Using existing data
What is the “ecological fallacy”?
The assumption that secondary data analysis can be carried out at home
The mistake of observing people in their natural setting
The error of making inferences about individual behaviour from aggregate data
The myth that it is easy to research environmentalist action groups
The error of making inferences about individual behaviour from aggregate data
The ecological fallacy is the mistake some researchers make of assuming that they can infer the nature and causes of individual people’s behaviour by studying more general, aggregated data about the social groups to which they belong). Often, secondary analysis is used to study a sub-group contained within a data-set and it can seem natural to impute something to the sub-group which has been found to apply to the larger set. This is the logical error of confusing ‘some’ people with ‘all’ people.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 322, Key concept 14.2
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 322, Key concept 14.2
The error of making inferences about individual behaviour from aggregate data The ecological fallacy is the mistake some researchers make of assuming that they can infer the nature and causes of individual people’s behaviour by studying more general, aggregated data about the social groups to which they belong). Often, secondary analysis is used to study a sub-group contained within a data-set and it can seem natural to impute something to the sub-group which has been found to apply to the larger set. This is the logical error of confusing ‘some’ people with ‘all’ people.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 322, Key concept 14.2
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 322, Key concept 14.2
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The large samples used in national social surveys enable new researchers to:A. Avoid using probability sampling
B. Identify any bias in the question wording
C. Evaluate the inter-coder reliability of the data
D. Conduct subgroup analysis
Which of the following provides official statistics that could be analysed as secondary data?
A. Local Government Survey (LGS)
B. Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS)
C. Dwelling and Furnishings Survey (DFS)
D. Rowing and Oars Survey (ROS)
The term “secondary analysis” refers to the technique of:
A. Conducting a study of seconds, minutes and other measures of time
B. Analysing your own data in two different ways
C. Analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organization
D. Working part time on a project alongside other responsibilities
Why might secondary analysis be a particularly useful method for students?
A. It is relatively easy to do
B. It saves time and money
C. It does not require any knowledge of statistics
D. It only requires a half-hearted effort
Studying the official crime rate may provide unreliable data because:
A. Categories of criminal behaviour change over time
B. There is a “dark figure” of unreported and unrecorded crime
C. Police use their discretion to investigate some crimes and not others
D. All of the above
What is one of the advantages that official statistics have over structured interview data?
A. The researcher can conduct natural experiments in the field
B. They are completely objective and reliable
C. They have greater measurement validity
D. They allow the researcher to identify social trends over time
Which of the following is not an advantage of secondary analysis?
A. It immerses the researcher in the field they are studying
B. It tends to be based on high quality data
C. It provides an opportunity for longitudinal analysis
D. It allows you to study patterns and social trends over time
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