Methodology

Surveys - gather data from many people about a topic

Questionnaires - list of questions asked by post, Internet of face to face

Interviews - Asking questions face to face

Qualitative data - words and descriptions that are analysed through themes and patterns

Advantages: more detailed so more in depth analysis

more valid as participants can say what they really think

Disadvantages: difficult to analyse and can be subjective if interpretation by researcher

takes longer as it is more details

Quantitative data - numbers that are analysed through statistics and figures

Advantages: easier to analyse

has good controls as has set answers so can be replicated and tested for reliability

Disadvantages : less valid as has specific response

social desirability - participants may not always be able to answer truthfully

Interviews:

Unstructured - not set -flexible

Semi Structured - partly set

Structured - set questions

Open questions - not restricted answers - produces qualitative data

Closed questions - restrcited eg. tick box - produces quanititative data

Alternative - an affect/ difference

Null - no effect/difference except due to chance

Demand Characterisics - guessing the purpose of the study

Social Desirability - say what you think you should say

Response Bias - Agreeing or disagreeing all the time

Questionnaires

- Valid as no bias response from presence of researcher

- Cheaper and large scale

- Less valid - can't expand on answers or ask extra questions

Interviews

- Can explain questions and add detail with more questions

- More valid - more in depth and detailed

- Expensive and small scale - less data so less reliable

- Difficult to analyse as researcher may interpret results so not objective

Random

- Not bias - everyone had an equal chance of ebing chosen to participate

- Bias - can't ensure all target population is available in the sample

Startified

- Representation form each group

- Difficult to decide how many from each group has generalisability

Volunteer

- More ethical - participants come to study themselves

- Takes a long time to gather all participants

Opportunity

- Quicker and more efficient

- Participants available so volunteer so bias

Competence - researcher qualified or supervised

Right to withdraw - can withdraw from study at any time and data not used

Informed Consent - agree to participate and know the purpose and what will happen in the study

Deception - participants fully informed and not lied to about study

Debrief - information about study and purpose explained after study take place