Practical Activities and the Nature of Science | OCR A-Level Psychology (H567)

Practical Activities and the Nature of Science

72 questions
6 subtopics
Component 01: Research methods
Component 01

Practical Activities and the Nature of Science is examined on component 01 of OCR Psychology, Research methods.

72 recall questions across 6 subtopics.

Sample questions from Practical Activities and the Nature of Science

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Conducting and analysing self-report, observation, experimental and correlational practicals

What level of data does a tally chart of behavioural categories produce?

Show the answer
Nominal data, because it is a frequency count of behaviours falling into named categories.
Conducting and analysing self-report, observation, experimental and correlational practicals

Which form of data display is used to present the outcome of a correlational practical?

Show the answer
A scatter diagram, with one co-variable on each axis.
Risk assessment and management in practicals

Give three risks that arise from collecting data in a public place.

Show the answer
Traffic and other physical hazards at the site, working alone away from supervision, and approaching members of the public who have not agreed to take part.
Risk assessment and management in practicals

Is a detailed risk assessment form legally required for each individual practical activity?

Show the answer
No, there is no specific legal requirement for one, although a minority of employers do ask for it.
Cause and effect, falsification and replicability

Define falsification.

Show the answer
The principle that a theory is only scientific if it is capable of being proved wrong by evidence.
Cause and effect, falsification and replicability

Which hypothesis is actually tested in a study, and how does this relate to falsification?

Show the answer
The null hypothesis is tested, and the aim is to gather evidence strong enough to reject it, which is falsification put into practice.
Replication, objectivity, induction and deduction

Give three ways objectivity can be increased in a psychological study.

Show the answer
Using standardised procedures for all participants, operationalising variables so measurement does not rely on judgement, and using a double-blind procedure or independent raters.
Replication, objectivity, induction and deduction

Describe the order of steps in inductive reasoning.

Show the answer
Observation of specific instances, identification of a repeated pattern, formation of a tentative explanation and then a general theory.

The 6 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Conducting and analysing self-report, observation, experimental and correlational practicals	Recall questions on the four types of practical activity, planning and analysing self-report, observation, experimental and correlational practicals, why correlations cannot show causation, handling data, the order of analysis, and keeping written records.	15
Risk assessment and management in practicals	Recall questions on risk assessment for psychology practicals, its four stages, risks in public places, control measures for psychological risk, legal responsibility for health and safety in schools, and planning for hazards before a practical.	11
Cause and effect, falsification and replicability	Recall questions on establishing cause and effect, why correlation does not show causation, falsification and unfalsifiable theories, which hypothesis is tested, and what makes a study replicable.	9
Replication, objectivity, induction and deduction	Recall questions on why replication increases confidence, objectivity and ways to increase it, induction and its steps, deduction, the difference between them, and identifying inductive reasoning in an example.	9
Hypothesis testing, manipulation of variables and quantifiable measurements	Recall questions on hypothesis testing, stating hypotheses in advance, manipulation of variables, control and standardisation, standardised instructions, quantifiable measurements, and principles weakened by open self-report measures.	10
How society makes decisions about science and psychology's contribution to society	Recall questions on who is involved when society decides about scientific issues, peer review, media, ethics committees, funding and public opinion, and psychology's contribution to the economy, workplaces, eyewitness questioning, education, health and childcare.	18

Practical Activities and the Nature of Science is 72 of the 3,537 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

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.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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.
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.