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

The entire abstract and the first couple paragraphs of the first article talk about virtually the same exact variables using extremely similar sentence structure to the articles provided for this class and the very few articles regarding neuropsychology from the database.

This article even uses the word War. What a colossal waste of everyone’s time. Arguing over methods which beyond clearly have issues and limitations.

Reminds me of the “bloodletting” the pure beyond measure fiction that medical science was entirely convinced was correct which had zero scientific validity to it. But it was used well beyond the point where it should no longer be used because it is better to argue the points one more time than admit the whole thing is wrong.

This weekend HBO had a free weekend. I binged “From the Earth to the Moon”, the second to last episode caught my attention in extreme ways. A committee was trying to decide what was going to be the 3^rd landing zone. Four groups were dead set on their part. One group fought tooth and nail for a return to the smooth already proven by Neil and Buzz location. The leader of that group simply could not back down, he used every social skill he possessed to keep pushing his point. Refusing to give an inch at all regarding tried and true landing skills.

Other groups argued other landing zones, but all they did (15) guys at a table arguing to argue for hours on end. They simply could not stop fighting to see the scientific evidence. THE fight to win was the point, the discussion had left scientific and exploration variables behind long before the chat occurred. The in effect wind bags had to be given a chance to say their piece and restate it dozens and dozens of times, to make 100% sure their position was heard and understood. Reading these articles reminds me of the sentences from the transcript of that conversation. Different sides using full throated arguments praising their position and insulting everyone elses.

come to think of it, the new texting culture might actually be able to break some of those patterns. You can write down your thoughts 1000s of times, but the passion and intensity of the argument is tapered down because no matter how hard you type, you cannot scream or dominate a conversation, you can only use caps lock and repeat and repeat and repeat, but you cannot dominate because as soon as you push send someone else gets to post something. This is actually a great tool to allow everyone to be heard. Writing things down allows for the evidence to be present. Screaming it 500 times does not feel as satisfying as having it written down. Minus the battle of being able to in effect dominate the conversation. But those are not facts and evidence, those are sociological techniques to control a mob, not present facts and evidence. In truth none of these techniques work that well alone. They answer limited questions, but in ways which are very difficult to apply to humans. In short using measurement tools created centuries ago has been beyond proven countless times that qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods simply does not allow for enough variables to be accounted for in either the macro or micro aspects of measurement.

Instead of arguing one more time about how great x is better than y. Time to join the 21^st century and use new tools which might actually work.

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.

references

R, B. J., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F216901546%3Facc