Using of electronic databases in socio-psychological research
The regular laboratory research seminar was held on February 14th. The report ''Using of electronic databases in socio-psychological research'' was made by Alexander Tatarko, senior researcher of the ILSCR.
The seminar was educational for laboratory staff and for students of Master program “Applied social psychology”. The largest electronic databases of social studies – European Social Survey and the World Values Survey– were considered during the seminar. ESS and WVS are extensive surveys which cover a lot of countries and measure different indicators such as social capital, civic and religious identity, trust, individual values, and many others. The electronic databases are rich material for the research. ESS consists of five rounds, and each round includes new empirical data. WVS also consists of several waves of research, but it covers a larger period of time and larger number of countries, so it makes possible to study the dynamics of the various indicators over the past 20-30 years.
The structure of electronic databases was explained and some variants of individual work were offered during the workshop. Each working group can form their own database based on the ESS and WVS databases and examine interrelations of various indicators. It should be noted that the students in working groups have an opportunity to learn how to work with electronic databases. This experience is especially valuable for students who want to conduct their own research in the future.
Marina Lazutkina
Trainee researcher