This is because it gives the analysis a more statistical power. In a qualitative research there don't need to be a large number of people, a small group or even a single participant can give good results. Another difference is that qualitative researches are more subjective than quantitative researches, small groups of people are asked a number of questions and the researcher explores and probes into these questions. Quantitative research studies test theory while qualitative researches develop theory. Qualitative research generates rich, detailed and valid data that contribute to in depth understanding of the context, quantitative researches generate reliable population based and generalised data.
Theories in Natural science are constructed to explain, predict, and master phenomena. They must be empirically testable or lead to retro dictions that are testable. This is extensively know as the scientific method. The scientific method is one reason is that we put our confidence in scientists. To yield and to develop their theories and conclusions.
Therefore, in a true experiment subjects are randomly assigned to the levels of the independent variable. The only differences in the groups would be due to chance. Giacomoni (December 2000) said true experimental designs compare people who have received an intervention ("treatment group") to an equivalent group who did not receive the intervention ("control group"). The treatment or control groups are randomly assigned to subjects; so therefore, random assignment is the hallmark of the true experimental designs. The randomized trial in many circles is the “gold standard” of quantitative research, reflecting its degree of methodological rigor.
There are level of statistical methods, however, that break-down such data even further with specific formulas and intends behind them—one of them being an even easier way summarize the research in order to conclude it. The two main statistical methods use within psychological research are descriptive and inferential statistics. These methods can be presented in different forms—depending upon the level of information required to summarize. “Statistics is a branch of mathematics that focuses on the organization, analysis, and interpretation of a group of numbers” (Aron, A., Aron, E. N., & Coups, E. 2009). Statistics are a method of finding the truth and psychologist use statistical methods to help them make sense of the numbers that collect during their experiments and research and is the essence of human evolution and psychology of science.
This paper will evaluate the usefulness of the psychometric approach for understanding personality and human intelligence. Psychometric tests were first created in order to objectively measure intelligence and personality (Eysenck, 1994; Hayes, 2000; Hothersall, 2004; Engler, 2009). As such, it can be said that the psychometric approach for understanding personality and human intelligence is useful as it enables psychological researchers to quantitatively measure intelligence and personality in a scientific manner. Furthermore, such an approach allows for individuals be to placed in categories based on definable characteristics, which better allows psychological research on different subjects, as participants of psychological research can be more easily assigned to different groups or conditions. Thus, the psychometric approach for
This makes laboratory experiments highly reliable as they are replicable. The laboratory experiment has major advantages as the method can be used to establish cause and effect relationships. For this reasons positivist sociologists use laboratory experiments as they favour a more scientific method. Positivist sociologists however also acknowledge the short comings of laboratory experiments, such as, it is often impossible or unethical to control the variables. Also their small scale means that results may not be representative or generalisable to the wider population.
In psychology we can design experiments which allow us to control some variables and alter others. In such a fashion we attempt to discover whether particular variables can be determined to be causative for various outcomes. The naturalistic experiment is a method used by psychologists, involving observations of subjects in their natural environment with as little interference from the experimenter as possible. The experimenter remains as objective as possible while recording all behaviours. This type of research is often utilized in situations where conducting lab research is unrealistic, cost prohibitive or would unduly affect the subject's behaviour.
Ricky Taylor The Four Goals of Psychology is based on its findings from scientific research and critical thinking. Information is obtained from direct observations and measurements, making it an ideal way to learn more about behavior. Most people don't know why psychology is so widely studied. There is a lot more to it than identifying a specific type of behavior strictly by looking at the classic symptoms. There are four main goals: to describe, explain, predict and change behavior and mental processes through the use of scientific methods.
Positivists tend to use empirical research methods such as experiments and questionnaires to study sociology (Andrews). By using these methods, Positivists can be certain that they are obtaining the correct information. Not only that but by using empirical research methods, it is much easier for other sociologists to reproduce the same results they received. Durkheim, a strong believer in positivism, said that positivists are “in the same state of mind as a physicist, chemist or physiologist when he probes into a still unexplored region of the scientific domain” (Gordon). When Durkheim said that, he was saying that sociologists study sociology just like how a biologist studies photosynthesis.
There are a wide range of quantitative sources for example questionnaires, structured interviews, experiments and official statistics. Positivists favour the laboratory experiment because it reaches their goal of reliability. It lets the researcher recognize and assess behaviours quantitatively to control variables to create cause and effect relationships. Also, they know that they have control of the conditions in the experiment and they produce reliable data that means that future researchers can do the same experiment and get the same results as the first person that did the experiments. Positivists realise that there are some downfalls with using laboratory experiments and resort to the comparative method as they’re samples are usually quite small scale so the results may not be