Questions: What is the unit of analysis in a "meta-analysis?" (Hint: It's is not a "micro" unit.)
- Each empirical study published previously on the topic of interest
- individuals
- Neighborhoods
- Cities
Transcript text: Question 29
What is the unit of analysis in a "meta-analysis?" (Hint: It's is not a "micro" u
Each empirical study published previously on the topic of interest
individuals
Neighborhoods
Cities
Solution
The answer is: Each empirical study published previously on the topic of interest.
Explanation:
Each empirical study published previously on the topic of interest: This is the correct answer. In a meta-analysis, the unit of analysis is the individual empirical studies that have been conducted on a particular topic. Meta-analysis involves systematically reviewing and statistically combining the results of these studies to draw broader conclusions.
Individuals: This is incorrect. While individual participants are the units of analysis in primary research studies, in a meta-analysis, the focus is on the studies themselves rather than the individual participants within those studies.
Neighborhoods: This is incorrect. Neighborhoods might be units of analysis in certain types of sociological or geographical studies, but not in a meta-analysis.
Cities: This is incorrect. Similar to neighborhoods, cities could be units of analysis in urban studies or geographical research, but they are not the focus in a meta-analysis.
In summary, a meta-analysis aggregates data from multiple empirical studies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a research question, making each empirical study the unit of analysis.