Research Methods | Edexcel GCSE Psychology (1PS0)
Research Methods
- 137 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Paper 2
- Paper 2
Research Methods is examined in Both papers, in depth in Paper 2 section A.
It covers variables, hypotheses and controls, sampling methods, experiments and experimental designs, interviews, questionnaires and types of data, correlations, case studies and observations, ethical issues in psychological research and Averages, calculations and graphs.
Sample questions from Research Methods
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Variables, hypotheses and controls
What is a participant variable? Give an example.
Show the answer
A participant variable is a characteristic of the people taking part that could affect the DV. Examples include age, mood, intelligence and previous experience. -
Sampling methods
A school has 800 students: 480 girls and 320 boys. How many of each should a stratified sample of 40 contain?
Show the answer
The sample should contain 24 girls and 16 boys. Girls make up 480 ÷ 800 = 60% of the school, and 60% of 40 is 24. -
Experiments and experimental designs
What is a natural experiment?
Show the answer
A natural experiment studies an IV that varies naturally, without the researcher manipulating it. The researcher measures the effect of that naturally occurring IV on a DV. -
Interviews, questionnaires and types of data
Give one strength and one weakness of an unstructured interview.
Show the answer
Unstructured interviews produce rich, detailed qualitative data from the participant's own point of view. Unstructured interviews are hard to replicate and analyse, and interviewer bias is more likely. -
Correlations, case studies and observations
What kinds of research are correlations suited to?
Show the answer
Correlations suit research into whether two measured variables are linked, such as stress and illness. Correlations are useful where manipulating a variable would be impossible or unethical. -
Ethical issues in psychological research
How can researchers deal with deception?
Show the answer
Deception should be mild and used only when no alternative exists. A full debrief afterwards reveals the true aim and lets participants withdraw their data. -
Evaluating studies and the core areas of psychology
How can a study be reliable but not valid?
Show the answer
A study can give the same results every time it is repeated yet still measure the wrong thing. A tightly controlled word-list test may be easy to repeat but tell us little about everyday memory. -
Averages, calculations and graphs
Reaction scores are 5, 6, 6, 7 and 40. Why is the median a better average than the mean here?
Show the answer
The extreme score of 40 pulls the mean up to 12.8, which is typical of nobody. The median of 6 is unaffected by the extreme score.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Variables, hypotheses and controls | Independent, dependent and extraneous variables, situational and participant variables, standardised procedures, counterbalancing, randomisation, single and double blind techniques, and null and alternative hypotheses. | 17 |
| Sampling methods | Target populations, random, stratified, volunteer and opportunity sampling with their strengths and weaknesses, stratified sample calculations, and sampling bias. | 16 |
| Experiments and experimental designs | Laboratory, field and natural experiments, independent measures, repeated measures and matched pairs designs, and how design affects reliability and validity. | 16 |
| Interviews, questionnaires and types of data | Structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, open and closed questions, quantitative and qualitative data, and primary and secondary data. | 17 |
| Correlations, case studies and observations | Positive, negative and zero correlations and scatter diagrams, case studies, and covert, overt and naturalistic observation with checks on reliability. | 17 |
| Ethical issues in psychological research | The British Psychological Society's guidelines on informed consent, deception, confidentiality, the right to withdraw and protection from harm, and research with vulnerable participants. | 16 |
| Evaluating studies and the core areas of psychology | Validity, reliability, generalisability, objectivity and subjectivity with examples, making a study more objective, reliable but invalid studies, the five core areas of psychology and what each studies, how Piaget, Bartlett, Caspi et al. and Phineas Gage link the areas, and holistic explanations. | 18 |
| Averages, calculations and graphs | The mean, median, mode and range, ratios, fractions, percentage change, standard form, significant figures, estimation, the normal distribution, frequency tables, bar charts and histograms. | 20 |
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
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 891 questions with their answers.