A meta-analysis is similar to a smoothie in that you combine many ingredients, and you get a single drink at the end. A meta-analysis is a quantitative technique that combines the results of multiple studies and ends with a summative figure/ estimate. A meta-analysis essentially is a summary, in effect, of numerous studies to form one finding that covers the area of study.
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenA meta-analysis is similar to a smoothie in that you combine many ingredients, and you get a single drink at the end. A meta-analysis is a quantitative technique that combines the results of multiple studies and ends with a summative figure/ estimate. A meta-analysis essentially is a summary, in effect, of numerous studies to form one finding that covers the area of study.
The purpose of meta-analyses is to identify if the collaborative study’s findings support or disprove a hypothesis proposed by the research overall.
What do we mean by a meta-analysis?
A meta-analysis is a research technique researchers frequently use in psychology to summarise key findings of multiple studies. The research method collects quantitative, meaning numerical data.
A meta-analysis is a quantitative, systematic method that summarises the findings of multiple studies investigating similar phenomena.
Researchers use a meta-analysis to understand psychology research’s general direction in a specific area.
For instance, if a researcher wants to see if an overwhelming amount of research supports or disproves a theory.
The research method is also commonly used to identify whether current research supports and establishes existing interventions as effective or ineffective. Or to find a more precise, generalisable conclusion. As meta-analyses utilise multiple studies to form a conclusion, the findings are more likely to be statistically significant as a larger data pool is used.
When deciding to perform a meta-analysis of existing research, a researcher will typically involve in the following steps:
The inclusion criteria refer to characteristics that the researcher wishes to investigate. And the exclusion criteria should point out the features the researcher does not want to explore.
Studies that are low in reliability/validity will also lower the reliability/validity of the meta-analysis findings.
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) performed a meta-analysis to identify cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences between attachment styles.
The meta-analysis reviewed a total of 32 studies from eight different countries. The inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis were studies that used:
The strange situation was used to identify attachment styles.
The studies investigated mother-infant attachment styles.
The studies used the same attachment classification system as in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation – type A (insecure avoidant), type B (secure), and type C (insecure avoidant).
Studies not meeting these requirements were excluded from the analysis. Further exclusion criteria included: studies that recruited participants with developmental disorders.
For the analysis of the study, the researchers calculated each country’s average percentage and mean score of attachment styles.
The results of the meta-analysis were the following:
Secure attachments were the most common attachment style in each country analysed.
Western countries had a higher mean score of insecure-avoidant attachments than Eastern countries.
Eastern countries had a higher mean score of insecure-ambivalent attachments than Western countries.
This meta-analysis example showed the importance of meta-analysis in research as it allowed the researchers to compare the data from multiple countries relatively quickly and cheaply. And it would have been too difficult for the researchers to independently collect primary data from each of the eight countries due to time, cost and language barriers.
Meta-analysis and systematic review are standard research techniques used in psychology. Although similar research processes, stark differences between the two exist.
A systematic review is one of the stages of the meta-analysis methodology. During a systematic review, the researcher uses a precise method to collect relevant studies from scientific databases relevant to the research area. Like a meta-analysis, the researcher creates and uses inclusion/ exclusion criteria. Rather than giving a quantitative summative figure, it identifies and summarises all the relevant research concerning the research question.
Let’s discuss the advantages and disadvantages of meta-analysis in psychology research.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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A meta-analysis is a quantitative, systematic method that summarises the findings of multiple studies that are investigating similar phenomena.
There are several stages of the meta-analysis methodology. These are:
Using a meta-analysis in research is useful when:
A systematic review is one of the stages of the meta-analysis methodology. During a systematic review, the researcher uses a precise method to collect relevant studies from scientific databases relevant to the research area. Like a meta-analysis, the researcher creates and uses inclusion/ exclusion criteria. Rather than giving a quantitative summative figure, it identifies and summarises all the relevant research concerning the research question.
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) conducted a meta-analysis to identify cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences between attachment styles. Thus, a meta-analysis is a research method used to summarise the findings of multiple studies investigating a similar research topic.
Which of the following studies used a meta-analysis?
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988).
Which of the following steps are aspects of meta-analysis and systematic reviews?
Identify research area interested in.
Should research used in meta-analyses be heterogeneous?
No.
How does publication bias affect the findings of the meta-analysis?
Increases validity.
What is publication bias?
Publication bias is the idea that research results that are insignificant or show results against the hypothesis are less likely to be published.
How did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s (1988) research highlight the importance of meta-analysis in research?
This meta-analysis example shows the importance of meta-analysis in research as it allows researchers to compare data from multiple countries relatively quickly and cheaply. This research may be complex for the researchers to collect primary data from each of the eight countries due to cost and language barriers.
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