week 9 dq post

Thanks to several of the articles required reading in this school I have learned the division in scholastic sub disciplines is deeper than I thought it was.

There are researchers who are actually prejudice against methods they do not use. They see there method as the one and only with validity and the rest are in effect inferior. Previous I read them for the information and variables. Now I am reading for other purposes.

I have read 3 articles in a row about neuropsychology which actually have sections in them which realistically inside the article they complain about how other researchers, other study methods, etc. refuse to cooperate and use cross references.

“To what extent is mixed methods research simply taking a quantitative design and a qualitative design and putting them together?”

Based on a decade in formal academics and a lifetime in independent study, there are obviously different ways to combine the two. In a couple of the sample articles for this class a few claimed to be Quantitative but were more qualitative and vise versa. Just because the authors are aiming for a specific type of study does not mean for a second said structure is true. Each Mixed Method article needs to be perceived and adjusted according to what the authors were trying to do, with what the results actually were. All things in scholastics requires basic scientific criticism in order to determine for yourself how valid or invalid any given study is

Next, explain the types of research questions best served by mixed methods research.

When the scientific method is used, it always starts with either a question or an idea. The question does a+b=c, if it does not than what does a+b =, then an explanation of why the answer is x and not c or it is c and this is why not x. Which is in a way an oversimplification, but the foundation is academically sound. For Mix methods the questions must be aimed at both macro and micro. Macro for the largest possible sample size, micro to ask extremely specific questions. One semi example of a mix method research are political polls, where between 1200 and several 1000 people are asked specific questions. Sample size is relatively (relatively e.g. many qualitative studies are measured in dozens to hundreds of participants. Rarely are they in the 1000s range) huge but the questions are specific “who will you vote for”. Exactly what are the issues most important to you. Which are the definition of specific qualitative questions.

The types of questions

the only things in the first article which comes close to addressing this question is

mixed-model designs and mixed-method designs

both of which have flaws in them which apparently

Then, explain one strength and one limitation of mixed methods research.

when done properly, the strengths of mix methods research is a solid balance between the strengths of the methods used. The strengths of one counter the weaknesses of the other or others.

The limitations are when the balance is imperfect and the limitations of any one given method overshadow the strengths of its counterpart.

Finally, provide a rationale for or against the utility of mixed methods research in your discipline.

When used properly it is the best tool to use when trying to determine both macro and micro =x or c questions. However, using it properly is not an easy task for many psychologists. It is not an issue with the mathematics, it is an issue with not understand the engineering inside the human dynamics. Mathematics is based on a single number line of information; little about animal/human behavior is definable using a single number line. The most basic aspects of human nature eat, sleep, propagate itself comes with close to an infinite amount of different ways in which each human makes decisions as to how they as individuals wish to interact with the world. Personal choices start the list, age of the subject, then of course allergies, what the society will accept, etc. the number of choices is close to infinite in just fulfilling those most basic of questions.

Every question added x? the number of different variables and variations in said variables. The mechanism of the subjects being studied on various ways in which studies can be conducted sometimes the mathematics are not designed to identify and measure the consistencies of the subject under examination. For example, in explosive calculations, without the use of motion cameras it is not possible to calculate how much force was released at what split second sequence. What was the rate of decrease of psi in the explosion. Without the motion camera it is impossible to identify how much force as many seconds after detonation. Motion cameras do not record using a single plane. A ruler cannot measure more than one plane at a time. Everything comes down to the proper tool for measuring will produce the correct =x. But the things; the item, how it moves, what type of measurements are required to identify the item and each (fixed point) movement being able to use the correct measurement tools but using them all properly is all that matters.