Methodological Issues When Interpreting Changes in Social Phenomena over Time: Perceptions of Relative Difference, Absolute Difference, and Time Distance

Autor/inn/en	Prevodnik, Katja; Vehovar, Vasja
Titel	Methodological Issues When Interpreting Changes in Social Phenomena over Time: Perceptions of Relative Difference, Absolute Difference, and Time Distance
Quelle	In: Sociological Methods & Research, 52 (2023) 2, S.803-840 (38 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Prevodnik, Katja)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0049-1241
DOI	10.1177/0049124120914948
Schlagwörter	Comparative Analysis; Social Science Research; Public Agencies; College Faculty; Social Change; Graphs; Data Interpretation; Time Perspective; Audiences; Neuropsychology; Employee Attitudes; Statistics; Public Health; Decision Making; Cognitive Ability; Hypothesis Testing; Cognitive Processes; Models; Vignettes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Social scientific research; Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung; Öffentliche Einrichtung; Fakultät; Sozialer Wandel; Grafische Darstellung; Data evaluation; Datenauswertung; Zeitbezug; Spectator; Zuschauer; Neuropsychologie; Arbeitnehmerinteresse; Statistik; Gesundheitswesen; Decision-making; Entscheidungsfindung; Denkfähigkeit; Hypothesenprüfung; Hypothesentest; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Analogiemodell
Abstract	When comparing social science phenomena through a time perspective, absolute and relative difference (RD) are the two typical presentation formats used to communicate interpretations to the audience, while time distance (TD) is the least frequently used of such formats. This article argues that the chosen presentation format is extremely important because the various formats suggest different substantive interpretations. To elaborate upon this issue, researchers from the National Statistical Office, National Health Institute, and general academia were invited to participate in an experiment with alternative presentation formats that describe changes in certain social science phenomena over time. The results revealed a prevailing tendency of respondents to rely on interpretations related to absolute differences, which was additionally reinforced with graphical presentation formats. Therefore, whenever RD or TD is more proper for substantive interpretations, the corresponding presentation format must be designed with special attention. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01