Archival Research

  (Naturalistic Methods) Archival Research

As you will recall, one of the great advantages of naturalistic methods is that there are so many data available to be studied. One approach that takes full advantage of this situation is archival research, which is based on an analysis of any type of existing records of public behavior. These records might include newspaper articles, speeches and letters of public figures, television and radio broadcasts, Internet websites, or existing surveys. Because there are so many records that can be examined, the use of archival records is limited only by the researcher’s imagination. 

          Records that have been used in past behavioral research include the trash in a landfi ll, patterns of graffi ti, wear and tear on fl oors in museums, litter, and dirt on the pages of library books (see Webb et al., 1981, for examples). Archival researchers have found that crimes increase during hotter weather (Anderson, 1989); that earlier-born children live somewhat longer than later-borns (Modin 2002); and that gender and racial stereotypes are prevalent in current television shows (Greenberg, 1980) and in magazines (Sullivan & O’Connor, 1988). 

      One of the classic archival research projects is the sociological study of the causes of suicide by sociologist Emile Durkheim (1951). Durkheim used records of people who had committed suicide in seven European countries between 1841 and 1872 for his data. These records indicated, for instance, that suicide was more prevalent on weekdays than on weekends, among those who were not married, and in the summer months. From these data, Durkheim drew the conclusion that alienation from others was the primary cause of suicide. Durkheim’s resourcefulness in collecting data and his ability to use the data to draw conclusions about the causes of suicide are remarkable. 

         Because archival records contain a huge amount of information, they must also be systematically coded. This is done through a technique known as content analysis. Content analysis is essentially the same as systematic coding of observational data and includes the specifi cation of coding categories and the use of more than one rater. In one interesting example of an archival research project, Simonton (1988) located and analyzed biographies of U.S. presidents. He had seven undergraduate students rate each of the biographies on a number of predefi ned coding categories, including “was cautious and conservative in action,” “was charismatic,” and “valued personal loyalty.” The interrater reliability of the coders was assessed and found to be adequate. 

            Simonton then averaged the ratings of the seven coders and used the data to draw conclusions about the personalities and behaviors of the presidents. For instance, he found that “charismatic” presidents were motivated by achievement and power and were more active and accomplished more while in office. Although Simonton used biographies as his source of information, he could, of course, have employed presidential speeches, information on how and where the speeches were delivered, or material on the types of appointments the presidents made, among other records.