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1.4 - Research Methods (Part 3)

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

34 views75 pages

1.4 - Research Methods (Part 3)

Uploaded by

aabudalah71

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Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 75

_______________________

Name:
_
1.4 Research methods part
3 _______________________
Class:
_

_______________________
Date:
_

Time: 229 minutes

Marks: 229 marks

Comments:

Page 1 of 75
Q1.
The following statements are advantages and limitations of different research methods.
Only two of them are about correlations. Which two are they?

Tick two boxes only.

This method provides detailed information

about individuals.

This method cannot establish cause and

effect.

This method allows a researcher to see if

there is a relationship between two variables.

This method allows the researcher to control

all variables.
(Total 2 marks)

Q2.
A psychologist conducted an experiment to find out if people reacted more quickly to a
ringing bell or to a flashing red light. Each participant sat in front of a machine which could
make a sound like a ringing bell, or could flash a red light. The participant had to press a
button on the machine immediately when they:

• heard a bell ring

or
• saw a red light flash.

The machine recorded their reaction times in milliseconds.

(a) (i) Identify the independent variable in this experiment.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Identify the dependent variable in this experiment.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) Write a suitable hypothesis for this experiment.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

Page 2 of 75
The target population for this experiment was workers at a car assembly plant. There
were more than 100 workers at the plant. The psychologist selected 10 participants, using
systematic sampling.

(c) Describe how the psychologist could have used systematic sampling to select 10
participants. Outline one limitation of systematic sampling and explain how this
might affect the study.
(Answer in continuous prose.)

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(6)

Each participant took part in both conditions of the experiment.

• In Condition A, each participant had to react once to a ringing bell.

• In Condition B, each participant had to react once to a flashing red light.

(d) The psychologist used counterbalancing in this experiment. Outline how this might
have been done.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

The results of the experiment are shown the table below.

Page 3 of 75
Time taken in milliseconds to react to the ringing bell
(Condition A) and to the flashing red light (Condition B).

Participant Condition A Condition B

number (ringing bell) (flashing red light)

1 21 17

2 14 14

3 12 17

4 14 14

5 12 12

6 11 13

7 14 12

8 14 18

9 14 19

10 14 14

Total 140 150

(e) (i) The mean time for Condition A is:

Tick the correct box.

140 milliseconds

70 milliseconds

14 milliseconds
(1)

(ii) The mean time for Condition B is:

Tick the correct box.

15 milliseconds

29 milliseconds

14.5 milliseconds
(1)

(iii) What is the range for Condition A?

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(iv) What is the range for Condition B?

______________________________________________________________
(1)

Page 4 of 75
(f) Using the mean times and the ranges, what conclusions could the psychologist draw
from this experiment? Explain your answer.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(4)
(Total 20 marks)

Q3.
A psychology student conducted an investigation into treatments for phobias.
She wanted to find out which of the following was the more successful treatment:

• flooding
• systematic desensitisation.

This is what she did.

• She went to a clinic for people with phobias.

• She selected 10 people who were treated using flooding and 10 who were treated
using systematic desensitisation.
• At the end of their treatment, each participant completed a questionnaire in which
they rated the success of their treatment programme.

(a) The psychology student used opportunity sampling to obtain her sample. Outline
how she could have done this.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(b) (i) The questionnaire contained both open questions and closed questions. The
following question was asked on the questionnaire:

‘How do you feel after your treatment programme?’

This is an example of:

Tick the correct box.

Page 5 of 75
A closed question

An open question
(1)

(ii) Outline one advantage of using open questions in a questionnaire.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(iii) Outline one advantage of using closed questions in a questionnaire.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(c) (i) The psychology student needed to consider ethical issues during her
investigation. One issue was confidentiality and she dealt with this by not
recording any personal details about the participants.

Apart from confidentiality, identify one other ethical issue that the psychology
student should have considered.

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Briefly explain why the issue that you identified in your answer to part (c)(i)
should have been considered in this study.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(iii) Outline how she could have dealt with the issue that you identified in your
answer to part (c)(i).

______________________________________________________________

Page 6 of 75
______________________________________________________________
(2)

As part of the questionnaire, participants were also asked to rate the success of their
treatment on a 10 point scale. The scale was 1–10, with 1 being no improvement and 10
being excellent improvement.

Participant ratings of the success of the treatment

Systematic
Flooding
Participant Participant Desensitisation
rating
rating

1 9 11 6

2 7 12 7

3 9 13 6

4 3 14 8

5 8 15 7

6 10 16 8

7 2 17 6

8 2 18 7

9 1 19 7

10 7 20 6

MEDIAN 7

(d) (i) Using the information in the table above, work out the median rating for
flooding.

You may use this space to work out the median.

Median = ___________
(1)

(ii) Explain why the median ratings for flooding and systematic desensitisation
could be misleading when drawing a conclusion about the success of these
treatments.

______________________________________________________________

Page 7 of 75
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(e) (i) The psychology student decided to carry out case studies using one
participant from each of the two treatment groups. What is a case study?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(ii) Outline one disadvantage of using case studies in psychological research.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 20 marks)

Q4.
Outline one advantage of using open questions in a questionnaire.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q5.
Outline one advantage of using closed questions in a questionnaire.

_______________________________________________________________________

Page 8 of 75
_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q6.
Outline one disadvantage of using case studies in psychological research.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q7.
A psychology student had an idea for a memory experiment. He thought that people who
were born in England would remember the names of English towns and cities better than
the names of French towns and cities. He wanted to see whether or not this was true.

This is what he did.

• He selected the names of 10 English towns and cities; for example, Bristol, Leeds,
Bradford, Hull.
• He selected the names of 10 French towns and cities; for example, Paris, Nice,
Orleans, Lille.
• He then put the 20 names into one list using a process of randomisation.

(a) Describe how the student could randomise the list of 20 names.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)

The student decided that his target population would be all Year 11 students who were
born in England. He selected his sample by going into his school canteen and asking Year
11 students whether or not they were born in England. He chose the first 10 students who
said “Yes” as his sample.

(b) (i) What sampling method did the student use?

Tick the correct box.

Random

Page 9 of 75
Opportunity

Systematic

Stratified

(1)

(ii) Identify one advantage and one limitation of the sampling method you
selected in part (b)(i).

Advantage _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Limitation ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

The student then conducted his experiment using standardised procedures. This is what
he did.

• He took participants individually to a quiet area.

• He gave participants one minute to study the list of 20 towns and cities.
• He removed the list.
• He gave participants one minute to write the names of as many towns and cities that
they could recall from the list.
• He then counted the number of English towns and cities, and the number of French
towns and cities that each participant recalled.

(c) Write a suitable hypothesis for this experiment.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(d) Identify the experimental design used in this experiment.

Tick the correct box.

Independent groups

Matched pairs

Repeated measures

(1)

(e) (i) Identify the independent variable in this experiment.

Tick the correct box.

Page 10 of 75
Whether or not the participants were born in
England

Whether the towns and cities were English or

French
(1)

(ii) Identify the dependent variable in this experiment.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(f) Explain why it was important for the student to use standardised procedures with
each participant in this experiment.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)
(Total 14 marks)

Q8.
Three female psychology teachers conducted a study into bystander behaviour. They
thought that, if a female was in need of help, males would be more likely to offer help than
females. The target population was university students and the participants were whoever
happened to be present at the time of the study. The students were not told that they were
going to be part of a study.

This is what the teachers did.

• They chose 15 locations at the university to conduct the study where there would be
both male and female bystanders.

• At each location one of the teachers dropped her folders and books when there was
only one male or one female bystander present.

• The other two teachers observed the bystanders. Each teacher recorded on her
own record sheet whether the bystander helped or did not help.

• The bystanders, whether they helped or not, were stopped later and the purpose of
the study was explained to them.

(a) Identify the sampling method that the teachers used during this study.

___________________________________________________________________

Page 11 of 75
___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(b) Identify one ethical issue that the teachers should have considered.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(d) The two teachers who observed the students compared their record sheets
afterwards and found that they both had the same results. This suggests that there
was:
Tick the correct box.

High inter-observer reliability

Low inter-observer reliability

(1)

The results of the study are shown in the table below.

The number of males and females that helped or did not help

Male Female

Helped 15 5

Did not help 6 15

(e) Use the graph paper below to draw a bar chart to display the results shown in the
table.

Provide a suitable title and fully label your bar chart.

Title: ______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Page 12 of 75
(5)

(f) (i) Do the results of the investigation provide support for what the teachers
thought would happen?
Tick the correct box.

Yes

(1)

(ii) Explain the reason for your answer to part (f)(i). Refer to the information in the
table.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(g) (i) The teachers decided to conduct structured interviews with ten of the
bystanders.
They used random sampling to select the bystanders.

Outline one way in which the teachers could have obtained their random
sample.

______________________________________________________________

Page 13 of 75
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(ii) Read the following questions that were used during the interview. Decide
whether each is an open question or a closed question.
Tick the correct box.

Open Closed

How did it make you feel when you

saw the person drop her books?

Would you have helped if a male

had dropped his books? Yes or No
(2)

(iii) Explain at least one advantage of using structured interviews.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)
(Total 20 marks)

Q9.
Explain at least one advantage of using structured interviews.

_______________________________________________________________________

Page 14 of 75
_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 3 marks)

Q10.
(a) Describe the method and results of one study in which touch was investigated.

Method
_____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Results ____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(b) Some people might say that studies of touch lack ecological validity. Outline one
other criticism of the study that you have described in your answer to part (a).

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 4 marks)

Q11.
A psychology teacher had an idea that students who study drama are more extravert than

Page 15 of 75
students who do not study drama. She wanted to find out whether or not this is true and
decided to conduct an experiment. This is what she did.

• She asked all 30 members of her Year 11 psychology class whether or not they
studied drama. She discovered that half of her class did study drama.
• After obtaining their consent to take part in the experiment, she asked every
member of her class to complete the EPI (a personality test). The test measures
extraversion. The higher the score, the more extravert a person is.
• She calculated the mean extraversion score for the students who studied drama and
the mean extraversion score for the students who did not study drama.

(a) (i) Identify the independent variable in this investigation.

Tick the correct box.

The EPI (a personality test)

The extraversion score for each student

Whether or not the students studied drama

(1)

(ii) Identify the dependent variable in this investigation.

Tick the correct box.

The EPI (a personality test)

The extraversion score for each student

Whether or not the students studied drama

(1)

(b) Write a suitable hypothesis for this study.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

The results of the study are shown in the table below.

The mean extraversion scores out of 50 for students who studied drama and
for students who did not study drama

Page 16 of 75
Students Students
who studied who did not
drama study drama

Mean extraversion score 40 20

Provide a suitable title and fully label your graph.

Title:_______________________________________________________________

(5)

(d) (i) Do the results of the investigation provide support for what the psychology
teacher was trying to find out?
Tick the correct box.

Yes

No
(1)

(ii) Explain the reason for your answer to part (d)(i). Refer to the aim and results
of the study in your explanation.

______________________________________________________________

Page 17 of 75
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(e) Read the following descriptions of sampling methods.

Those selected are members of the target population who

happen to be available to take part.

Every member of the target population has an equal chance

of being selected.

Different subgroups of the target population are identified and

then participants are selected from the subgroups in
proportion to their numbers in the target population.

Every fifth member of the target population is selected for the

sample.

From the following list of terms, choose the one that matches each description and
write either A, B, C or D in the box next to it. Use each letter only once.

A Random
B Opportunity
C Systematic
D Stratified
(3)

(f) Outline one advantage and one limitation of stratified sampling.

Advantage__________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Limitation___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(4)

Page 18 of 75
(Total 20 marks)

Q12.
Read the following descriptions of sampling methods.

Those selected are members of the target population who

happen to be available to take part.

Every member of the target population has an equal chance

of being selected.

Different subgroups of the target population are identified and

then participants are selected from the subgroups in
proportion to their numbers in the target population.

Every fifth member of the target population is selected for the

sample.

From the following list of terms, choose the one that matches each description and write
either A, B, C or D in the box next to it. Use each letter only once.

A Random
B Opportunity
C Systematic
D Stratified
(Total 3 marks)

Q13.
Outline one advantage and one limitation of stratified sampling.

Advantage______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Limitation_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 4 marks)

Page 19 of 75
Q14.
Read the following newspaper article:

Video games make people aggressive

Last week, a twelve-year-old boy was suspended from school after
getting into fights. He had been caught fighting many times in the past
month.
It was discovered that the boy had been playing violent video games
for several years. The school has suggested that this might be the
cause of his aggressive behaviour.

The newspaper article suggested that an increase in levels of aggression in children could
be caused by playing violent video games.

A psychologist conducted a study to see whether this was true. This is what she did.

• She selected a group of 10 children aged between 11 and 14 from a school, using
systematic sampling.
• She asked the mothers of the 10 children to complete a questionnaire about the
number of hours a week that their son or daughter played violent video games.
• She asked the Head Teacher of the 10 children to rate the children’s aggression at
school on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 meant that the child was not aggressive and
10 meant that the child was very aggressive.

(a) Outline one advantage and one disadvantage of using questionnaires in

psychological research.

Advantage__________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Disadvantage________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(4)

(b) What is the difference between closed questions and open questions?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

Page 20 of 75
(c) Which of the following questions is a closed question?
Tick the correct box.

Does your child play video games? Yes or No

What do you think about video games?

(1)

(d) Outline one way in which the psychologist could have obtained her sample using
systematic sampling.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(e) (i) Identify one ethical issue that the psychologist should have considered in this
study.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Briefly outline how the psychologist could have dealt with the ethical issue that
you have identified in part (e)(i).

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

After the study, the psychologist decided to use a correlation to analyse the results.
She plotted these results on the scatter graph below.

(f) Look at the graph below. Identify the type of correlation that has been found.
Tick the correct box.

Graph to show the relationship between the number of hours

per week playing violent video games and the rating of aggression

Page 21 of 75
Positive correlation

Negative correlation

No correlation
(1)

(g) Justify your answer to part (f).

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(h) Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Tick the correct box

Correlations can show the strength of a

relationship between two variables.

Correlations show the causes of behaviour.

(1)

(i) Outline one limitation of using a correlation in psychological research.

Page 22 of 75
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(j) Another way of collecting data would have been for the psychologist to observe the
behaviour of the children in their school.

Outline either an advantage or a disadvantage of using observations in

psychological research.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 20 marks)

Q15.
Read the following newspaper article:

Video games make people aggressive

The newspaper article suggested that an increase in levels of aggression in children could
be caused by playing violent video games.

A psychologist conducted a study to see whether this was true. This is what she did.

Outline one advantage and one disadvantage of using questionnaires in psychological

research.

Advantage______________________________________________________________

Page 23 of 75
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Disadvantage____________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 4 marks)

Q16.
What is the difference between closed questions and open questions?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q17.
Which of the following questions is a closed question?
Tick the correct box.

Does your child play video games? Yes or No

What do you think about video games?

(Total 1 mark)

Q18.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Tick the correct box.

Correlations can show the strength of a

relationship between two variables.

Correlations show the causes of behaviour.

(Total 1 mark)

Q19.
Outline one limitation of using a correlation in psychological research.

_______________________________________________________________________

Page 24 of 75
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q20.
Psychologists have studied factors that affect personal space. Explain at least one
criticism of these studies.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 3 marks)

Q21.
Read the following statements about experiments. Only one of them is correct.
Tick the correct box.

An experiment looks at the effect of a

dependent variable on an independent
variable.

An experiment looks at the effect of an

independent variable on a dependent
variable.
(Total 1 mark)

Q22.
Look at the following advantages of different experimental designs.

Differences between participants do not affect

the findings in this design.

Often the same material can be used for the

task in both conditions in this design.

There are no order effects in this design.

From the following list of experimental designs, choose the one that matches each
advantage and write either A or B in the box next to it. You can use each letter more than
once.

Page 25 of 75
A Independent groups
B Repeated measures
(Total 3 marks)

Q23.
Read the following statement and decide whether it is TRUE or FALSE.

A disadvantage of conducting research in natural settings is that extraneous variables are

hard to control.
Tick the correct box.

True False

(Total 1 mark)

Q24.
A psychologist decided to conduct an observational study. She wanted to find out whether
there was a gender difference in the number of aggressive acts displayed by boys and
girls under the age of seven. This is what she did.

• She devised categories that could be used to record aggressive behaviour.

• She used an opportunity sample of 19 boys and 6 girls who were in the school
playground at break-time. The target population was children under seven years old
at a local primary school.
• She then observed the behaviour of the boys and girls for twenty minutes and
recorded their aggressive behaviour.

(a) What is meant by the term opportunity sample?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(b) Give one advantage of using an opportunity sample.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(c) Identify one sampling method, other than opportunity sampling, that the psychologist
could have used to obtain her sample.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

Page 26 of 75
(d) (i) Give three categories of behaviour that the psychologist could have used to
observe aggression.

Category 1 _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Category 2 _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Category 3 _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(ii) Identify three problems that may have occurred when observing behaviour in
this study.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(3)

(e) (i) Identify one ethical issue that the psychologist should have considered before
conducting this study.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(1)

(ii) Outline how the ethical issue that you have identified in your answer to (e)(i)
could have been dealt with by the psychologist.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
(2)

(f) The psychologist wanted to obtain more information about the children and so she
decided to conduct several case studies. Outline one advantage and one
disadvantage of using case studies.

Page 27 of 75
Advantage __________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Disadvantage _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(4)

(g) Look at the table below which contains some examples of ways to analyse data.

Description Term

Calculated by looking at the middle score in a

set of data after the data has been put into
ascending order.

Calculated by finding the most frequently

occurring score.

Calculated by adding up all of the scores and

dividing the total by the number of participants.

From the following list of terms, choose the one that matches each description and
write A, B, C or D in the box next to the correct description.

A Mean
B Mode
B Median
B Range
(3)
(Total 20 marks)

Q25.
What is meant by the term opportunity sample?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q26.
Give one advantage of using an opportunity sample.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 1 mark)

Page 28 of 75
Q27.
Look at the table below which contains some examples of ways to analyse data.

Description Term

Calculated by looking at the middle score in a

set of data after the data has been put into
ascending order.

Calculated by finding the most frequently

occurring score.

Calculated by adding up all of the scores and

dividing the total by the number of participants.

From the following list of terms, choose the one that matches each description and write
A, B, C or D in the box next to the correct description.

A Mean
B Mode
C Median
D Range
(Total 3 marks)

Q28.
A psychology student wanted to find out whether there was a difference in the
mathematical skills of males and females in his year group at school. This is what he did.

• Ten male students and ten female students from his year group volunteered to take
part in his study.
• He saw each participant, one at a time, in a quiet room.
• He asked each participant to complete a mathematics test. He used the same
instructions each time:

“In front of you is a mathematics test that contains 30 questions. When I give you the
signal to begin, you will have 20 minutes to complete as many questions as you can. You
have the right to withdraw and your results will be kept confidential. You may begin.”

(a) Write a suitable hypothesis for this study.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(b) Look at the description of the study. Identify the two ethical issues that the student
dealt with when conducting this study.

Ethical issue 1 _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Page 29 of 75
Ethical issue 2 _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(c) Identify the experimental design used in this study.

Tick the correct box.

Independent groups

Matched pairs

Repeated measures
(1)

(d) Identify the target population for this study.

Tick the correct box.

Everybody in the student’s school

Everybody in the student’s year group

The 20 participants
(1)

(e) Identify the sampling method used in this study.

Tick the correct box.

Opportunity

Stratified

Systematic
(1)

(f) Explain one advantage of random sampling.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)

(g) Briefly explain why it is important to give the same instructions to all of the
participants in this study.

___________________________________________________________________

Page 30 of 75
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

The results of the study are shown in the table below.

The number of correct answers out of 30 obtained by male and female participants
in a mathematics test

Number of Number of
Male Female
correct correct
participants participants
answers answers

1 17 11 15

2 18 12 16

3 23 13 21

4 18 14 16

5 16 15 14

6 20 16 18

7 22 17 20

8 5 18 23

9 18 19 16

10 23 20 21

Total 180 Total 180

(h) (i) The mean number of correct answers for male participants is:
Tick the correct box.

36
(1)

(ii) The mode for the number of correct answers for female participants is:
Tick the correct box.

21
(1)

Read each of the following statements and decide if it is TRUE or FALSE.

(a) The mean number of words recalled in Condition A is:

Tick the correct box.

200
(1)

(b) Calculate the mean number of words recalled in Condition B.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(1)

(c) Write a suitable hypothesis for this study.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(d) Identify one variable that the student controlled in this study.
Tick the correct box.

All 20 participants volunteered.

All the participants learned the same list of 30

words.
(1)

(e) Identify the research method used in this study.

Tick the correct box.

Experiment

Page 34 of 75
Case study

Observation
(1)

(f) Outline one advantage of the method that you have identified in your answer to part
(e).

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)
(Total 8 marks)

Q32.
A psychologist carried out a study of obedience. He wanted to find out if more people
would obey the orders of an authority figure wearing a uniform. He carried out his study as
follows.

• He dressed as a security guard and stood outside a shop. He stopped 20 people

walking past and told them to pick up litter from outside the shop. He selected the 20
people by stopping every fifth person who walked past him.

• He then dressed in casual clothes and stood outside the same shop. He stopped 20
people walking past and told them to pick up litter from outside the shop. Again, he
selected the 20 people by stopping every fifth person who walked past him.

He found that more people obeyed him when he was dressed as a security guard than
when he was wearing casual clothes.

(a) Explain one reason why wearing a uniform increases obedience. Refer to the
findings of this study in your answer.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(3)

(b) Identify the independent variable for this study.

Tick the correct box.

Whether the psychologist was dressed as a

security guard or dressed in casual clothes

Page 35 of 75
The number of people who picked up litter in
each condition

The psychologist standing outside the same

shop
(1)

(c) Identify the dependent variable for this study.

Tick the correct box.

Whether the psychologist was dressed as a

security guard or dressed in casual clothes

The number of people who picked up litter in

each condition

The psychologist standing outside the same

shop
(1)

(d) Identify the sampling method used in this study.

Tick the correct box.

Random

Opportunity

Systematic

Stratified
(1)

(e) Outline one advantage of the sampling method that you have identified in your
answer to part (d).

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
(2)

(f) Identify one advantage of carrying out this study in a natural setting.
Tick the correct box.

All the variables are controlled.

It shows how people behave in everyday

situations.
(1)
(Total 9 marks)

Page 36 of 75
Q33.
A psychologist wanted to see whether there is a relationship between the number of hours
of television watched by children and the number of gender stereotyped toys which they
chose during play. The results of the study are shown in the table below

Number of hours of television watched and the number of gender stereotyped toys
chosen during play

Child Hours of television Number of gender

watched stereotyped toys
chosen during play

1 21 11

2 8 2

3 26 14

4 22 10

5 15 5

6 25 13

7 18 9

8 10 3

9 24 12

10 30 15

Use the graph paper below to draw a scatter graph displaying the results shown in the
table above. Write a suitable title for this graph and fully label your scatter graph.

Title ___________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Page 37 of 75
(Total 5 marks)

Q34.
Outline one limitation of using correlations to investigate human behaviour.

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(Total 2 marks)

Q35.
A psychologist carried out a survey of child-rearing styles. He randomly selected 100
families who were registered at the local health centre where he worked. He sent the
parents a questionnaire asking them how they disciplined their children.

(a) Identify one disadvantage of random sampling.

Tick the correct box.

Researcher bias

Sample is unlikely to be representative

of the target population

Time consuming
(1)

(b) Identify one ethical issue that needed to be considered in this study.

___________________________________________________________________

Page 38 of 75
___________________________________________________________________
(1)
(Total 2 marks)

Page 39 of 75
Mark schemes

Q1.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 2]

This method provides detailed

information about individuals.

This method cannot establish cause and

effect. ✓

This method allows a researcher to see if

✓
there is a relationship between two variables.

This method allows the researcher to control

all variables.
[2]

Q2.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Answer: Participants either seeing a flashing red light or hearing a ringing

bell / saw or heard something / types of stimulus / red light or ringing bell.
1

(ii) [AO2 = 1]

Answer: Reaction times (in milliseconds)

(b) [AO2 = 2]

The hypothesis must be a testable statement.

Possible answer: There is a difference in the reaction times when people respond to
hearing a bell ring or seeing a light flash.
NOTE: Both conditions of the IV must be present and a sense of the DV (1 mark).
Operational (1 mark).
2

(c) [AO2 = 2 AO3 = 3]

AO2: up to 3 marks for a clear description of how participants could be selected

using systematic sampling.
Points to include: (i) Reference to the target population, e.g. arranging all the factory
workers in some sort of order. (ii) A method of systematic selection, e.g. selecting

Page 40 of 75
every nth name. (iii) Producing a sample of 10 participants, e.g. until they reach 10
in total.

3 marks: A clear description containing all of the above points.

2 marks: A reasonable description but lacking in detail; for example, no reference
to the target population, or not resulting in a sample of 10 participants.
1 mark: A very brief description; for example, ‘pick every 10th name.’
AO3: up to 2 marks for appropriate outline of a limitation.
Explanation must focus on a limitation of systematic sampling.
Possible limitation: Not everyone in the target population has a chance of being
selected. The sample may not be representative. Issues of generalisation.
AO3: Up to 2 marks for the possible impact on the study.
Possible effect: Might lead to an incorrect conclusion being drawn.
Max 3 AO3 marks.

Marks awarded for this answer will be determined by the quality of written
communication.

6 or 5 marks For 6 marks, there is a clear description of how

the sample is chosen and a clear outline of a
limitation.
For 5 marks, both description and limitation are
present but one of these features is slightly
lacking in detail.
The answer is well-structured with effective use
of sentences and/or paragraphs. There are few
spelling and punctuation errors.

4 or 3 marks For 4 marks, both description and limitation have

been attempted but lack some detail.
For 3 marks,either clear description or clear
limitation is present that reflects the detail of the
mark scheme, or there is a brief description
and/or limitation.
The answer has some structure with appropriate
use of sentences. There are some spelling and
punctuation errors.

2 or 1 mark For 2 marks, there are fewer than 3 descriptive

and/or limitation points relating to the sampling
method.
For 1 mark the answer is muddled.
There is little evidence of structure in terms of
correct use of sentences. There are frequent
spelling and punctuation errors.

0 marks No relevant content

(d) [AO2 = 2]

AO2: up to 2 marks for a valid outline of how counterbalancing can be achieved.

Points to be included in answer: Any outline in which half of the participants
experience Condition A first whilst the other half experience Condition B first. It must
also be clear that participants experience both conditions.
2

Page 41 of 75
(e) (i) [AO3 = 1 mark]

140 milliseconds

70 milliseconds

14 milliseconds ✓
1

(ii) [AO3 = 1 mark]

15 milliseconds ✓

29 milliseconds

14.5 milliseconds
1

(iii) [AO3 = 1]

Answer: 10 milliseconds. Allow 11 − 21 milliseconds and 11 milliseconds (10 +

1)
1

(iv) [AO3 = 1]

Answer: 7 milliseconds. Allow 12 – 19 milliseconds and 8 milliseconds (7 + 1)

(f) [AO3 = 4]

AO3: up to 4 marks for drawing valid conclusions by using both the means and
ranges.
Possible points: the mean times are lower for the ringing bell than the flashing light
(1 mark). This shows people respond quicker to sounds than visual information (1
mark). As the range for the ringing bell is higher than for the flashing light (1 mark)
this suggests there is a bigger variability in peoples reaction to sounds than to visual
information (1 mark). Figures need not be given.
NOTE: Candidates who make a case for the difference in mean times (10
milliseconds) being so small to suggest there is no real difference in reactions times
should receive credit.
NOTE: A conclusion that takes only one calculation (mean or range) into account
should receive a maximum of 2 marks.
NOTE: Candidates can only receive full credit if one conclusion is based on the
means and the other based on the ranges.
NOTE: Only accept conclusions based on the correct means and ranges.
4
[20]

Q3.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

Page 42 of 75
(a) [AO2 = 2]

The answer must:

• Refer to the target population; patients / phobics / those undergoing treatment
• Arrive at 10 in each of the two groups.

Note: Simply saying people at the clinic is not specific enough for the target
population.

Possible points: The student could have waited outside the clinic and chosen the
first ten patients undergoing each treatment (2 marks)
2

(b) (i) [AO2 = 1]

A closed question

An open question ✓
1

(ii) [AO3 = 2]

Any relevant advantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: Open questions allow people to explain their answers (1

mark) so the researcher knows why each answer has been given (1 mark).
2

(iii) [AO3 = 2]

Any relevant advantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: Closed questions are easy to score (1 mark) so lots of data
can be analysed quickly (1 mark).
2

(c) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Any relevant ethical issue should be given credit (not confidentiality).

Possible points: Debriefing, protection from harm, treating participants with
respect, the right to withdraw, deception, distress, consent or any other
relevant issue
Note: If the answer to part (c)(i) is incorrect, no credit can be given to parts (c)
(ii) and (c)(iii).
1

(ii) [AO2 = 2]

2 marks for an explanation of why the issue named should have been
considered in this situation. Candidates answer must be relevant to the
situation to gain any credit.
Possible points: Treating participants with respect: Due to the nature of the
study, participants may be sensitive about their treatment so would need to be
treated respectfully (2 marks). Distress: The participants may already be under
stress as they have a phobia so bringing it up and asking questions may be
added pressure (2 marks)
No credit should be given for describing ways of dealing with the issue

Page 43 of 75
Note: If the answer to part (c)(i) is incorrect, no credit can be given to parts (c)
(ii) and (c)(iii).
2

(iii) [AO2 = 2]

Any relevant method of dealing with the issue named in part (c)(i) should be
given credit.
Possible points: These will depend on the issue identified but may include any
reference to avoiding the issue itself, for example, ‘she could have dealt with
informed consent by telling the participants what the study was about before
the start, and asking them to sign a consent form’. Reference to following the
BPS guidelines is creditworthy but will need to be made specifically relevant to
the issue identified to gain 2 marks.

Debrief may be used as a way of dealing with the majority of potential issues
so is creditworthy as long as it is made relevant to the specific issue identified.
Reference to stopping the study at any point, briefing beforehand, treating the
participants and the information sensitively may all be credit worthy.
Note: If the answer to part (c)(i) is incorrect, no credit can be given to parts (c)
(ii) and (c)(iii).
2

(d) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Median = 7
1

(ii) [AO2 = 3]

AO2: Candidates may focus on one reason in detail or two or more reasons;
one in less detail and one or more only stated. Three stated reasons would
receive a maximum of 2 marks if none are explained.
Possible points: Reference to the medians being the same but the raw data
being very different/median not accurately reflecting the ratings given,
reference to the difference in range/standard deviation, reference to
consistency of the method, reference to the conclusion drawn just on the
median being limited / not able to show the true differences in the treatments
rating.

If only either flooding or systematic desensitisation is mentioned then a

maximum of 2 marks can be given.
3

(e) (i) [AO1 = 2]

AO1: Up to 2 marks for correct description of the term.

Possible points: Reference to the small-scale nature of a case study, what
typical case studies will entail, the methods used during a case study.
Candidates might mention that case studies can involve a range of methods of
collecting information – but the focus must be on the individual / small group.
For example, ‘A case study can include interviews, biographical records as
well as observations of an individual or small group’ (2 marks). Reference to a
case study being an in-depth investigation of an individual or small group (2
marks).
2

Page 44 of 75
(ii) [AO3 = 2]

AO1: Up to 2 marks for any relevant disadvantage. To gain the maximum

marks, there must be an element of elaboration. Simply listing or identifying
disadvantages should only gain 1 mark.
Possible disadvantages: Reference to subjective nature of the method, the
problem of generalisation of findings, relevant ethical issues, comparison to
other methods should be credited if this is accurately done.

It can’t be generalised as it is only one person (1 mark).

2
[20]

Q4.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 2]

Any relevant advantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: Open questions allow people to explain their answers (1 mark) so the
researcher knows why each answer has been given (1 mark.)
[2]

Q5.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 2]

Any relevant advantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: Closed questions are easy to score (1 mark) so lots of data can be
analysed quickly (1 mark).
[2]

Q6.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 2]

AO1: Up to 2 marks for any relevant disadvantage. To gain the maximum marks, there
must be an element of elaboration. Simply listing or identifying disadvantages should only
gain 1 mark.

Possible disadvantages: Reference to subjective nature of the method, the problem of

generalisation of findings, relevant ethical issues, comparison to other methods should be
credited if this is accurately done.

Page 45 of 75
It can’t be generalised as it is only one person (1 mark).
[2]

Q7.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO2 = 3]

AO2: Up to 3 marks for a correct description of how the list could be

randomised.
Possible points: All 20 names are written on separate pieces of paper (1 mark)
and placed in a container (1 mark). The order in which they are pulled out of
the bag determines their place in the list (1 mark). Accept other correct
answers that clearly describe a randomisation process.
3

(b) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Random

Opportunity ✓

Systematic

Stratified
1

(ii) [AO3 = 2]

AO3: Any valid advantage and limitation should receive credit.

Possible points: An advantage of opportunity sampling is that it is quick
(1 mark), it is easy (1 mark). A limitation is that it is not likely to be
representative of the target population (1 mark), possibility of researcher
bias (1 mark). Available (1 mark), filling the criteria (1 mark).
NOTE: Do not accept ‘willing’.
NOTE: Credit can only be given if the answer to (b)(ii) matches the
sampling method identified in (b)(i).
2

The hypothesis must be a testable statement.

Possible answer: Participants will recall more names of English towns and
cities than French towns and cities.
NOTE: Both conditions of the IV must be present and a sense of the DV (1
mark), operational (1 mark). NOTE: Do not allow ‘More participants will
recall…’
NOTE: Accept directional and non-directional hypotheses.
NOTE: Award zero marks for an aim, description of results, etc.
2

(d) [AO2 = 1]

Page 46 of 75
Independent groups

Matched pairs

Repeated measures ✓
1

(e) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Whether or not the participants were born in

England

Whether the towns and cities were English or

✓
French
1

(ii) [AO2 = 1]

Answer: The number of towns and cities correctly recalled. Accept:

‘amount’, ‘how many’.
1

(f) [AO2 = 3]

AO2: Up to 3 marks for a valid explanation.

Possible points: It is important to use standardised procedures to make the
experiment unbiased (1 mark), therefore it is vital that they are all treated in
exactly the same way (1 mark). If some people are treated differently, it could
have an affect on the results (1 mark).
NOTE: accept ‘reliable’ and ‘valid’.
3
[14]

Q8.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO2 = 1]

Opportunity sample
1

(b) [AO2 = 1]

Any relevant ethical issue should receive credit.

Possible answers: Confidentiality, distress, deception, consent, treating
participants with respect. Debrief is acceptable.
1

Up to 2 marks for an appropriate explanation, 1 mark for identifying the reason

and a further mark for elaboration.

Page 47 of 75
Possible creditworthy points: It was not an artificial setting (1 mark) so reflects
real life (1 mark). The participants did not know they were being observed (1
mark) so acted naturally (1 mark).
2

(d) [AO3 = 1]

High inter-observer
✓
reliability

Low inter-observer
reliability
1

(e) [AO3 = 5]

The graph must have an informative title, which needs to include number of
males and females that helped or did not help (1 mark).
The display must be bar chart with four bars [the bars may touch] (1 mark).

Both axes must be clearly labelled (1 mark for each axis).

The graph must be plotted accurately (1 mark).
5

(f) (i) [AO3 = 1]

Yes ✓

No
1

(ii) [AO3 = 2]

AO3: Up to 2 marks for an appropriate explanation. Without reference to

the information in the table − maximum 1 mark.
Possible creditworthy points: There were 15 males out of 21 that helped
compared to only 5 females out of 20 (2 marks). A higher proportion of
males helped compared to females (2 marks).
2

(g) (i) [AO2 = 2]

Possible answer: The teachers could have put the names of all of the
bystanders into a container and picked out ten of them (2 marks).
For full credit answers must make reference to the target population and
random selection of ten.
2

(ii) [AO2 = 2]

Open Closed

How did it make you feel when you saw

✓
the person drop her books?

Would you have helped if a male had

✓
dropped his books? Yes or No

Page 48 of 75
2

(iii) [AO3 = 3]

Students can get marks in different ways. They can either explain one
advantage in detail or they can explain one in less detail and state
another advantage. Simply stating 2 or more advantages can gain a
maximum of 2 marks, as to get the full 3 marks, there must be an
element of elaboration in at least one of the advantages.
Any appropriate advantage is creditworthy.
Possible creditworthy points:
They can produce large amounts of data (1 mark). They can provide
information about thoughts and feelings (1 mark) that cannot be found
by observations (1 mark).
Credit comparisons to unstructured interviews, or other methods.
They can be collated and analysed easily compared to unstructured
interviews (2 marks).
3
[20]

Q9.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 3]

Students can get marks in different ways. They can either explain one advantage in detail
or they can explain one in less detail and state another advantage. Simply stating 2 or
more advantages can gain a maximum of 2 marks, as to get the full 3 marks, there must
be an element of elaboration in at least one of the advantages.
Any appropriate advantage is creditworthy.
Possible creditworthy points:
They can produce large amounts of data (1 mark). They can provide information about
thoughts and feelings (1 mark) that cannot be found by observations (1 mark).
Credit comparisons to unstructured interviews, or other methods.
They can be collated and analysed easily compared to unstructured interviews (2 marks).
[3]

Q10.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO1 = 2]

AO1 Up to 2 marks for the method (method must have two conditions) and results of
an appropriate study. The most likely study will be Fisher, Rytting & Heslin (1976).

Possible answer: Students in a library were handed books by the librarian. Half of
the students were briefly touched on the hand by the librarian. The other half weren’t
touched.

Page 49 of 75
When questioned later, the students (females) who were touched had a much more
positive attitude towards the library and the librarian.

Even if method has only one condition if the results are clear for 2 conditions award
1 mark.

[The study referred to in the article took place in 2008. The study found that two-
thirds of women agreed to dance with a man who touched them on the arm for a
second while making the request. When the same man kept his hands by his side
while asking women to dance, his success rate fell by 50%. (Allow full credit if the
method & results of this study are described)]
2

(b) [AO3 = 2]

AO3 Up to 2 marks for the outline of one relevant criticism of the study described
even if the study is not relevant to touch. Criticism stated (1), elaboration (1)

Possible answer: The participants were all students (1 mark), therefore we do not
know if males are affected in the same way (1 mark).

Note: accept answers that say participants were all female.

Note: generic criticisms maximum 1 mark.

2
[4]

Q11.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) (i) [AO2 = 1]

The EPI (personality test)

The extraversion score for each student

Whether or not the students studied drama ✓

(ii) [AO2 = 1]

The EPI (personality test)

The extraversion score for each student ✓

Whether or not the students studied drama

(b) [AO2 = 2]

The hypothesis must be a testable statement in one sentence.

Possible answer: There will be a difference between drama students and non-drama
students in their extraversion scores on the EPI.

Page 50 of 75
Note: Statement must contain a sense of the independent and dependent variables
(1 mark). Operational (1 mark).

Allow directional or non-directional hypothesis. Allow higher score.

The graph must have an informative title i.e. has to say extraversion and state the 2
conditions i.e. drama and not drama (1 mark). The display must be appropriate (i.e.
a bar graph) (1 mark). Both axes must be clearly labelled and correctly scaled and
say ‘mean’ (1 mark for each axis).
The graph must be plotted accurately (1 mark).
5

(d) (i) [AO3 = 1]

Yes ✓
No
1

(ii) [AO3 = 3]

AO3: Up to 3 marks for an appropriate explanation.

Up to 2 marks for an appropriate reference to results. 1 mark for explicit

reference to the aim of the study.

Possible points: The teacher found out that drama students get higher
extraversion scores compared to non-drama students (2 marks).The mean
extraversion score for drama students was 40 (1 mark) and for non-drama
students it was 20 (1 mark).
3

(e) [AO1 = 3]

Those selected are members of the target population who

B
happen to be available to take part.

Every member of the target population has an equal chance

A
of being selected.

Different subgroups of the target population are identified and

then participants are selected from the subgroups in D
proportion to their numbers in the target population.

Every 5th member of the target population is selected for the

C
sample.
3

(f) [AO3 = 4]

AO3: Up to 2 marks for the outline of one advantage and 2 marks for one limitation.

Possible answer: One advantage is that it is very representative of the target

population (1 mark). This is because every subgroup is represented in the sample (1
mark). One limitation is that it is very time consuming (1 mark). This is because it
takes time to divide the target population into subgroups and then select the correct

Page 51 of 75
proportion from each subgroup (1 mark).

Allow: unbiased, allows for generalisation of results

4
[20]

Q12.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO1 = 3]

Those selected are members of the target population who

B
happen to be available to take part.

Every member of the target population has an equal

A
chance of being selected.

Different subgroups of the target population are identified and

then participants are selected from the subgroups in D
proportion to their numbers in the target population.

Every 5th member of the target population is selected for the

C
sample.
[3]

Q13.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 4]

AO3: Up to 2 marks for the outline of one advantage and 2 marks for one limitation.

Possible answer: One advantage is that it is very representative of the target population (1
mark). This is because every subgroup is represented in the sample (1 mark). One
limitation is that it is very time consuming (1 mark). This is because it takes time to divide
the target population into subgroups and then select the correct proportion from each
subgroup (1 mark).

Allow: unbiased, allows for generalisation of results

[4]

Q14.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO3 = 4]

AO3: Up to 2 marks for the outline of one advantage and 2 marks for one

Page 52 of 75
disadvantage.

Possible answer: One advantage is that questionnaires can be a quick method (1

mark) to collect a large amount of data (1 mark). One disadvantage is that there is
no way of checking if the answers are true (1 mark). This means the results could be
misleading (1 mark).
4

(b) [AO1 = 2]

Accurate definitions of both open and closed questions can receive 2 marks.

Possible answer: Closed questions have a limited range of answers to choose from
whereas open questions allow respondents to give any response they want (2
marks).
2

Does your child play video

✓
games? Yes or No

What do you think

about video games?
1

(d) [AO2 = 2]

To gain full credit there must be reference to the target population i.e. students at the
school / age group

Any correct way of selecting a systematic sample should receive credit.

Possible answer: She could have used the school registers for that age (1 mark)
and picked every fifth name until 20 were chosen (1 mark).
2

(e) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Any appropriate ethical issue should receive credit.

Possible answers may include: Confidentiality, consent, right to withdraw,

deception, protection from harm, debriefing.
1

(ii) [AO2 = 2]

Possible answer: Consent: The mothers should be asked for consent as the
children are under 16 (2 marks).

To gain credit, the answer must be related to the ethical issue given in 5 (e)(i).
If no ethical issue is given in (e)(i) no marks can be gained in (e)(ii).
2

(f) [AO2 = 1]

Positive correlation ✓

Page 53 of 75
Negative correlation

No correlation
1

(g) [AO2 = 2]

Up to two marks for an explanation of what the correlation shows.

Possible answer for 2 marks:

As the number of hours playing video games increases so does the teacher’s rating
of aggression for the children.

Credit reference to:

The graph shows that there is a relationship between the number of hours playing
video games and the teacher’s rating of aggression for the children (1 mark).
2

(h) [AO3 = 1]

It can show the strength of a

relationship between two ✓
variables

There is a high level of control

over all variables
1

(i) [AO3 = 2]

Any relevant limitation should receive credit.

Possible answer: It cannot show which of the two variables caused the relationship
(1 mark) and it could be due to other variables (1 mark).
2

(j) [AO3 = 2]

Any relevant advantage or disadvantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: An observer may make a mistake when recording the behaviour (1
mark) which could lead to inaccuracies in the results (1 mark).
2
[20]

Q15.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 4]

AO3: Up to 2 marks for the outline of one advantage and 2 marks for one disadvantage.

Page 54 of 75
Possible answer: One advantage is that questionnaires can be a quick method (1 mark) to
collect a large amount of data (1 mark). One disadvantage is that there is no way of
checking if the answers are true (1 mark). This means the results could be misleading (1
mark).
[4]

Q16.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO1 = 2]

Accurate definitions of both open and closed questions can receive 2 marks.

Possible answer: Closed questions have a limited range of answers to choose from
whereas open questions allow respondents to give any response they want (2 marks).
[2]

Q17.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO2 = 1]

Does your child play video

✓
games? Yes or No

What do you think

about video games?
[1]

Q18.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 1]

It can show the strength of a

relationship between two ✓
variables

There is a high level of control

over all variables
[1]

Q19.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that

Page 55 of 75
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 2]

Any relevant limitation should receive credit.

Possible answer: It cannot show which of the two variables caused the relationship (1
mark) and it could be due to other variables (1 mark).
[2]

Q20.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 3]

AO3 marks for a detailed explanation of one criticism or a brief outline of more than one
criticism. Ethical criticisms are also acceptable.

Possible answer: Studies of factors which affect personal space can be misleading (1
mark) because they do not operate in isolation from other aspects of NVC (1 mark). For
example, someone’s facial expression when we interact with them could affect our use of
personal space (1 mark).
[3]

Q21.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO1 = 1]

An experiment looks at the effect of a dependent

variable on an independent variable.

An experiment looks at the effect of an independent

✓
variable on a dependent variable.
[1]

Q22.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 3]

Differences between participants do not affect

B
the findings in this design.

Often the same material can be used for the task in

A
both conditions in this design.

Page 56 of 75
There are no order effects in this design. A
[3]

Q23.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
[1]

Q24.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO1 = 2]

Possible answer: Choosing members of the target population (or imply target
population) (1 mark) who are available at the time of the study (1 mark).

Candidates may use ‘those that fit the criteria’ or equivalent instead of target
population and still gain credit.

‘Those who are willing/volunteer’ cannot gain credit.

(b) [AO3 = 1]

Any appropriate advantage is creditworthy.

Possible answer: It is a quick method.

Accept ‘Easy’ or ‘quick’

Credit any recognised sampling method. The likely answers will be random,
systematic or stratified. Self-selecting, convenience sampling or volunteer
sampling are not creditworthy as they are both versions of opportunity
sampling.
1

(d) (i) [AO2 = 3]

Any relevant category should be given credit. Categories must be

observable behaviours that could be tallied. Do not accept general terms
e.g., being aggressive, hostile, naughty, angry.

Page 57 of 75
Possible answers: Shouting, hitting, pushing.
3

(ii) [AO2 = 3]

Any relevant problems should be given credit.

Possible answer: One problem is that the observer may be biased (1

mark). It will not show why they behaved aggressively (1 mark). The
observers may have failed to record some behaviours (1 mark).

‘As she was on her own, there is no inter-rater reliability’ is creditworthy

as long as both aspects included.
3

(e) (i) [AO2 = 1]

Any relevant ethical issue should receive credit.

Possible answers: Confidentiality, the right to withdraw, distress,

deception, consent, respect, integrity.
1

(ii) [AO2 = 2]

Up to 2 marks for an appropriate outline. One mark for a brief or

muddled answer. If the outline does not match the issue identified in (e)
(i) do not award marks for (e)(i) but credit can still be given for (e)(ii).

Possible answer: The psychologist should ask permission (1 mark) from

the parents (or guardians or teacher) (1 mark).
2

(f) [AO3 = 4]

Any appropriate advantage and disadvantage is creditworthy.

Possible answer: They can give detailed information (1 mark) about reasons
behind the behaviour (1 mark). Case studies can be time consuming (1 mark)
compared to other methods (1 mark).
4

(g) [AO1 = 3]

Description Term

Calculated by looking at the middle score in a

set of data after the data has been put into C
ascending order.

Calculated by finding the most

B
frequently occurring score.

Calculated by adding up all of the scores and

dividing the total by the number of A
participants.
3
[20]

Page 58 of 75
Q25.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO1 = 2]

Possible answer: Choosing members of the target population (or imply target
population) (1 mark) who are available at the time of the study (1 mark).

Candidates may use ‘those that fit the criteria’ or equivalent instead of target
population and still gain credit.

‘Those who are willing/volunteer’ cannot gain credit.

[2]

Q26.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 1]

Any appropriate advantage is creditworthy.

Possible answer: It is a quick method.

Accept ‘Easy’ or ‘quick’

[1]

Q27.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO1 = 3]

Description Term

Calculated by looking at the middle score in a

set of data after the data has been put into C
ascending order

Calculated by finding the most frequently

B
occurring score

Calculated by adding up all of the scores and

A
dividing the total by the number of participants
[3]

Q28.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that

Page 59 of 75
might apply to it.

(a) [AO2 = 2]

The hypothesis must be a testable statement.

Possible answer: There will be a difference between males and females in the
number of correct answers they will achieve in a mathematics test.

Statement must contain a sense of the independent and dependent variables (1

mark).
Operational (1 mark).

Allow directional or null hypothesis.

Note: if it is written as an aim, award 0 marks.

(b) [AO2 = 2]

Two ethical issues are contained within the stem to this question. No others can be
assumed.
Correct answer: The right to withdraw and confidentiality.
2

Independent groups ✓

Matched pairs

Repeated measures
1

(d) [AO2 = 1]

Everybody in the
student’s school

Everybody in the
✓
student’s year group

The 20 participants
1

(e) [AO2 = 1]

Opportunity ✓

Stratified

Systematic
1

(f) [AO3 = 3]

Any appropriate advantage should receive credit.

Page 60 of 75
Possible answer: It removes researcher bias (1 mark) because the experimenter
cannot choose the people who will take part (1 mark). Everyone has an equal
chance of being selected (1 mark).
3

(g) [AO3 = 2]

Any correct explanation should receive credit.

Possible answer: They should have the same instructions so the researcher can be
sure that the difference in their results is due to their gender (1 mark) and not to
what they were told to do in the study (1 mark).
2

(h) (i) [AO3 = 1]

18 ✓

36
1

(ii) [AO3 = 1]

16 ✓

21
1

(i) (i) [AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
1

(ii) [AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
1

(iii) [AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
1
[17]

Q29.

Page 61 of 75
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO3 = 3]

Any appropriate advantage should receive credit.

Possible answer: It removes researcher bias (1 mark) because the experimenter cannot
choose the people who will take part (1 mark). Everyone has an equal chance of being
selected (1 mark).
[3]

Q30.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
1

(b) [AO3 = 1]

True False

✓
1

True False

✓
1
[3]

Q31.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO1 = 1]

20 ✓

200
1

Page 62 of 75
(b) [AO1 = 1]

25
1

Any appropriate hypothesis can receive credit. It must be a testable statement. For
example: Participants who learn and recall words in the same room will recall more
words correctly than those who learn the words in one room and recall them in
another.
Statement (1 mark). Sense of variables (1 mark).
2

(d) [AO1 = 1]

All 20 participants volunteered

All participants learnt the same list of 30

✓
words
1

(e) [AO1 = 1]

Experiment ✓

Case Study

Observation
1

(f) [AO2 = 2]

Variables are controlled (1 mark). This allows the effect of the independent variable
on the dependent variable to be measured (1 mark).

If part (e) is answered incorrectly, credit can still be given for (f) providing the
advantage matches the method stated in part (e).
2
[8]

Q32.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO2 = 3]

To a maximum of 3 marks as follows:

It increases obedience because the uniform gives the individual authority (1 mark).
In this study therefore more people obeyed the psychologist when he was dressed
as a security guard (1 mark) because the uniform gave him authority (1 mark).
When he was dressed in casual clothes fewer people obeyed him (1 mark) because
he did not have the authority provided by a uniform (1 mark).

Page 63 of 75
3 marks Full explanation linked to the results of the study
and reflecting the detail of the mark scheme.

2 – 1 marks Brief explanation for why wearing a uniform

increases obedience. There could be brief or
muddled reference to the study. Alternatively a
detailed link to the study is made with no
explanation.
3

(b) [AO1 = 1]

Whether the psychologist was dressed as a

✓
security guard or dressed in casual clothes

The number of people who picked up

litter in each condition

The psychologist standing outside the same

shop
1

Whether the psychologist was dressed as a

security guard or dressed in casual clothes

The number of people who picked up

✓
litter in each condition

The psychologist standing outside the same

shop
1

(d) [AO1 = 1]

Random

Opportunity

Systematic ✓

Stratified
1

(e) [AO2 = 2]

Any relevant advantage can be given credit. For example:

Systematic sampling is an unbiased method of selecting participants (1 mark) as the
researcher does not choose the participants (1 mark).

If part (d) is answered incorrectly, credit can still be given for part (e) providing the
advantage matches the sampling method identified in part (d).
2

(f) [AO2 = 1]

Page 64 of 75
All the variables are controlled

It shows how people behave in everyday life ✓

1
[9]

Q33.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO2 = 5]

The graph must have an informative title (1 mark), the display must be a scatter graph (1
mark), both axes must be clearly labelled (1+1 marks) and the graph must be plotted
accurately (1 mark).

For example

The relationship between number of hours of television watched and the number of
gender stereotyped toys chosen during play

NOTE: An inappropriate display will receive a maximum of 1 mark if there is an

informative title.
[5]

Q34.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

[AO2 = 2]

Any relevant limitation can receive credit. For example:

Correlations do not show that one variable has caused the other (1 mark). There may be a
third factor affecting the results that has not been considered (1 mark).
[2]

Q35.
This mark scheme is from a question paper that assessed a previous specification and
has not been edited. Click [here] to access a document explaining the differences that
might apply to it.

(a) [AO2 = 1]

Researcher bias

Sample is unlikely to be representative of

the target population

Time consuming ✓
1

Page 65 of 75
(b) [AO1 = 1]

Any appropriate ethical issue can gain credit. For example, confidentiality.
1
[2]

Page 66 of 75
Examiner reports

Q2.
(a) It was pleasing to see that many more students now understand the difference
between the IV and the DV. They were successful at earning both marks. Only a
small number reversed the terms and there were just a few who incorrectly identified
the IV as ‘the machine’.

(b) Hypothesis wording is now showing signs of improvement with more students
earning 2 marks this year. This is encouraging. Still the biggest problem, however,
was the lack of an operational term, limiting the marks available to a maximum of 1.
The most common error in this respect was the use of the terms ‘better’ and ‘more
likely’. Others stated the aim of the study and this earned no marks.

(c) This is the first year that a 6 mark, QWC question, has appeared in Section E. Most
students made a reasonable attempt at answering this item and it was encouraging
to see that a large proportion knew the principles of systematic sampling. Therefore,
the potential was there for these students to earn marks in the top band for their
answers. Consequently, it was disappointing to see the majority of answers fall short
of this potential as four main problems emerged.

The first problem was that a large number of students appeared to mis-read the
question and therefore incorrectly identified the target population. The question
clearly said that there were more than 100 workers in the plant. However, many
students said that the target population was 100 workers. This was a careless error
which meant that one of the available marks could not be earned. Students were
very good at recognising that systematic sampling involves selecting every nth
member of the target population. However, the second problem was that many did
not follow this through to say ‘until the sample of 10 has been reached’, and this
meant that another mark could not be earned. Many students could outline one
limitation of systematic sampling quite well; the best answers focused on how
representative the sample might or might not have been, raising issues of
generalisation.

The third problem was that not many students went on to explain how the limitation
might affect the study; for example, how this might lead to an incorrect conclusion
being drawn. The fourth problem was that a large number of students said that a
limitation of this sampling method is that it is time consuming. This statement did not
earn any marks. This is not a limitation, at best it might be a disadvantage compared
to opportunity sampling but it does not place a limitation on what the sampling
method can achieve. Sampling methods, their advantages and limitations, is a
recommended area for further development in schemes of work.

(d) The majority of students did not know about counterbalancing and earned no marks
for this item. The minority who did understand the term gave clear and excellent
answers. Those who earned 1 mark did not make it clear that half of the participants
would take part in Condition A first and that half would take part in Condition B first.
The half-half split was missing from their answers.

(f) It was rare to find a student who earned more than 2 out of the 4 marks available for
this item. The main problem was that students did not draw any conclusions at all.
They simply described the data with varying degrees of accuracy. They wrote about
participants’ performance in each condition and about the results from Condition A
and Condition B. A conclusion goes beyond the results of the experiment; for
example, ‘people respond quicker to sounds than to visual information’. That

Page 67 of 75
statement would earn 1 mark as a conclusion. Students can then go on to explain
the statement by referring to the data; for example, the mean times are lower for the
ringing bell than for the flashing light’. That statement would then earn an additional
mark to support the conclusion that was stated.

Simply repeating the numbers is not good enough and students must demonstrate
that they understand the meaning of the statistics presented. It was worrying to find
that more than a few students thought that 15 milliseconds was a ‘better ‘mean time
than 14 milliseconds. They did not realise that the smaller the number, the faster the
reaction time. The question asked for more than one conclusion. Therefore,
students were required to go through the same process with the ranges. Again,
some students thought that a range of 10 milliseconds meant that the times for the
ringing bell were slower because a range of 7 milliseconds for the flashing light was
a smaller number. Data analysis, particularly in relation to time, is a recommended
area for further development in schemes of work.

Q3.
(a) The majority of students gained no marks here. Few students could accurately
describe how an opportunity sample could be gathered in this situation. Most gave a
generic explanation of opportunity sampling or would say ‘go to the clinic and
choose whoever is there’, which clearly would not ensure the people chosen were
all patients who had been treated or that there would be 10 in each group.

(b)(i) & (ii) Students were able to show at least some understanding of both open and
closed questions. Most earned at least one mark but only a minority achieved
full marks on these items. This was often due to a lack of elaboration in their
answers, often because students stated more than one advantage but without
any elaboration. Often when students attempted elaboration, they simply
repeated the same point. Others only gave a short response such as ‘It leads
to more detailed answers’ but failed to explain why it might be an advantage to
have more detailed answers.

In terms of closed questions, students found various ways of saying that the
options for answers are limited or already pre-set. However, these responses
tended to be vague.

(c) (i) Most students were able to identify an ethical issue. However, students often
spent a long time describing or explaining the ethical issue rather than simply
identifying it, which is what the question required.

(ii) This is the part that most students found most difficult to answer. Some simply
explained what the issue was and did not explain it in terms of why it should
have been considered in this situation.

(iii) This was slightly better answered than part (ii) but most students still struggled
with it.
Quite often students wrote the same, or very similar answers to parts (ii) and
(iii) and rarely engaged with the stem material. Instead they opted for more
generic explanations and criticisms. The question confused some students,
who thought they were being asked about the ethics of the treatment rather
than the study/questionnaire. They spent a lot of time writing about how
putting people through flooding might cause harm.

(d) (ii) Only the very able students performed well on this question with a few gaining
full marks and over half the students gaining no marks at all. Key issues were:
• Students often failed to understand what the median value indicated

Page 68 of 75
• Very few were able to actually engage with the data. Many simply said
‘they are the same so it makes it hard to decide which is best.' Few were
able to explain that even though the values were the same, median
values do not reflect individual performances and then go on to mention
the differences in the range, for example
• Many students simply stated what the median was and then said it was
therefore not reliable or accurate
• In short, very few actually outlined why the medians might be misleading
in this situation.

(e) The case study questions proved challenging for many students. This might be
because they were the final questions on the paper. Perhaps concentration,
tiredness or lack of time played a part here.

(i) Quite a few students could state concisely that a case study is a detailed
study on one individual, small group or event and gained credit. Common
mistakes included stating that a case study was:
• ‘A study where you find something’
• ‘A study that includes aim, method, findings and conclusions’
• A study over a long period of time
• Often very generic explanations that could relate equally to a number of
methods.

(ii) The common answer here was that it is ‘difficult to generalise’. Answers often
failed to elaborate further and therefore failed to gain more than one mark.
Some students did refer to the unique nature of the person/group/event or
discussed population validity. Others wrote about the higher risk of withdrawal
due to the long term nature of the method.

As in part (b), students often identified more than one advantage without any
elaboration. These answers were only awarded a maximum of one mark.

Q4.
Students were able to show at least some understanding of both open and closed
questions. Most earned at least one mark but only a minority achieved full marks on these
items. This was often due to a lack of elaboration in their answers, often because students
stated more than one advantage but without any elaboration. Often when students
attempted elaboration, they simply repeated the same point. Others only gave a short
response such as ‘It leads to more detailed answers’ but failed to explain why it might be
an advantage to have more detailed answers.

In terms of closed questions, students found various ways of saying that the options for
answers are limited or already pre-set. However, these responses tended to be vague.

Q6.
The common answer here was that it is ‘difficult to generalise’. Answers often failed to
elaborate further and therefore failed to gain more than one mark. Some students did refer
to the unique nature of the person/group/event or discussed population validity. Others
wrote about the higher risk of withdrawal due to the long term nature of the method.

Students often identified more than one advantage without any elaboration. These
answers were only awarded a maximum of one mark.

Q7.

Page 69 of 75
(a) The process of randomisation clearly confused many students. Many wrote about
random allocation of participants. Others made vague reference to random number
generators, without going into any detail about how this could be achieved with the
list of words. Still others suggested alternative ways of producing a word order, such
as alphabetical.

(b) (i) It was worrying to see that one third of students could not recognise the
correct sampling method used in the study that was described.

(ii) With only one third of students correctly identifying an advantage and a
limitation of sampling methods, this is clearly an area for further development.
Answers tended to be very brief and vague. Even though only one mark was
available for each element, the answer had to be clear to gain credit.

(c) Hypothesis wording continues to be poor. The biggest problem again this year was
the lack of an operational term, limiting the marks available to a maximum of 1. The
most common error in this respect was the use of the term ‘better’. Whilst this term
can appear in the aim, it must be operationalised for the hypothesis statement.

(e) (ii) The majority of students could not identify the dependent variable. There
seems to be a clear link between this weakness and their inability to
operationalise the hypothesis. These are closely related issues.

(f) Here, a large number of students confused standardised procedures with

standardised instructions. These are two separate terms in the specification. Others
wrote about being ‘fair’, which is a vague term that is not creditworthy.

Q8.
(a) Most students could identify the correct sampling method. The one main confusion
was with systematic sampling.

(b) Students were able to identify an issue that was relevant to the scenario either
through naming one accurately, or describing the issue itself.

(c) This was reasonably done but many students only gained one mark due to the lack
of elaboration / explanation, simply stating ‘because it is in a natural environment’ or
‘they didn’t know they were taking part’. Answers gaining two marks were able to
add elaboration such as ‘which led to natural behaviour’ or ‘so they reacted
naturally’. A handful of students misread the question and offered reasons for why
the study lacked ecological validity.

(e) This was probably the most surprising question in terms of students’ answers. It was
expected that this would differentiate well and that only stronger students would be
able to gain 4-5 marks. However, students performed extremely well on this with the
majority gaining at least three marks. However, there were some key mistakes that
often meant students were unable to gain all the marks.

The typical errors were in the title not being detailed enough or being simply a
replication of the aim and no label on the Y axis. Most students could plot the graph
accurately including four bars. One costly mistake was that some students only
plotted the number of people who helped. This often meant they lost four of the
marks available. Only the X axis was labelled correctly in these cases.

(f) Many students accurately used figures and information from the table to gain full
credit. The main reason why some students did not gain the full two marks was
because they simply stated the aim and then said that the ‘table backs this up’.

Page 70 of 75
(g) (i) Students are still struggling with sampling methods. This was by far the most
poorly answered of all the research methods questions. Many muddled
random sampling with other methods, in particular systematic and outlined
putting ‘them’ into lists and picking every nth person. Even when they did get
the right method, students often didn’t make it specific to the scenario, which
is needed to gain the AO2 marks, often missing out the bystanders and/or the
need to pick 10.

There were the typical errors of simply stating ‘pick them randomly from a
list/off the street’. Others mentioned using a computer but nothing more than
that so it was not possible to identify the practicality of the method. Students
should be further encouraged to try to answer these research methods
questions from the perspective of the person in the scenario: i.e. if they were
the teachers, how exactly would they get the 10 people required for the study?

(ii) This question was reasonably well answered with many getting 2-3 marks.
Students often lost marks through a lack of elaboration or by giving a simple
list-based answer. Some simply outlined what a structured interview was and
that they were asked the same questions without actually saying why this
would be an advantage. Another common error was the belief that structured
interviews can only consist of closed questions and then advantages were
given for closed questions which is not what the question required.

Q10.
This was one of the best answered items in the question paper. A large number of
students described the ‘library’ study, as expected. Others were quite inventive with their
descriptions of touch studies, many of these worthy of full credit. There were a number of
descriptions that did not relate to ‘touch’, and these earned no marks. Generic evaluations
that did not relate specifically to the touch study described were limited to a maximum of 1
mark.

Q11.
(b) It was disappointing to find that only one quarter of students knew how to write a
testable hypothesis. This has been a persistent problem for the past three years.
Although most students had some sense of the IV & DV, the two most common
errors were the lack of an operational term and the failure to state both conditions of
the IV, therefore making the statement untestable.

(c) Graphs were very well done this year, with many students earning full marks. The
most common error was providing a title that was too vague and did not contain both
conditions of the IV.

(d) (ii) Most students correctly stated ‘Yes’ to (d)(i) and therefore were able to earn
some credit here. However, answers often were too brief, not stating the full
aim of the study or not providing a full enough account of how the results
supported the aim.

(f) Generally, this question was not answered well. Students’ knowledge of sampling
methods, their advantages and limitations, continues to be very shaky. Many
students confused stratified sampling with systematic sampling with disastrous
consequences in terms of marks awarded. Therefore, schools / colleges are
encouraged to regard this as a priority area when developing schemes of work.

Q13.

Page 71 of 75
Generally, this question was not answered well. Students’ knowledge of sampling
methods, their advantages and limitations, continues to be very shaky. Many students
confused stratified sampling with systematic sampling with disastrous consequences in
terms of marks awarded. Therefore, schools / colleges are encouraged to regard this as a
priority area when developing schemes of work.

Q14.
Students showed areas of weakness when answering questions about research methods.
In particular, students were unable to explain sampling. Some of the problems here could
be due to timing or tiredness as this is the final section in the paper. However, it should be
noted that the performance in this section has slightly improved since 2011.

(a) Many candidates were able to gain 3 marks for an advantage and disadvantage.
However, many were unable to elaborate the advantage so the final mark eluded
them. Many simply said that it was ‘quick and easy’ and no more. Students
appeared more able to give an elaborated disadvantage.

(b) Students were typically able to say what an open question is, but they were more
likely to struggle with closed questions, with many students saying that closed
questions are only Yes / No rather than being a fixed set of appropriate responses.

(d) Systematic sampling was the most poorly answered question on the paper. Many
earned no marks, as they muddled it with random, opportunity and sometimes
stratified sampling. Many who did refer to systematic in their answers only achieved
1 mark as they did not relate this to the target population in the stem and simply
stated ‘you pick the nth person from a list’ – the generic response.

(e) (i)&(ii) Many students were able to state, or explain, a legitimate issue and then a
relevant way to deal with it. However, a large number muddled ethics and
methodological problems such as sampling, research method, ecological
validity and generalisability. Other students named one issue but then
explained how to deal with another one. Some said that ‘they might not get the
right result’ or ‘the children may not play video games’ or ‘there was not an
equal number of boys and girls.' These were not creditworthy answers. As last
year, many produced more detail than needed for the issue itself; simple
identification is all that was required in part (i).

(f)&(g)Correlations were well done with nearly all recognising that it was a positive
correlation. Many were able to justify their answer too. However, some were too
generic/vague eg ‘the line goes up’, ‘it is a positive relationship’ or ‘IV and DV are
linked’ – which is an odd comment for an investigation that is not an experiment.

(i) This was reasonably done with students being able to outline the problems of
correlations relating to cause and effect and variables other than the two studied.
Some candidates, however, wrote that there might be an anomaly or that it may not
show a correlation. Others gave vague answers such as it is time consuming or it
may not be representative.

(j) Typically well done and most answers focused on either natural behaviour if the
participant is not aware or behaviour changing due to being watched. Most students
were able to earn 2 marks. Some students gave both an advantage and
disadvantage, which was not required.

Q15.
Many candidates were able to gain 3 marks for an advantage and disadvantage.

Page 72 of 75
However, many were unable to elaborate the advantage so the final mark eluded them.
Many simply said that it was ‘quick and easy’ and no more. Students appeared more able
to give an elaborated disadvantage.

Q16.
Students were typically able to say what an open question is, but they were more likely to
struggle with closed questions, with many students saying that closed questions are only
Yes / No rather than being a fixed set of appropriate responses.

Q19.
This was reasonably done with students being able to outline the problems of correlations
relating to cause and effect and variables other than the two studied. Some candidates,
however, wrote that there might be an anomaly or that it may not show a correlation.
Others gave vague answers such as it is time consuming or it may not be representative.

Q21.
Candidates showed lots of weaknesses when answering questions about research
methods.

Q22.
Candidates showed lots of weaknesses when answering questions about research
methods.

Q23.
Candidates showed lots of weaknesses when answering questions about research
methods.

Q24.
Candidates showed lots of weaknesses when answering questions about research
methods.
Some of the problems seemed to develop from candidates not paying close attention to
the stem information. For example, many failed to acknowledge that the researcher
observed alone and in (d)(ii) many suggested that ‘her and her friends may get different
results’.

(a) As suggested earlier, a number of candidates were unable to outline accurately what
the term meant with very few failing to mention the target population or ‘those who fit
the criteria’. A significant number simply said to choose randomly.

(b) Again candidates appeared to confuse sampling methods. Many stated ‘It is random
so everyone has equal chance of being picked’ or inaccurate comments such as
‘Makes it a fair test’ or ‘Results are accurate’. Simply stating that ‘it is a quick
method’ would gain the mark but a number of candidates went on to write two or
three lines.

(c) Most candidates were able to choose a suitable method, although again many
produced a very detailed description which was not required.

(d) (i) A large proportion of candidates struggled with this question, and it appeared
that many were unsure of what categories of behaviour actually are, there

Page 73 of 75
were many blank spaces and/or zero marks. Many were extremely vague
such as ‘very aggressive, quite aggressive, not aggressive’ or ‘verbal /
physical’. Many appeared to misunderstand the term and give irrelevant
answers.

(ii) This was generally answered reasonably, although very few candidates
achieved the full marks as many wrote ‘unequal amount of girls and boys’, ‘lab
experiments so lacks eco validity’ or the same thing twice just in slightly
different ways. It appeared that the key mistake was that candidates would
give three problems with the study itself rather than the process of
observation.

(e) (i) This was generally well done although there were few succinct answers.
Some would describe in detail the ethical issue although a significant number
of candidates did not focus on ethics. Many put ‘bias’, ‘uneven numbers’ or
‘sampling’ etc. Others suggested ‘making them aggressive’ − but this is not
creditworthy in the context of the study.

(ii) This question was answered fairly well, although the majority of candidates
achieved one mark due to a lack of clarity or elaboration. When parental
consent was chosen as the issue, this was well done.

(f) This question was not particularly well done although most candidates were able to
pick up two marks. There were some vague answers such as ‘it is time consuming’.
The disadvantage was tackled more effectively than the advantage.

Q25.
As suggested earlier, a number of candidates were unable to outline accurately what the
term meant with very few failing to mention the target population or ‘those who fit the
criteria’. A significant number simply said to choose randomly.

Q26.
Again candidates appeared to confuse sampling methods. Many stated ‘It is random so
everyone has equal chance of being picked’ or inaccurate comments such as ‘Makes it a
fair test’ or ‘Results are accurate’. Simply stating that ‘it is a quick method’ would gain the
mark but a number of candidates went on to write two or three lines.

Q28.
(a) For 1 mark, the hypothesis statement must contain a sense of both the independent
and dependent variables. For the second mark, the statement must be operational.
It was disappointing to find that many candidates were awarded no marks for this
item and very few earned 2 marks for this basic research methods skill. Many
statements were too vague and did not refer to both variables. The majority of
statements were not operational, using vague terms such as ‘will do better in the
test’. A significant number of candidates stated an aim rather than a hypothesis and
were awarded no marks.

(b) A large number of candidates named ethical issues that were not contained in the
description of the study and therefore were awarded no marks. Candidates are
advised to read both the stem and the question carefully before committing to an
answer.

Parts (c), (d) and (e) were all answered well.

Page 74 of 75
(f) There were many misconceptions about random sampling and its advantages. For
example, many said it is quick and easy; no mark was awarded for this answer,
which does not relate to random sampling.

(g) A large number of candidates gave the response, ‘to make it fair’. This is a response
that is too vague. Candidates need to address why they believe there is a lack of
fairness.

Parts (h)(i) and (h)(ii) were answered well.

Parts (i)(i), (ii) and (iii) Candidates again performed well on these questions.

Q29.
There were many misconceptions about random sampling and its advantages. For
example, many said it is quick and easy; no mark was awarded for this answer, which
does not relate to random sampling.

Q30.

Parts (a), (b) and (c) Candidates performed well on these questions.

Page 75 of 75

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