Types of Data: Quantitative & Qualitiative Data (AQA GCSE Psychology)
Revision Note
Written by: Claire Neeson
Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson
Quantitative data
Quantitative data is data in the form of numbers for example:
53 out of 125 participants answered 'yes' to this question
89% of participants were slower in condition A
there is a -0.4 correlation coefficient in this study
Quantitative data can be transformed into tables, graphs, charts, percentages, fractions etc.
Quantitative data can be statistically analysed using descriptive statistics (e.g. mean, mode, range)
Research methods that tend to generate quantitative data include:
experiments e.g. scores on a memory test per condition
observations e.g. tally charts that record frequencies of specific behaviours
correlations e.g. a correlation coefficient of +0.7
questionnaires/surveys via the use of closed questions
Evaluation of quantitative data
Strengths
Quantitative data tends to be reliable as it is easy to analyse and compare
The techniques used to collect quantitative data tend to be replicable e.g. the standardised procedure of a lab experiment; the use of a rating scale on a questionnaire
Weaknesses
Quantitative data can show what but not why a result was found i.e. it lacks explanatory power
Quantitative data tends to over-simplify the complex, multi-faceted nature of human behaviour and experience
Qualitative data
Qualitative data is data in the form of words or images, e.g.
thoughts and feelings expressed in a diary or journal
feelings, attitudes/ideas/beliefs discussed in an interview
a painting created to express inner turmoil/conflict/anxiety
a focus group interview on the impact of social media on body image, for example
Qualitative data allows researchers to gain insight into the nature of individual experience and meaning
It can be analysed using content analysis or thematic analysis which can generate both quantitative and qualitative findings respectively
Evaluation of qualitative data
Strengths
Qualitative data is rich and insightful as it draws from personal experience and subjective meaning (i.e. what is real and of relevance to the individual)
Qualitative data is high in validity as it is ‘true’ to what it is measuring i.e. real experience in real settings
Weaknesses
Qualitative data lacks reliability due to its subjective nature e.g. an interview cannot be fully replicated as it relates only to the individual being interviewed and will not show consistency across participants
Qualitative research is extremely time-consuming to analyse and the amount of data generated from just one interview means that some of that data may end up not being used
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Note that the strengths of one type of data are the weaknesses of the other type of data which is one easy way of revising this topic
Worked Example
Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO2.
AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question)
Professor R.E.Call runs an experiment which investigates how many items on a list participants can remember depending on whether they recall the list in silence or when music is playing.
Question: Explain why collecting quantitative data rather than qualitative data may increase the reliability of the data collected by the professor. [2]
Model answer:
Recalling items on a list will generate quantitative data as the results will be measured as to how many items each participant could remember per condition.
Using quantitative data as outlined above increases the reliability of the data collected as these responses can be translated into percentages, graphs etc. for easy comparison across conditions.
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