Data Analysis and Research Issues
Numbers tell stories, and descriptive statistics help you understand what your data's actually saying. The mean gives you the average, the median shows the middle value, and the mode reveals the most common response. Don't forget about range - it tells you how spread out your data is.
Validity and reliability are absolutely crucial concepts you need to master. Validity asks whether your study actually measures what it claims to measure, while reliability checks if your results are consistent. Inter-rater reliability ensures that different observers would make the same judgements about behaviour they're watching.
Sampling methods can make or break your research. Random sampling gives everyone an equal chance of being selected and reduces bias, but it's time-consuming. Opportunity sampling is quick and cheap but often unrepresentative. Volunteer sampling is ethical since there's no pressure to participate, but certain types of people are more likely to volunteer.
Key insight: Social desirability bias occurs when participants act differently than normal to appear in a positive light - this can seriously affect your results' accuracy.
Watch out for observer bias and experimenter bias - these happen when researchers unconsciously influence what they see or how they conduct studies. Understanding these limitations helps you critically evaluate any psychological research you encounter.