SOC221H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Content Analysis, Fallacy, Missing Data
Document Summary
Nonreactive measurement begins when a researcher notices something that indicates a variable of interest. The critical thing about this type of research is that people being studied are not aware of it but leave evidence of their social behaviour or actions naturally. A researcher first conceptualizes a construct, then links the construct to nonreactive empirical evidence which is its measure. Because nonreactive measures indicate a construct indirectly, the researcher needs to rule out reasons for the observation other than the construct of interest. Content analysis is a technique for gathering and analyzing the content of text. Content: refers to words, meanings, pictures, symbols, ideas, themes, or any message that can be communicated. Text: anything written, visual, or spoken that serves as a medium for communication. Content analysis is nonreactive because the process of placing words, messages, or symbols in a text to communicate to a reader or receiver occurs without influence from the researcher who analyzes its content.
