SOCPSY 3Y03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Response Bias, Operational Definition, Descriptive Statistics
3 Feb 2018
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The research method/research strategy should be fit for the subject, the research question, the available resources, the theory or hypothesis being investigated. There"s no systematic approach to data analysis, however, there are systematic approaches to data collection. Variable": a property of a person, object or event, that can vary in quality or quantity. Operational definition": the way a variable is being measured. Construct validity": when a measurement procedure reflects the meaning of the variable accurately. Applied social psychology uses a wide variety of data collection tools. Self-report procedures (surveys, personality scales, aptitude tests, etc. ) A series of questions regarding one"s attitudes, views, or behaviours, used to measure a variable or set of variables. Considerations: question type, wording, sequence, and response formats. Factual: used to collect objective, demographic data (gender, age, education) Attitude: measure feelings, beliefs of views that can"t be easily observed. Behavioural: tap into specific aspects of current/recent behaviour (frequency, timing) Minor differences can create a significant impact.
