lecture 1 - quantitative research intro

Question 1

what are the characteristics of quantitative data?

Answer 1

• numbers, explanation
• purposive sampling
• physical sciences, hard, objective
• inquiry from inside
• cause +effect relationships
• theory/explanation testing and development

Question 2

what are statistics (why are they used)?

Answer 2

• Testing a hypothesis
• Development of statistical models to explain observable phenomena
• Nomothetic (generalisability): relating to study or discovery of general scientific laws

Question 3

what are statistics (definition)?

Answer 3

science that involves collecting, summarising, analysing, and interpreting data

Question 4

what is a single statistic?

Answer 4

single number summarising a variable of interest

Question 5

why do we do statistics?

Answer 5

• Test a hypothesis
• Do the results matter?
• Are the results real?
• Without the objective look at data, all we have is opinion

Question 6

what are the types of research qs?

Answer 6

• descriptive
• comparative
• causal/relationship

Question 7

what are descriptive research qs?

Answer 7

o Wanting to understand a situation, facts
o Describe your study participants
o When you want to describe what is going on or what exists
o E.g. how many tennis coaches in the UK

Question 8

what are comparative?

Answer 8

o Two or more things are compared with the aim of finding something about one or all of them

Question 9

what are causal/relationship research questions?

Answer 9

o Relationship or causal associations between variables
o Understand nature of relationships between variables
o Traditionally used when thinking about interventions

Question 10

what does quantitative research focus on?

Answer 10

collection and application of statistics

Question 11

what is the research process?

Answer 11

• Specify
• Design
• Collect
• Visualise
• Build
• Analyse
• Report

Question 12

what is the specify part of the research process?

Answer 12

Specify clearly a question of interest

Question 13

what is the design part of the research process?

Answer 13

• How to collect data, what are you collected, what is the study going to be like?
• Design a suitable means of gathering data

Question 14

what is the collect part of the research process?

Answer 14

o Collect data in unambiguous and organised manner

Question 15

what is the visualise part of the research process?

Answer 15

o Helping to understand/clean up data
o Visualise data in an appropriate form

Question 16

what is the build part of the research process?

Answer 16

o Build statistical model

Question 17

what is the analyse part of the research process?

Answer 17

o Analyse data using model

Question 18

what is the report part of the research process?

Answer 18

o Report, in simple English, the answers, and use graphs where appropriate to ease interpretation

Question 19

what is data?

Answer 19

collection of facts or information

Question 20

what is a variable of interest?

Answer 20

what is being observed or measured? a characteristic associated with a group being studied

Question 21

what is an explanatory/independent variable?

Answer 21

What you are manipulating or what you think is associated with outcome

Question 22

what is the response or dependent variable?

Answer 22

Outcome variable - what you are measuring

Question 23

what are the data types?

Answer 23

qualitative (non numerical)
quantitative (numerical)

Question 24

what are the types of qualitative data?

Answer 24

categorical (nominal)
ordered categorical (ordinal)

Question 25

what is categorical data (nominal)?

Answer 25

Named categories (non-numeric), no order e.g. favourite running shoe brand

Question 26

what is ordered categorical data (ordinal)?

Answer 26

Numbered/named categories, natural order e.g. rate of perceived exertion

Question 27

what are the quantitative data types?

Answer 27

- discrete (interval) - continuous (ratio)

Question 28

what is discrete (interval) data?

Answer 28

Integer values (whole numbers), does not have to start at zero e.g. time of day

Question 29

what is continuous (ratio) data?

Answer 29

Variables can take any value and start at zero e.g. weight, height, BMI

Question 30

why does data type matter?

Answer 30

o Research question  Helps you to decide what your research question is o Visualisation  Helps you to visualise your data o Statistical analytic method  Statistical method used

Question 31

what is the null hypothesis (H0)?

Answer 31

 Default position, no relationship, no difference  E.g. there will be no difference

Question 32

what is the alternative hypothesis (H1 or Ha)?

Answer 32

 Relationship  Difference  There will be a difference

Question 33

what is involved in hypothesis testing?

Answer 33

- experimental data - statistical decisions - precise criteria for rejecting a null hypothesis

Question 34

what is a population?

Answer 34

a total set of observations that can be made - cannot measure everyone in the population

Question 35

what is a sample? give examples of samples?

Answer 35

o Take a sample because we can’t measure the whole population o A selected subgroup of a population

Question 36

what are the types of sample?

Answer 36

simple random stratified random convenience sample

Question 37

what is a simple random sample?

Answer 37

Random selection

Question 38

what is a stratified random sample?

Answer 38

Different subpopulations and take sample from each

Question 39

what is a convenience sample?

Answer 39

Take whatever you can get your hands on (first come first serve)

Question 40

what is a parameter?

Answer 40

o A single number that summarises a variable of interest o E.g. fastest time, number 1 ranked

Question 41

what is reliability?

Answer 41

o Stability (test-retest) – same experimenter measuring same participants twice, want to find now significant difference o Inter-observer consistency – 2 different experimenters measuring same thing

Question 42

what is internal validity?

Answer 42

Problems due to manipulation or other causes (variables)? Are there confounding variables e.g. did participants drink night before?

Question 43

what is external validity?

Answer 43

o Generalisability to a wider population? o Comparability with other literature