Thursday, August 11, 2011

PSY 315 Wk 1


Research, Statistics, and Psychology Paper

How does research play a role in one’s society? We understand the world by asking questions. In order to get these answers research must be preformed. Research is techniques used to help understand certain information and in order to obtain that the scientific method must be done in the right steps. The information obtained is called primary and secondary data. However, both data is similar but also very different in the way information is gathered and this plays a profound role in statistics. 
In society we understand the world by asking questions and searching for answers. Our curiosity as humans depends on the nature of our investigation. Most people in past centuries would turn inward and use logic to find the truth instead of using research.  Research is a technique used to help researchers obtain, analyze and collect data or different types of information. In order to fulfill different types of research projects and hypotheses, a couple of methods need to be correctly utilized. Most times questionnaire, interviews and observations is the best approach. To obtain the information the researcher is studying, certain steps need to be followed in this investigation involving observation and theory to test the hypotheses, which is the scientific method.
When it comes to different data collection methods, primary and secondary data are the two main methods.  Primary Data is information and research that have never been gathered before. The advantage of this method is finding data that one collected that needed to suit one’s need. The disadvantage of primary data is that the cost for the research obtained is more costly and time consuming than collecting secondary data. A couple different ways primary data can be collected is by data being collected through interviews, surveys, and focus groups, which shows the information taken at that exact moment. Primary data is analyzed by the individual who collected the data  more accommodation as it shows the latest information.
In secondary data is obtained from other research based on the works of other researchers or another source. Examples of this would be research studies, survey’s and interviews. This is acquired from other research that has been collected for a different purpose and where statistical method with the primary data. If an individual wanted to find out what is already known about a subject then the research of others work would need to be investigated before starting one’s own research. In other words, secondary Data may perhaps be established from the published data or it may be established by the original data. This eliminates some of the same questions that possibly have already been answered by other investigators or authors and prevents reinventing the same thing. This also helps with cost.
The difference between primary and secondary data is similar but also different data collected. A couple getting together and getting married is a good example. A person’s marriage date on a wedding certificate is the primary data; though the engagement date is secondary data. The individuals’ offering the dates of the wedding directly where they did not experience directly the engagement date. The distinction between the different types of data is based on significance. The primary data is collected for the exact reason for the research purpose one has set. Secondary data is gathered for different reasons or purposes for who is requiring the information. Interpreting the outcome interested in one’s data possibly will observe the results biased in analysis. Cost can also be a problem, since it generally cost more to gather. Primary data is usually more expensive and timely to arrange. Secondary data cost less and timelier since the work had already been gathered and collected. The two types of data can also be similar in the sense that both data’s are collected in similar ways based on how an experiment is preformed. They both cost money and time in order to collect all the information. All the steps are the same and the process is similar.
The role in statistics in more detailed than what one could think. Statistics is setup in away and designed in many different steps to begin an experiment. If one is wanting to collect data and research a certain topic or subject, then one needs to figure out what data is needed and how much of it. Once all the data is collected then statistics is used to evaluate the data. This will draw your conclusion to see if one’s hypotheses were correct. 
Investigation is essential to finding ones role is society. By better understand our surroundings we learn more about human nature. Research is needed in order to obtain the maximum amount of information. Using the scientific method information is divided into two categories, primary and secondary data.  The way the data is assembled plays a acute function in statistics.

Reference
Aron, A., Aron, E. N., & Coups, E. (2006). Statistics for psychology (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

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