Research Methods | AQA GCSE Psychology (8182)
Research Methods
- 138 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
Research Methods is examined in Paper 1, Cognition and behaviour.
It covers hypotheses and variables, sampling methods, experimental designs and types of experiment, interviews, questionnaires, case studies and observations, research procedures, reliability and validity, ethical issues in psychological research, types of data, calculations and averages and correlation, graphs and the normal distribution.
Sample questions from Research Methods
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Hypotheses and variables
A researcher predicts that eating breakfast improves pupils' test scores. Write a null hypothesis for this study.
Show the answer
Eating breakfast will have no effect on pupils' test scores. Any difference in scores will be due to chance. -
Sampling methods
Why might a random sample still be unrepresentative?
Show the answer
Chance alone can produce a sample that over-represents one group, such as mostly boys. The risk is greatest when the sample is small. -
Experimental designs and types of experiment
What is a matched pairs design?
Show the answer
A matched pairs design uses different participants who are paired on relevant features, such as age or IQ. One member of each pair goes into each condition. -
Interviews, questionnaires, case studies and observations
Give one strength and one weakness of questionnaires.
Show the answer
A questionnaire can collect data from many people quickly and cheaply. Participants may give socially desirable answers rather than truthful ones. -
Research procedures, reliability and validity
Why is random allocation used in an independent groups design?
Show the answer
Random allocation spreads participant variables evenly across the conditions. Any difference in the results is then more likely to be caused by the independent variable. -
Ethical issues in psychological research
What is the right to withdraw?
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The right to withdraw means participants can leave a study at any time without giving a reason. Participants can also ask for their data to be removed. -
Types of data, calculations and averages
Find the median of these scores: 12, 15, 9, 14, 11, 13.
Show the answer
The median is 12.5. The scores in order are 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 12.5 is halfway between the middle two. -
Correlation, graphs and the normal distribution
What is a correlation?
Show the answer
A correlation is an association between two co-variables, where a change in one goes with a change in the other. The researcher does not manipulate either variable.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Hypotheses and variables | Alternative and null hypotheses, operationalising variables, independent, dependent and extraneous variables, and how extraneous variables are controlled. | 16 |
| Sampling methods | Target populations and representative samples, random, opportunity, systematic and stratified sampling with their strengths and weaknesses, and sampling bias. | 17 |
| Experimental designs and types of experiment | Independent groups, repeated measures and matched pairs designs, and laboratory, field and natural experiments with a strength and a weakness of each. | 17 |
| Interviews, questionnaires, case studies and observations | Structured and unstructured interviews, open and closed questions, case studies, observation with behavioural categories, and inter-observer reliability. | 18 |
| Research procedures, reliability and validity | Standardised procedures and instructions, random allocation, order effects and counterbalancing, reliability, validity, ecological validity and demand characteristics. | 17 |
| Ethical issues in psychological research | Informed consent, deception, the right to withdraw, protection from harm, confidentiality and privacy, debriefing, and the role of an ethics committee. | 17 |
| Types of data, calculations and averages | Quantitative and qualitative, primary and secondary data, the mean, median, mode and range, and fractions, percentages, ratios, standard form and significant figures. | 18 |
| Correlation, graphs and the normal distribution | Frequency tables, bar charts, histograms and scatter diagrams, positive, negative and zero correlations, and the shape of a normal distribution. | 18 |
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
AQA GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 619 questions with their answers.