Transferability and credibility
IB Psychologyยท Research methodologyยท 11 min read
1. Core concept
Transferability is the qualitative counterpart to generalization: instead of claiming findings apply to a whole population, the researcher gives enough rich, detailed description ('thick description') of the context for readers to judge whether the findings might apply to their own setting. It is one aspect of credibility โ how far a qualitative study's conclusions can be trusted as a faithful account of participants' realities. Responsibility for transfer shifts partly to the reader, who decides how far a context-bound finding travels.
2. Key studies
IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:
Furnham & Malik (1994)
British and Asian women held different beliefs about depression, with Asian women using more collectivistic explanations and reporting less depression. โ A finding tied tightly to cultural context โ its value depends on thick description so a reader can judge transferability to another group, not on claiming it generalizes.
3. Evaluation (AO3)
Strength โ honest about context โ Transferability respects that qualitative findings are situated, and gives readers the detail to decide relevance rather than over-claiming universality.
Limitation โ judgement, not proof โ Because transfer is left to the reader's judgement, two readers can disagree, and thin reporting makes any judgement unreliable.
4. Scope
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
Qualitative findings either 'generalize' like an experiment or are worthless.
Why:
A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
Correct move:
Qualitative research aims for transferability, not statistical generalization: provide thick description of the context and let readers judge fit. Judge it by credibility criteria, not by sample size.
Going deeper
- Generalizing findingsgeneralization is the quantitative counterpart (RM_7).
- Ensuring credibilitycredibility is secured through concrete strategies (RM_10).