Week 10 - Qualitative Methods

Question 1

What is qualitative research? What fields of psychology is it often used in?

Answer 1

Uses WORDS as data - concerned with the meaning and experiences of participants

Provides rich, detailed information

Used in: clinical, social, health, developmental, environmental, cognitive, animal behaviour

Question 2

Example methods of qualitative data collection (7)

Answer 2

Interviews
Open questions in questionnaires
Focus groups
Online forums
Diaries
Texts
Story completion

Question 3

Example methods of qualitative data analysis (6)

Answer 3

Thematic Analysis
Grounded Theory
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Discourse Analysis
Conversion Analysis
Action Research

Question 4

What is positivism and deduction?

Answer 4

Positivism - underlies the standard view of science (emphasises scientific principles)

Deduction - top down approach - data tests theories (research questions derived from pre-existing theoretical frameworks

Question 5

What is induction?

Answer 5

‘Bottom-up’ approach - collection of data to develop theory

Question 6

Qualitative Sphere of research: What is the BIG Q, SMALL Q, and BIGGISH Q

Answer 6

BIG Q: the application of qualitative techniques within a qualitative paradigm (reflective, interpretative, immersion in the data)

SMALL Q: the use of qualitative data collection, not necessarily in a qualitative paradigm (techniques qualitative but the philosophy is not)

BIGGISH Q: sits the middle of small Q and big Q (less fluid than big Q but more fluid than small Q)

Question 7

What is grounded theory?

Answer 7

Refers the the process of category identification and integration (method) and its product (results in theory)

As a method: provides guidelines on how to identify categories, make links between categories, establish relationships between categories

Method encourages continuous review of earlier analysis (scrutiny of data)

Question 8

What is interpretative phenomenological analysis?

Answer 8

Small group analysis concerned with LIVED EXPERIENCE

talking about that experience and making sense of that experience

Question 9

What is discourse analysis?

Answer 9

Interpreting what people say to make sense of how a person views their experience/how they’re feeling

Question 10

What is thematic analysis? (Including themes and codes)

Answer 10

Umbrella term to describe a wide range of approaches used for making sense of qualitative data - it is flexible and accessible

At a MINIMUM - describes and organises patterned responses

At a MAXIMUM - interprets aspects of the phenomenon