Psychology Study Material: Content Analysis and Focus Groups
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Content Analysis
Part of archival research: An approach for systematically categorizing and analysing the content of the behaviour or its related aspects/variables being studied.
- The analysis may cover contents of live human behaviour, books, journals, magazines, poetry, drama, movies, folktales, TV programs, school textbooks and curricula, advertisements etc.
- Inferences are made, and conclusions are drawn after objective identification of specific characteristics of contents.
- Content analysis is done keeping specific goals, objectives, themes and constructs in mind.
- Example: Content analysis of textbooks with reference to gender equity and equality; analysis of TV programs with reference to portrayal of women.
Focus Groups
- A variety of interviews conducted in a group setting.
- The researcher talks to the participants in order to learn about their opinions, attitudes, preferences, likes/dislikes and tries to find out their reasons/cause.
- Used as a source of data collection in surveys but also used otherwise as well.
Meta-Analysis
- A statistics-based method
- A way of reviewing existing research literature in the same field, about the same phenomena
- The analysis covers the results of several independent experiments within the same field
- Computer aided statistical analysis yields overall conclusions.
Experimental Research
- Experimental method: the use of experimentation for studying a phenomenon.
- Experimental design: the plan/structure/lay out of an experiment.
- Experiment: the variable of interest (independent variable) is manipulated/altered and the effect of this manipulation is studied.
Why Experiments Are Conducted?
- For testing hypotheses
- To test the impact of a treatment or a program on behaviour
- The main feature of experimentation is CONTROL; keeping all those variables and conditions under control, that can have an impact on the findings of the study i.e.. , variables that can interfere with the impact of the independent variable.
Variables
i. Independent Variable
ii. Dependent Variable
iii. Control Variable
- Independent Variable (IV) : The variable whose impact is being studied; that is manipulated … in terms of kind or level
- Dependent Variable (DV) : The measure of behaviour on which the impact of independent variable is being studied
- Control variable (CV) : A potential independent variable that can have an impact upon dependent variable; it has to be controlled
Groups in a Typical Experiment
- Experimental Group: This is treated with the independent variable.
- Control Group, the no-treatment group that is kept under controlled conditions.
Experimental Designs
- Within- Subjects Design
- Between- Subjects Design
Within Subject Design
- The experimental design in which the subjects՚ performance is compared with their own performance i.e.. , only one group of subjects is used.
- Before-After No Control Group Design: Varieties of Before-after no control group designs: ABABA and ABABABBA designs
Between Subjects Experimental Design
The experimental design in which two or more groups of subjects are used and their performance is compared with each other:
- Classical Experimental Design
- After- Only Experimental Design
Problems associated with experimental research:
- Artificiality of behaviour is a possibility
- Subjects may be under stress or pressure
- Time consuming and expensive
- Ethical issues: can we tell all about the nature of experiment to the subjects? ? ?