans how they feel when their team wins or loses. Observing stress in teachers by counting how often they raise their voices, complain or act irritably Qualitative Quantitative