quantitation
(noun)
The process of quantitating.
Examples of quantitation in the following topics:
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Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
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Graphing Quantitative Variables
- There are many types of graphs that can be used to portray distributions of quantitative variables.
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Quantitative or Qualitative Data?
- Different statistical tests are used to test quantitative and qualitative data.
- Quantitative (numerical) data is any data that is in numerical form, such as statistics, percentages, et cetera.
- In layman's terms, a researcher studying quantitative data asks a specific, narrow question and collects a sample of numerical data from participants to answer the question.
- Paired and unpaired t-tests and z-tests are just some of the statistical tests that can be used to test quantitative data.
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Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
- Both quantitative and qualitative models seek to explain patterns in behavior, but the former is mathematical and the latter is more descriptive.
- At its core, quantitative research is used to identify patterns and predict behavior.
- Quantitative research is generally conducted using scientific methods, which can include:
- Unlike quantitative methods which are used to identify patterns and make predictions, qualitative research aims to explain behavior.
- Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed than the large samples required of quantitative methods.
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Quantitative and Qualitative
- Quantitative methods of sociological research approach social phenomena from the perspective that they can be measured and/or quantified.
- Quantitative sociologists tend to use specific methods of data collection and hypothesis testing, including: experimental designs, surveys, secondary data analysis, and statistical analysis.
- They view quantitative and qualitative approaches as complementary.
- For example, quantitative methods could describe large or general patterns in society while qualitative approaches could help to explain how individuals understand those patterns.
- Similarly, qualitative patterns in society can reveal missing pieces in the mathematical models of quantitative research while quantitative patterns in society can guide more in-depth analysis of actual patterns in natural settings.
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References
- The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (2nd ed. ) (p. 178).
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Data
- Quantitative data are always numbers.
- Quantitative data may be either discrete or continuous.
- The numbers of books (3, 4, 2, and 1) are the quantitative discrete data.
- Weights are quantitative continuous data because weights are measured.
- Indicate whether quantitative data are continuous or discrete.
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Variables
- An important distinction between variables is between qualitative variables and quantitative variables.
- Quantitative variables are those variables that are measured in terms of numbers.
- Some examples of quantitative variables are height, weight, and shoe size.
- The variable "type of supplement" is a qualitative variable; there is nothing quantitative about it.
- In contrast, the dependent variable "memory test" is a quantitative variable since memory performance was measured on a quantitative scale (number correct).
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Forecasting
- Quantitative forecasting generally uses statistical confidence intervals and historical data to project potential future trends that are based upon the criteria being analyzed.
- While quantitative measure use data to express objective results, qualitative approaches do not have this luxury.
- Another method of forecasting, which is likely to be both quantitative and qualitative, is the causal/econometric approach.
- This flow chart compares quantitative and qualitative forecasting methods.
- In contrast, quantitative forecasting relies more on objective, numerical data, and can look at chronological trends and statistical regression to infer cause-and-effect.
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Solutions to Exercises in Chapter 2
- Items 1, 5, 11, and 12 are quantitative discrete; items 4, 6, 10, and 14 are quantitative continuous; and items 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 13 are qualitative.