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

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)

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