Data Collection & Analysis Flashcards

Which analysis technique is used to identify underlying factors that explain patterns of correlations among many variables?

Answer: Factor analysis

Factor analysis reduces a large set of observed variables to a smaller set of latent factors that capture shared variance.

In qualitative research, saturation refers to the point at which:

Answer: New data no longer yields new themes or insights

Theoretical saturation signals that additional data collection would be redundant because the same patterns keep emerging.

A researcher wants to compare the mean test scores of three independent groups. The most appropriate statistical test is:

Answer: One-way ANOVA

One-way ANOVA tests whether the means of three or more independent groups differ significantly while controlling the family-wise error rate.

Which data quality issue occurs when records are counted more than once in a dataset?

Answer: Duplication error

Duplication errors inflate record counts and distort analyses, and must be identified and removed during data cleaning.

When collecting data through telephone interviews, response rate refers to:

Answer: The proportion of contacted individuals who complete the interview

Response rate is the ratio of completed interviews to total eligible contacts, and is a key indicator of potential non-response bias.

Which chart type is best suited for displaying the relationship between two continuous variables?

Answer: Scatter plot

Scatter plots display paired data points on an x-y axis, making it easy to visualize correlation patterns between two continuous variables.

In the context of data collection, informed consent requires that participants:

Answer: Agree to participate after understanding the study's purpose and risks

Informed consent is an ethical requirement ensuring participants voluntarily agree to join a study with full knowledge of what it involves and their right to withdraw.