Research Basics

• Your research question can guide your method of research, however there are multiple ways of researching most questions.

• The biggest decision that you must make is to determine if you are going to use reactive or non-reactive measures.

• In reactive measures such as surveys and reactive observation the subject is aware that they are participating in a scientific study.

• Non-reactive measures like content analysis, secondary analysis, and non-reactive observation look at data (artifacts, actions, etc.) that has been produced for a purpose other than your study.

• There are advantages and disadvantages of both methods, and each is suited better for specific studies.

Reactive:

(Surveys and reactive observation)

Advantages:

• You can obtain data about feelings, motivation, and other internal processes.
• You involve the subject in the process.
• You can get consent from the subject.
  

Disadvantages:

• Historically limited: people's memory fades.
• Reactive measures can cause data problems: simply doing the study affects data.
• People who know they are being studied act differently.
• You must get consent from the subjects, which can be hard in certain populations.
• Data collection takes time and money.

Non-reactive:

(Content analysis, secondary analysis and non-reactive observation)

Advantages:

• Data already exist, so less money or time involved.
• Data is not affected by doing the research, it was created for other purposes.
• Non-Reactive: people act naturally, not for a researcher.
  

Disadvantages:

• Intent of actions cannot be inferred.
• The context of actions can be important to their meaning, however context is often lost with non-reactive research.
• Not getting consent from subject ethically questionable.