Qualitative and quantitative research methods
Research methods in Psychology can be classified into a number of different
categories.
The simplest way is to classify them as either qualitative research or quantitative
research methods.
Qualitative research involves data that is not measured in numbers. It deals with
emotions and feelings. An example of qualitative research would be a Psychologist
monitoring the behaviour of a patient who is receiving treatment with drugs and
recording his findings on tape. Another example would be conducting an interview
and keeping a record of the responses.
Quantitative research deals with numerical data where something is being
measured. An example of quantitative research would be a Psychologist recording
how many correct and incorrect answers someone gave in a task. Another example
would be measuring the time participants take to carry out a specific task.
It is possible to change the data collected in qualitative research into quantitative
data e.g. by grading the answers or analysing the contents (e.g. noting how often
positive words appear in the responses of a participant). This would be done
through the means of a Likert Scale where a value is given to the strength of feeling
in a response.
Qualitative and quantitative research methods
Research methods in Psychology can be classified into a number of different
categories.
The simplest way is to classify them as either qualitative research or quantitative
research methods.
Qualitative research involves data that is not measured in numbers. It deals with
emotions and feelings.An example of qualitative research would be a Psychologist
monitoring the behaviour of a patient who is receiving treatment with drugs and
recording his findings on tape. Another example would be conducting an interview
and keeping a record of the responses.
Quantitative research deals with numerical data where something is being
measured. An example of quantitative research would be a Psychologist recording
how many correct and incorrect answers someone gave in a task. Another example
would be measuring the time participants take to carry out a specific task.
Note: It is possible to change the data collected in qualitative research into
quantitative data e.g. by grading the answers or analysing the contents (e.g. noting
how often positive words appear in the responses of a participant). This would be
done through the means of a Likert Scale where a value is given to the strength of
feeling in a response.