Psychology and Qualitative Research

Introduction Qualitative research is commonly used in social sciences and marketing. The techniques of qualitative research either study human behavior in a particular situation or series of events or they are aimed on solving the major aspects of decision making(Denzin Lincoln, 2005). The elements of qualitative research are simple. It starts with identification of a problem, gathering data that will help in solving the problem, managing and studying it till a conclusion based upon researcher’s views is not extracted (Marshall Rossman, 1998).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology and Qualitative Research specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many of the researchers opt for qualitative research rather than quantitative research the reason being it is easy to apply and its benefit are way more than any other research method. Major Advantages of Qualitative Research There are two major advantages of qualit ative research. Firstly it is highly economical and secondly it saves time. Both of these advantages come side by side. The researchers mainly opt for qualitative research because of it is the only research method which allows them to complete the research using small sample as the base. Small sample is collected rather quickly enabling the researcher to finish his research faster compared to other methods. All these reasons also constitute in saving the cost of the entire research (Junior, Bush, Ortianu, 2006) Another great advantage of qualitative research method is that the data gathered is extremely rich. The very nature of qualitative research methodology is much unstructured which allows the researcher to gather data depicting various behavioral aspects of the subject such as attitudes, perceptions, emotions and beliefs (Junior, Bush, Ortianu, 2006). Qualitative research is very flexible the researcher can easily probe participant responses at initial stages by asking questi ons such as how, why or how. The researcher however, should have the capability to engage the participants in a meaningful conversation after quickly analyzing their personality and individual style in order to seek more elaborative answers (Ulin, Robinson, Tolley, 2005 ). As a result, researchers in the end have with them a highly in depth data which helps them in gaining relevant insight about the subjects behavior. This is extremely helpful in the field of marketing and research where researchers are able to grab first hand experience of the customers about any prevailing situation in the market. Identifying their customers thinking patterns the marketers are able to solve the five questions of decision making which are when, why, how where and what. Overall, it assists the marketers in establishing marketing models and construct ways to measure them on a valid scale (Junior, Bush, Ortianu, 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Ge t your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Major Disadvantages of Qualitative Research The disadvantages of qualitative research mainly revolve around two areas firstly small sample size and secondly only trained observers can conduct the research. The major issue of qualitative research is the issue of generlizability. The techniques of qualitative research only tell the researcher how to gather information from a small sized sample not from a large group. Due to the small sized sample final decisions cannot be taken. For example a survey done on ten to twelve students of an American university about a particular program cannot be levied upon the entire students of the university. Also, qualitative method does not allow the researcher to identify the impact of small differences on a situation. It also does not recognize various individual differences thus the information gathered is often labeled as unreliable (Junior, Bush, Ortianu, 2006). Another great limitation of qua litative research is that not every researcher can conduct behavioral observations. Only those researchers who have been trained, skilled or come with an experience to observe and record events correctly can pick qualitative research methodology to solve the problem stated in their research (Badri, 2005). Conclusion Looking at the advantages and disadvantages it can be said that qualitative research is best only for those researchers which aim to study the behavioral aspects of either a group of people or market as a whole. The data gathered can give out irrelevant conclusions if the person conducting the interviews or the survey is not equipped with observational skills. Apart from this, qualitative research has been since a very long time the first choice of many researchers while finding out solutions to their problems. Reference List Badri, D. A. (2005). Limitations of Qualitative Research. Web. Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. CA : SAGE Publications Inc.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology and Qualitative Research specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Junior, H., Bush, R., Ortianu, D. (2006). Marketing Research Within A Changing Information Environment. West Patel Nagar, New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Marshall, C., Rossman, G. B. (1998). Designing Qualitative Research. CA: Sage Publications. Ulin, P. R., Robinson, E. T., Tolley, E. E. (2005 ). Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide. In P. R. Ulin, E. T. Robinson, E. E. Tolley, Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research (p. 13). San Fransisco, CA, United States: Jossey Bass Publisher . This essay on Psychology and Qualitative Research was written and submitted by user Jermaine Marks to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.