Deck 5: D: Qualitative Research: Getting Into the Mind of a Serial Killer

Question 1

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?

Answer 1

Qualitative research is a generic term representing a variety of methodologies that focus on obtaining an in-depth account of participants' perspectives of their own world and their experiences of events.Quantitative research is a generic term for methods that seek to objectively examine associations between variables,predict outcomes,and make comparisons.Generally speaking,qualitative research examines participants' responses from a subjective standpoint aiming to further understand their unique perspective.Quantitative research,on the other hand,is a much more objective approach to research that allows for generalizations to be made between the sample and the population.

Question 2

List an advantage that interviews have over surveys.

Answer 2

An interview is a data collection technique that can mimic a conversation in which the researcher elicits self-report data directly from the participant.A survey is generally much shorter than an interview and often takes place in a written format.Because it is shorter and less personal,a survey may not provide the same wealth of knowledge to the researcher as an interview does.For instance,interviews are often conducted in person,which allows the participant to provide both verbal and nonverbal information.Further,interviews can be more flexible,allowing for follow-up questions on topics of interest.

Question 3

Aram is interested in understanding naming trends in the United States.As part of his investigation he studies birth records from around the nation.He wants to focus on the origin of certain names.From his research,he generates categories and establishes themes with regard to who is likely to choose novel or unique names as compared with more traditional,family names.Which type of technique is Aram using?

Answer 3

Aram is using the grounded theory technique.Grounded theory technique is an approach in which the researcher does not have any explicit theories or hypotheses to test prior to the research.Rather,the researcher uses information from participants to generate the categories and build a theory.In Aram's case,he uses information from birth records to generate categories.From this he build theories about naming trends in the United States,including who is likely to choose a novel name as compared with a more traditional name.

Question 4

How does a holistic analysis benefit qualitative researchers?

Question 5

Juana is interested in examining whether males or females are more avid readers.What archival data can you use to examine the differential reading habits between the sexes?

Question 6

If McKenzie was conducting a content analysis on the contents of Better Homes and Gardens magazine,what would her results likely reveal?

Question 7

What is nonresponse bias and how does it affect research results?

Question 8

Compare and contrast top-down and bottom-up approaches to research.

Question 9

Qualitative research generally involves a smaller sample size than quantitative data.Why is this the case?

Question 10

How can researchers use reflexivity to minimize interviewer bias?

Question 11

Why might some scientists argue that mixed methods research is the "best of both worlds"?

Question 12

What is triangulation?

Question 13

Why do qualitative researchers start their interviews and focus groups with warm-up questions?

Question 14

What are characteristics of a good interviewer?

Question 15

List both subtle and blatant ways that the interviewer may bias an interview.