When a researcher collects information about a group through direct involvement and inspection This is known as?

What does each and every research project need to get results? Data – or information – to help answer questions, understand a specific issue or test a hypothesis.

Researchers in the health and social sciences can obtain their data by getting it directly from the subjects they’re interested in. This data they collect is called primary data. Another type of data that may help researchers is the data that has already been gathered by someone else. This is called secondary data.

What are the advantages of using these two types of data? Which tends to take longer to process and which is more expensive? This column will help to explain the differences between primary and secondary data.

Primary data

An advantage of using primary data is that researchers are collecting information for the specific purposes of their study. In essence, the questions the researchers ask are tailored to elicit the data that will help them with their study. Researchers collect the data themselves, using surveys, interviews and direct observations.

In the field of workplace health research, for example, direct observations may involve a researcher watching people at work. The researcher could count and code the number of times she sees practices or behaviours relevant to her interest; e.g. instances of improper lifting posture or the number of hostile or disrespectful interactions workers engage in with clients and customers over a period of time.

To take another example, let’s say a research team wants to find out about workers’ experiences in return to work after a work-related injury. Part of the research may involve interviewing workers by telephone about how long they were off work and about their experiences with the return-to-work process. The workers’ answers–considered primary data–will provide the researchers with specific information about the return-to-work process; e.g. they may learn about the frequency of work accommodation offers, and the reasons some workers refused such offers.

Secondary data

There are several types of secondary data. They can include information from the national population census and other government information collected by Statistics Canada. One type of secondary data that’s used increasingly is administrative data. This term refers to data that is collected routinely as part of the day-to-day operations of an organization, institution or agency. There are any number of examples: motor vehicle registrations, hospital intake and discharge records, workers’ compensation claims records, and more.

Compared to primary data, secondary data tends to be readily available and inexpensive to obtain. In addition, administrative data tends to have large samples, because the data collection is comprehensive and routine. What’s more, administrative data (and many types of secondary data) are collected over a long period. That allows researchers to detect change over time.

Going back to the return-to-work study mentioned above, the researchers could also examine secondary data in addition to the information provided by their primary data (i.e. survey results). They could look at workers’ compensation lost-time claims data to determine the amount of time workers were receiving wage replacement benefits. With a combination of these two data sources, the researchers may be able to determine which factors predict a shorter work absence among injured workers. This information could then help improve return to work for other injured workers.

The type of data researchers choose can depend on many things including the research question, their budget, their skills and available resources. Based on these and other factors, they may choose to use primary data, secondary data–or both.

Source: At Work, Issue 82, Fall 2015: Institute for Work & Health, Toronto [This column updates a previous column describing the same term, originally published in 2008.]

Table of Contents

  1. How do you evaluate literature review in sociology?
  2. What term do sociologists use to describe the phenomenon whereby subjects deviate?
  3. What questions are descriptive studies designed to answer?
  4. What is the most important factor to consider when writing a survey question quizlet?
  5. Why is validity a challenging ideal in a sociological study quizlet?
  6. What is term for a type of analysis that does not influence a person’s behavior quizlet?
  7. What is the importance of interpretive frameworks?
  8. What is the most importance of interpretive framework?
  9. What are four pieces of information you can gather about a variable?

participant observation. What term do sociologists use to describe the phenomenon whereby subjects deviate from their typical behavior because they realize they are under observation? publicly accessible information and data, or data collected by another.

Literature Review Format

How do you evaluate literature review in sociology?

Literature Review Format

  1. Provide an overview of the topic, theme, or issue.
  2. Identify your specific area of focus.
  3. Describe your methodology and rationale. …
  4. Briefly discuss the overall trends in the published scholarship in this area.
  5. Establish your reason for writing the review.

What term do sociologists use to describe the phenomenon whereby subjects deviate?

Sociology Test 1

QuestionAnswer
When a researcher collects information about a group through direct involvement and inspection, this is known as observation
A variable is a measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions.

What questions are descriptive studies designed to answer?

Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation or phenomenon. It can answer what, where, when and how questions, but not why questions.

What is the most important factor to consider when writing a survey question quizlet?

What is the most important factor to consider when writing a survey question? It must be simple and clear.

Why is validity a challenging ideal in a sociological study quizlet?

Why is validity a challenging ideal in a sociological study? it is difficult to match a measure to the concept it is supposed to capture. Emile plans a study about the health of deep-sea drivers.

What is term for a type of analysis that does not influence a person’s behavior quizlet?

they can also make use of. data that was collected for use in another manner, such as census data. what is term for a type of analysis that does NOT influence a person’s behavior? nonreactive.

What is the importance of interpretive frameworks?

Interpretive Framework While systematic, this approach doesn’t follow the hypothesis-testing model that seeks to find generalizable results. Instead, an interpretive framework seeks to understand social worlds from the point of view of participants, which leads to in-depth knowledge.

What is the most importance of interpretive framework?

What is the importance of interpretive framework? a. It leads to in-depth knowledge of a participant’s social world.

What are four pieces of information you can gather about a variable?

What are four pieces of information you can gather about a variable? Select an answer: Data type, name, sizeof operator, and ampersand operator. Data type, name, initial value, storage size, and location in memory.

More from The Question & Answer (Q&A)

Which of the following terms is used to describe a systematic organize series of steps that ensure maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem?

The scientific method provides a systematic, organized series of steps that help ensure objectivity and consistency in exploring a social problem.

Which term is used to describe a systematic organize series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem quizlet?

a systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem. The Scientific Method requires precise preparation In developing research.

What is the purpose of gathering information through surveys quizlet?

A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals. Surveys are commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.

When conducting ethnographic research as a participant observer the investigator must?

When conducting ethnographic research as a participant observer, the investigator must maintain some degree of detachment. maintain some degree of detachment. control variable. status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position within society.