Unit 3 Research Techniques-Quantitative

Quantitative is when information is measured by quantity which provided statistics.  Companies tend to use it to figure out their target audience as it provides a percentage on how popular it is for certain age groups. To gain information companies may produce close questions surveys, as it gives specific answers. To create data and figures, along they would be able to work out the percentages, such as within one hundred of people this amount of people prefers this product. Nevertheless it may also help the companies look better, such as if companies decide to publish this, the product may look better and give people false information on how exactly good the product is. As companies tends to not tell the buyers on how many people they have asked about the product or what specific questions they have asked, it will make the buyers assume it is good in all ways and the companies have asked a wide variety and quantity of people. Nevertheless quantitative information can also be gained through observing.

For example in Super-Size Me, where Morgan Spurlock used himself as a test subject for a month, testing out if junk food is bad for you. From a healthy fit body Morgan Spurlock found out that eating 3 Mc Donald’s per day for a month made his Cholesterol rise to 230 and from 1% body fat to 18% body. The information is presented the audience by using diagrams of Morgan Spurlock body, the before and after body. Along by side of the after body they used captions to show what has changed, giving people full on details on what has been affected, so even if they missed what the voice over said they would still know. The information is done well as people would understand it more as it was given in a very blunt way. Nevertheless it also teaches people on how much junk food can affect you within a month, as Morgan Spurlock gained 24.5 pound within the month. This means Morgan Spurlock had eaten 30 pound of sugar and 12 pound of fat per day. Which is an outrage, I personally think they decided to tell the audience all these affects, in hoping it would give people a scare, so people would reconsider on how much junk food they eat and should eat. Though there aim is not to get people to stop eating it or make people sue fast food companies for some easy money, it is just making people wary of it. But to show some mercy/niceness towards fast food companies, Morgan Spurlock introduced the Cheeseburger bill that came in March 2007 to the audience. The Cheeseburger bill protects fast food companies from people suing them, for it making people obese. As there can be many reasons and way for people to become obese.

However while in March Of The Penguins the quantitative information is gained by observing. As they are penguins it is not really possible for humans to talk to penguins and ask it questions. So to gain information they would have had to be patient and observe. For example in the beginning of the documentary Morgan Freeman voice over said that the penguins had to march for 20 days and 20 night. To find this information out they would of need to be there and witness it.  It is useful information as the documentary is about it and information which most people do not know. It creates questions for the audience, such as how do they do it and why. It leads the audience to carry on watching, as it teaches them more facts that may shock them or things they never thought off. The information was shown by real footage of penguins being graceful, such as using long/close up shot when the penguin come up from the water. Along shots of the penguins lining up to be ready to do the march, the information was told over voice over of Morgan Freeman.

Another example would be that when the egg is given to the male to protect. The male penguins survives for 125 days without food or anything, by then it would be 80 degree below zero while the wind is strong as 100 mile per hour. While that time it allows the females to go back to the sea to get food for herself and the chick. The information tells the audience that the father endures the harsh weather while protecting the chick/egg. This information is told by voice over and actions, using real footage from the mother passing the egg to the father to footage of the northern light above the penguins. When the male penguins gather up tight together to keep warm, there you see a layer of snow covering them up along an old penguin died from the cold. Along a cross cut scene where the audience see the females travelling back to the sea and in the sea getting food. It is useful information as it shows that the male penguins go through a harder time than the females and how amazing they can survive through all that. In a way it shows male penguins in a whole new way for some people. Also for other people who would like to witness this they would know when and how long the penguins would be there. Such as if they would like to do further more research on them.  Nevertheless the documentary is simply about penguins reproducing and how the journey is, in a factual detailed way.

Overall the advantage of quantitative is that it provides statics, figures and data. As it provides detailed information, which would be extremely helpful for people when they want to know about certain sections in something, so they would know what to target. While the disadvantage of quantitative is that it does not provide a percentage. Along it is restricted information, such as in a questionnaire it would mainly be close questions. So people would be limited in their views.