Showing papers on "Unobtrusive research published in 2011"

Social Research: A Practical Introduction

Abstract: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Structure of the book Case-centric or variable-centric research Analytical induction or hypothesis-testing Some issues in research Epistemology Reliability and validity Ethical considerations Ethical issues: Risk of harm Averting/Dealing with discomfort Ethical issues: Deception Ethical issues: Debriefing Ethical issues: Where to from here? Putting the approach in context Fixed or fluid framings or research Precursors to research Developing the research topic Preparing a research proposal Recruitment of participants Conclusion Further readings References PART TWO: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWING - THE INTERACTIVE BASE Doing data collection, analysis and presentation What is an in-depth interview? How is an in-depth interview different from a questionnaire-based interview? How is an interview different from a focus group? How is an interview different from a discussion? Origins of the approach The practicalities: What are the advantages of in-depth interviews? What are the disadvantages? Preparing and undertaking a 'typical' set of interviews Developing the research topic Ethics approval Developing the interview guide Sampling and recruitment of participants Collection of data: Beginning the interview Collection of data: During the interview Non-verbal cues and body language Collection of data: Completing the interview Debriefing Data management Transcribing Journaling Analysis of data Analytical induction Grounded theory and thematic analysis Some issues in research Interviews as data sources and data-creators Epistemological concerns and constraints Resource issues Putting the approach in context Visual techniques: Photo-elicitation and photo-voice Computer-based data analysis Conclusion Further readings References PART THREE: LIFE HISTORIES - PRIVATE TROUBLES AND PUBLIC ISSUES Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Life history research cf. oral history Pointers in doing a life history Building rapport Memory and recall Analytical induction Triangulation Naturalistic and edited forms of life history Some issues in research Epistemology and claims for validity and reliability Putting the approach in context Conclusion Further readings References PART FOUR: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH - STUDYING GROUPS IN NATURAL SETTINGS Doing data collection, analysis and presentation Origins of the approach Data collection Entering the field Observation in practice Exiting the field Data analysis and presentation Some issues in research Epistemology and claims for validity and reliability Resource limitations Putting the approach in context The impacts of new technologies on ethnography The ethics of ethnography Conclusion Further readings References PART FIVE: FOCUS GROUPS - STUDYING ARTIFICIAL GROUPS Doing data collection and analysis Exceptional focus groups Origins of the approach Data collection Some issues in research Epistemology Reliability and validity Putting the approach in context A real-life example: When focus groups go wrong Conclusion Further readings References PART SIX: SURVEY RESEARCH - STUDYING MANY CASES Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Hypothesis-testing: From insights to posing questions Attributes, attitudes and behaviour Sample size and margin of error Response rates Sampling strategies Scales of measurement Statistical analysis: Hypothesis-testing and the null hypothesis Some issues in research Epistemology and scales of measurement Question formats Putting the approach in context Survey fatigue and oversampling Conclusion Further readings References PART SEVEN: EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH - IN THE LABORATORY AND BEYOND Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Hypothesis-testing Variables in experiments Validity and reliability in data collection Cases in experiments Analyzing experiments Some issues in research Ethical issues The crisis in social psychology: A crisis in positivist epistemology? Resourcing Putting the approach in context Conclusion Further readings References PART EIGHT: UNOBTRUSIVE RESEARCH - STUDYING ARTEFACTS AND MATERIAL TRACES Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Applications of unobtrusive methods Examples of unobtrusive research Some issues in research Methodological issues: Observer bias Methodological issues: Bias within the data Ethical issues: Defining 'unobtrusive' Ethical issues: Informed consent Ethical issues: Deception Ethical issues: Debriefing Ethical issues: Where to from here? Putting the approach in context The use of new technologies Conclusion Further readings References PART NINE: CONTENT RESEARCH - CODING AND COUNTING Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Looking at coding form Hypothesis-testing Deciding on what is a case Coding: Develop a codebook, design a coding form, train the coders Drawing a sample Some issues in research Epistemology and claims for validity and reliability Putting the approach in context Conclusion Further readings References PART TEN: SECONDARY RESEARCH - MORE THAN LITERATURE REVIEWS Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Search engines Boolean searches Hypothesis-testing Secondary versus primary research Finding gaps in, and running with or against the literature Meta-analyses: combining and testing results Some issues in research Epistemology and goals of social research Putting the approach in context Issues in quality assurance Conclusion Further readings References PART ELEVEN: SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS - STUDYING SIGNS AND MEANINGS Doing data collection and analysis Origins of the approach Analysing signs Some issues in research An aside on rigour Structuralism and post-structuralism Putting the approach in context Conclusion Further readings PART TWELVE: AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH - WRITING AND READING THE SELF Doing data collection and analysis An authoethnographic aside Origins of the approach Autobiography and reflexivity as a case Data collection and analysis and reflexivity Guidelines for writers Analytical autoethnography Aims of autoethnography Some issues in research Epistemology and claims for validity and reliability Evaluating autoethnographies Putting the approach in context Motivations: The forms of personal documents Conclusion Further readings References Glossary

Measuring Cognitive Aptitude Using Unobtrusive Knowledge Tests: A New Survey Technology

Abstract: Five knowledge tests and one implicit-reasoning task were developed to be: (1) exceptionally short, (2) correlated with general cognitive aptitude, (3) unobtrusive, i.e., appear similar to attitudinal survey items as opposed to maximal performance measures, and (4) without formally "correct" 23 answers. The intent was to design scales that could be administered in non-proctored environments to directly measure general cognitive aptitude while avoiding the possibility that participants could use references to provide "good"' answers. The five knowledge tests used a Likert format to assess knowledge in verbal and practical domains, and were scored by computing distances between examinee and reference ratings. The implicit-reasoning task appeared to be a series completion "game"' that required a dichotomous response. The scales were administered to 288 Air Force recruits and were validated against the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Individual unobtrusive knowledge scales and ASVAB tests were substantially correlated with sample correlations ranging to .39 and population correlation estimates to .66 after correcting for range restriction. Two sets of factor scores, which were separately derived from the unobtrusive test battery and the ASVAB, were highly correlated in our sample, .54, yielding a population correlation of .80 after correcting for range restriction. This technology is important because few paper- or Internet-based surveys, and virtually no mail-based surveys accurately measure general cognitive aptitude, while many of these surveys address important social issues and commercial questions that could be better understood given an unobtrusive but accurate estimate of general cognitive aptitude.

Measuring Effects and Success in Influence Operations: Challenges, Limitations and Opportunitites

Abstract: : Little research in either the military or civilian sphere has attempted to assess the effects, degree of effects, and success of influence operations, particularly in hostile environments in which it may prove both difficult and unreliable to conduct traditional interviews and opinion polls. Yet it has been asserted that the decisive effects of influence operations are apparent, and can therefore be measured. This report examines the challenges, limitations, and opportunities inherent in the measurement of the effects and success of influence operations on civilian populations in hostile environments. The report discusses the limitations of current methodologies and the opportunities associated with unobtrusive measures. The discussion is based on a systematic review of the literature in the fields of psychology, anthropology, and sociology, and interviews conducted with pioneers in artificial intelligence technology as a conflict early-warning system. Artificial intelligence of social media could be used to assess the effectiveness and success of influence operations in hostile environments, especially when attitudes or behaviors may be socially sensitive and might not lend themselves well to participant self-assessment, or when pre-effect data collection capacities are limited and the establishment of a baseline is not possible.