Mathematical Requirements for Research Methods | OCR A-Level Psychology (H567)
Mathematical Requirements for Research Methods
- 177 questions
- 18 subtopics
- Component 01: Research methods
- Component 01
Mathematical Requirements for Research Methods is examined on component 01 of OCR Psychology, Research methods.
177 recall questions across 18 subtopics.
Sample questions from Mathematical Requirements for Research Methods
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Decimal and standard form, percentages and ratios
A results table records a value as 1.25 × 10⁴. State this in decimal form.
Show the answer
It is 12,500. -
Significant figures and calculating the mean
Give 12,486 to three significant figures.
Show the answer
It is 1.25 × 10⁴, written in standard form so that exactly three significant figures are shown. -
The range and standard deviation
The five scores 7, 7, 10, 13 and 13 have a mean of 10. Using the version of the formula that divides by n − 1, calculate the standard deviation.
Show the answer
The squared deviations total 36, so dividing by 4 gives a variance of 9 and a standard deviation of 3. -
Correlation coefficients, pie charts and translating between data forms
Why is a scatter diagram not the right display for an experiment comparing two conditions?
Show the answer
An experiment tests a difference between conditions, which is shown by a bar chart of the condition means. A scatter diagram displays the strength and direction of a relationship between two measured variables, which is a correlational question. -
Normal and skewed distributions
What is a skewed distribution?
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An asymmetrical distribution in which the scores bunch towards one end and a longer tail stretches out to the other. -
Critical values and deciding whether a result is significant
Why is it harder to obtain a significant result with a two-tailed test?
Show the answer
The chance of error is shared between both directions, so the critical value is more demanding than for a one-tailed test at the same level. -
Distinguishing levels of measurement
Give an example of nominal data from an observation.
Show the answer
The number of children recorded in each behavioural category, such as how many shared, how many played alone and how many argued. -
Converting qualitative data and primary and secondary data
The same interview transcripts can be primary data for one researcher and secondary data for another. Explain how.
Show the answer
They are primary for the team that collected them for their own investigation, and secondary for any later researcher who reuses them for a different purpose.
The 18 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal and standard form, percentages and ratios | Recall questions on comparing and converting values in standard form and decimal form, the direction of decimal point shifts, calculating percentages, and expressing a gender split as a ratio in its simplest form. | 9 |
| Fractions, percentages and estimating results | Recall questions on fractions and percentages of samples, pie chart angles, why percentages help compare groups, small-sample percentages, estimating ranges and means, impossible percentages, and converting between fractions, decimals and percentages. | 12 |
| Significant figures and calculating the mean | Recall questions on what a significant figure is, rounding values to two and three significant figures, reporting correlation coefficients and means sensibly, and calculating arithmetic means. | 9 |
| Median, mode and choosing a measure of central tendency | Recall questions on defining and calculating the median and mode, the only measure for nominal data, which measure uses every score, comparing mean and median with an outlier, and when the mean is most appropriate. | 9 |
| The range and standard deviation | Recall questions on calculating and evaluating the range, what the standard deviation measures and how to calculate it, comparing conditions with different standard deviations, outliers, and reporting dispersion with central tendency. | 9 |
| Frequency tables, bar charts, histograms and scatter diagrams | Recall questions on frequency tables and tally charts, when to use bar charts and histograms and how they differ, labelling graphs, and recognising positive, negative and no correlation on scatter diagrams. | 13 |
| Correlation coefficients, pie charts and translating between data forms | Recall questions on interpreting scatter diagrams and correlation coefficients, translating between graphical, numerical and algebraic forms, calculating pie chart sectors, and choosing pie charts, line graphs and other displays. | 10 |
| Probability, significance levels and principles of sampling | Recall questions on probability and levels of significance, p ≤ 0.05 and 0.01, Type 1 and Type 2 errors, why hypotheses are never proved, and calculating and describing random and stratified samples and why samples can be unrepresentative. | 18 |
| Normal and skewed distributions | Recall questions on the shape of normal distributions, the proportion of scores within one standard deviation, positively and negatively skewed distributions and the order of their averages, and why distribution matters. | 9 |
| Selecting an inferential test | Recall questions on what must be known before using a table of critical values, the three questions for choosing an inferential test, which test fits each design and level of data, parametric criteria, and why non-parametric tests are common. | 11 |
| Critical values and deciding whether a result is significant | Recall questions on what a critical value is, the information needed to find one, one-tailed and two-tailed values, which tests need calculated values below or above the critical value, and deciding significance for Wilcoxon, chi-square and Mann-Whitney results. | 9 |
| Calculating chi-square and sign test values and reporting results | Recall questions on ranking tied scores, calculating expected frequencies and cell contributions to chi-square, finding N and S for the binomial sign test, and how to report and qualify a significant result. | 8 |
| Distinguishing levels of measurement | Recall questions on the three levels of measurement, why nominal data cannot be ranked or averaged, what ordinal data adds, why rating scales are ordinal, and why means suit interval data. | 8 |
| Identifying levels of measurement in quantitative and qualitative data | Recall questions on what is lost converting interval to ordinal data, identifying the level of measurement in example studies, the level of qualitative data, weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative data, and converting transcripts into numbers. | 8 |
| Converting qualitative data and primary and secondary data | Recall questions on calculating a mean from content analysis counts, what is lost when qualitative data is counted, how the same data can be primary or secondary, checking published statistics, and strengths and weaknesses of primary and secondary data. | 8 |
| Order of magnitude estimates and statistical symbols | Recall questions on order of magnitude calculations, estimating and calculating means, comparing sample sizes by orders of magnitude, spotting impossible results, and the symbols <, >, ~, ∝ and those for significance levels. | 10 |
| Reporting significance in symbols and substituting into formulae | Recall questions on reporting a significant Wilcoxon result, what p > 0.05 means, the symbols Σ, N and x̄, the formula for the mean, rearranging it to find a total or the number of scores, and the Spearman's rho formula. | 8 |
| Solving equations for Spearman's rho and chi-square | Recall questions on calculating Spearman's rho, interpreting rho values, the chi-square formula, calculating and using degrees of freedom, and why N and units must be substituted correctly into formulae. | 9 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,537 questions with their answers.