Introduction to Quantitative Research Dr Hester Duffy Why
- Slides: 13
Introduction to Quantitative Research Dr Hester Duffy
Why do research? Early psychologists used Introspection AKA Thinking about things Not really testable Therefore, not reliable
Why do research? Problems Confirmation bias Cherry-picking Moving goalposts Competing theories The solution The Scientific Method
Why do research? The Scientific Method Question Hypothesis Prediction Experiment Analysis Interpretation
Why do research? Falsifiability Null hypothesis “Testing to destruction”
Science uses testable and falsifiable hypotheses Hypothesis: “If a card has a vowel on one side, it has to have an even number on the other side”. 4 A 7 G
What is scientific research? Goes beyond observation and intuition Provides generalizable models Testable, falsifiable hypotheses H 1 H 0 Replicability Usable answers to all our questions!
How do we do research? Quantitative methods Numerical data (“quantities”) Questionnaires and scales (e. g. IQ tests, Myers-Briggs, Positive & Negative Affect Scale) Experimental methods (e. g. response times, economic risk-taking, brain activity) Qualitative methods Lived experience (“quality”) Detailed observation In-depth interviews
Quantitative vs Qualitative Quantitative Qualitative l Numbers l Words l Point of view of researcher l Points of view of participants l Researcher distant l Researcher close l Theory testing l Theory emergent l Static l Process l Structured l Unstructured l Generalisation l Contextual understanding l Hard, reliable data l Rich deep data l Macro l Micro l Behaviour l Meaning l Artificial settings l Natural settings
Practical exercise – Big Heads, Big Brains? Work in groups Measure heads Record Results 1 1 Head size 2 3 4 Measurer 2 3 4 NA NA
Is it Reliable? Do your measures match up? Why might they differ? How can we avoid this?
Is it Valid? Head size = IQ? Phrenology? Children? Some relationship up to age ≈ 6 BUT explained by age Microcephaly? Debunked! Some relationship, but see also Hydrocephalus Overall, no supporting evidence.
Summary Science: A way of finding answers to questions Carefully planned and controlled Falsifiable hypothesis Needs to be RELIABLE and VALID