Edexcel A Level Cognitive Psychology QUESTONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS || LATEST UPDATE
What are case studies? -CORRECT ANSWER: Allows data gathered to be in-depth and detailed.
Gathers data from many different sources and different research methods
What type of data do case studies gather? -CORRECT ANSWER: Qualitative, but can also give
quantitative (e.g. IQ tests)
What is triangulation? -CORRECT ANSWER: Gathering data using different research methods
and developing themes.
Who was HM? -CORRECT ANSWER: Henry Molaison
What happened to HM? -CORRECT ANSWER: Suffered brain injury as a result of surgical
procedure to relieve him from seizures caused by epilepsy.
Which part of HM's brain was removed? -CORRECT ANSWER: William Scoville removed
HM's hippocampus, which was associated with consolidating memories.
What happened to HM's memory? -CORRECT ANSWER: He was assessed of having
anterograde (loss of ability to make NEW memories) and retrograde (loss of ability to recall
events PRIOR to the injury) amnesia.
How did HM contribute to understanding memory? -CORRECT ANSWER: Shows that there is
short term and long term memory storage. Informs us that short term memories need to be
transferred to long term storage to be able to be retrieved again.
,What 3 main standards should a good study adhere to? -CORRECT ANSWER: 1. Possible to
generalise
2. Replicable
3. Valid
What is test-retest reliability? -CORRECT ANSWER: If findings are consistent, and considered
reliable, it can be trusted that findings will happen again.
Objectivity -CORRECT ANSWER: Need to be impartial and judgement free
Internal validity -CORRECT ANSWER: How well the procedure establishes a causal
relationship between manipulated IV and measured DV.
Predictive validity -CORRECT ANSWER: The extent to which the performance on the measure
can predict future performance on a similar criterion.
Ecological validity -CORRECT ANSWER: The extent to which the research can be generalised
to other situations (real life or everyday situations).
Operationalised hypothesis -CORRECT ANSWER: Defining precisely how you intend to
measure the DV and alter the conditions of the IV
What are the 3 experimental designs? -CORRECT ANSWER: Independent measures, repeated
measures and matched pairs
Independent measures design -CORRECT ANSWER: Using DIFFERENT participants in each
condition of the experiment
Repeated measures design -CORRECT ANSWER: Using the SAME participants in each
condition of the experiment
, Matched pairs -CORRECT ANSWER: Using different but similar participants in each condition.
An effort is made to match the participants in any important characteristics that might be
important to the study.
Order effects -CORRECT ANSWER: Occurs when repeated measures design is used.
Practice effect - become practised at the test and improve their performance
Fatigue effect - become tired or bored so performance deteriorates
Counterbalancing -CORRECT ANSWER: Each condition is tested first or second in equal
amounts. Divided equally between the conditions and experiment them in different order.
e.g. one group tested in A then B, other group do B then A.
Randomising -CORRECT ANSWER: Each participant is assigned either Condition A or B first
randomly
Standard deviation -CORRECT ANSWER:
Extraneous variable -CORRECT ANSWER: Variable that may have affected the DV but that
was not the IV
Confounding variable -CORRECT ANSWER: Variable that affects the findings of a study
directly, so much that you are no longer measuring what was intended
Situational variables -CORRECT ANSWER: An extraneous variable found in the environment,
such as noise, time of day, temperature, disturbances etc.
Participant variables -CORRECT ANSWER: Participants themselves may affect results as they
have different characteristics, such as intelligence, level of motivation, age, personality, skills.
CORRECT ANSWERS || LATEST UPDATE
What are case studies? -CORRECT ANSWER: Allows data gathered to be in-depth and detailed.
Gathers data from many different sources and different research methods
What type of data do case studies gather? -CORRECT ANSWER: Qualitative, but can also give
quantitative (e.g. IQ tests)
What is triangulation? -CORRECT ANSWER: Gathering data using different research methods
and developing themes.
Who was HM? -CORRECT ANSWER: Henry Molaison
What happened to HM? -CORRECT ANSWER: Suffered brain injury as a result of surgical
procedure to relieve him from seizures caused by epilepsy.
Which part of HM's brain was removed? -CORRECT ANSWER: William Scoville removed
HM's hippocampus, which was associated with consolidating memories.
What happened to HM's memory? -CORRECT ANSWER: He was assessed of having
anterograde (loss of ability to make NEW memories) and retrograde (loss of ability to recall
events PRIOR to the injury) amnesia.
How did HM contribute to understanding memory? -CORRECT ANSWER: Shows that there is
short term and long term memory storage. Informs us that short term memories need to be
transferred to long term storage to be able to be retrieved again.
,What 3 main standards should a good study adhere to? -CORRECT ANSWER: 1. Possible to
generalise
2. Replicable
3. Valid
What is test-retest reliability? -CORRECT ANSWER: If findings are consistent, and considered
reliable, it can be trusted that findings will happen again.
Objectivity -CORRECT ANSWER: Need to be impartial and judgement free
Internal validity -CORRECT ANSWER: How well the procedure establishes a causal
relationship between manipulated IV and measured DV.
Predictive validity -CORRECT ANSWER: The extent to which the performance on the measure
can predict future performance on a similar criterion.
Ecological validity -CORRECT ANSWER: The extent to which the research can be generalised
to other situations (real life or everyday situations).
Operationalised hypothesis -CORRECT ANSWER: Defining precisely how you intend to
measure the DV and alter the conditions of the IV
What are the 3 experimental designs? -CORRECT ANSWER: Independent measures, repeated
measures and matched pairs
Independent measures design -CORRECT ANSWER: Using DIFFERENT participants in each
condition of the experiment
Repeated measures design -CORRECT ANSWER: Using the SAME participants in each
condition of the experiment
, Matched pairs -CORRECT ANSWER: Using different but similar participants in each condition.
An effort is made to match the participants in any important characteristics that might be
important to the study.
Order effects -CORRECT ANSWER: Occurs when repeated measures design is used.
Practice effect - become practised at the test and improve their performance
Fatigue effect - become tired or bored so performance deteriorates
Counterbalancing -CORRECT ANSWER: Each condition is tested first or second in equal
amounts. Divided equally between the conditions and experiment them in different order.
e.g. one group tested in A then B, other group do B then A.
Randomising -CORRECT ANSWER: Each participant is assigned either Condition A or B first
randomly
Standard deviation -CORRECT ANSWER:
Extraneous variable -CORRECT ANSWER: Variable that may have affected the DV but that
was not the IV
Confounding variable -CORRECT ANSWER: Variable that affects the findings of a study
directly, so much that you are no longer measuring what was intended
Situational variables -CORRECT ANSWER: An extraneous variable found in the environment,
such as noise, time of day, temperature, disturbances etc.
Participant variables -CORRECT ANSWER: Participants themselves may affect results as they
have different characteristics, such as intelligence, level of motivation, age, personality, skills.
