Summary of Research Methods Used to Study the Influence of Globalisation on Behaviour (DP IB Psychology)

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Research Methods Used to Study the Influence of Globalisation on Behaviour

Note: you may be asked a Sociocultural Approach HL Extension question on the methods used to study the effect of globalisation on behaviour. What follows is a summary of the methods used in Key Studies which feature on the RNs on this site.

1. Meta-analyses

  • A meta-analysis was used in Bhugra & Mastrogianni (2004) comprising over 91 studies from the 1980s through to the 2000s on the ways in which globalisation may negatively impact mental health and contribute to depression and the ways in which depression is treated

  • A meta-analysis can only be conducted on studies that generate quantitative data as the procedure involves a statistical analysis of the numericals findings of the research included

  • Researchers combine the findings from multiple studies to draw an overall conclusion about the topic in question e.g. the impact of globalisation on depression

Strengths of Meta-analyses

  • Meta-analyses enable researchers to find a large sample as they combine the samples of several studies, often generating numbers into the thousands which increases the robustness of the data

  • There is less chance of researcher bias as a meta-analysis uses secondary data which other researchers have collected so the researcher running the meta-analysis cannot have influenced the procedure in any way

  • This method gives an objective overview of the topic, allowing the researcher to look for patterns, tendencies and trends in the data

Weaknesses of Meta-analyses

  • Secondary data may be less reliable than primary data as the researchers have had no control over the ways in which the data was collected, particularly in how the independent and dependent variables were operationalised

  • The process of finding relevant research can be  time-consuming and it may ultimately not produce a good enough number of useful studies, particularly if the topic is obscure

  • The researchers must be confident that they are able to use the complex statistical techniques involved in the process

2. Questionnaires

  • A questionnaire was used in Lyons-Padilla et al. (2004) in which a rating scale measured aspects of acculturation such as assimilation, separation, integration, marginalisation, discrimination and how participants felt about radical Islamic groups

  • A questionnaire generates quantitative data (via the use of yes/no and fixed choice questions) which means that it is conducive to statistical analysis 

  • A questionnaire may ask participants to offer up their attitudes, opinions, feelings, viewpoints etc. on the topic being investigated e.g. how they feel about the culture into which they have immigrated

  • Questionnaires tend to use closed questions e.g. yes/no but they can also incorporate open questions e.g. asking how someone feels about a particular topic and giving them freedom to respond in any way they choose (this generates qualitative data)

research-methods-used-to-study-the-influence-of-globalisation-on-behaviour-for-ib-psychology

Questionnaires can be easily replicated in high numbers.

Strengths of Questionnaires

  • The quantitative results of a questionnaire are easy to analyse, compare and present statistically

  • Questionnaires use standardised questions which means that they are replicable which should increase their reliability (particularly if a large sample size is involved)

  • A questionnaire generates primary data which means that the researcher has control over its design which should give them confidence as to the internal validity of the method i.e. is the questionnaire measuring what it sets out to measure?

  • Adding open questions to the questionnaire means that some degree of explanation is possible (increasing validity) as participants are free to answer in any way they choose

Weaknesses of Questionnaires

  • Questionnaires cannot, usually, provide explanations for the behaviours measured as they tend to rely almost exclusively on closed questions

  • Participants may succumb to social desirability bias i.e. presenting themselves in the best possible light when responding to questions which would invalidate the data collected

  • Participants may also succumb to response bias i.e. answering questions according to how they think the researchers expect them to respond which would also invalidate the data collected

  • Any open questions on the questionnaire are difficult to measure as they require thematic analysis which cannot be combined with statistical analysis which begs the question as to whether to include open questions at all, particularly if the majority of the questions are closed

Examiner Tip

When you are evaluating any theory or research study make sure that you explain why something is a strength or a weakness of that theory/study. Simply stating that ‘X is a strength/weakness’ does not go far enough to earn you high marks in an exam.

Worked Example

EXTENDED RESPONSE QUESTION (ERQ)

22 MARKS

The question is, ‘Discuss methods used to investigate the effects of globalisation on individual behaviour’. [22]

This question is asking you to focus on the research methods used in research which has explored the effects of globalisation on individuals so it is paramount that the methodology should be at the forefront of your discussion. Here are some exemplar paragraphs for you to consider:

Lyons-Padilla et al. (2015) investigated the ways in which globalisation can be responsible for the marginalisation of displaced individuals and the link that this may have with radicalisation. They used a questionnaire, asking Muslim Americans about their attitudes and beliefs in light of their experience of acculturation, the results of which suggested that marginalisation may be a predictor to the adoption of extremist views. The use of questionnaires meant that they were able to standardise questions across the sample so as to avoid bias and to generate quantitative data which is easy to analyse. They tried to control for social desirability by wording the questions hypothetically rather than directly, especially when asking about possible membership of radical organisations.

One weakness of using questionnaires in research is that may lack internal validity due to the social desirability bias that involves participants exaggerating their own positive qualities in order to boost their self-esteem. Researchers could aim to avoid this from invalidating their questionnaire by reverse-scoring some questions to check for consistency across the questionnaire. Researchers could also word questions in such a way as to steer the participant away from any self-esteem-related responses, though this is not an easy task given that most human beings aim to reinforce a strong sense of positive self, even if they are not aware that this is what they are doing.

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