©THEBRIGHT EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology Theories
Paper 2 Exam Questions With Verified
Answers
Situational variables - Answers✔Light, noise, temperature, distractions and can affect mainly
when they vary between conditions.
Also how study was conducted can introduce variables, order effects, investigator effect and
demand characteristics
Participant variables - Answers✔Personality type, substance tolerance, life experience, mood,
physical ability, memory ability and upbringing, researcher must take into account which ones
effect their study
Controlling situational variables - Answers✔>Standardised procedure (e.g. silence sign must be
out all the time and not just for one condition of a study
> Order effects can be reduced by counterbalancing e.g half the participants experience condition
1 and then 2 and half experience condition 2 and then 1
> Order affects can also be controlled by randomisation of which condition they experience first
> Demand characteristics can be controlled by a single blind technique where the participant
does not know the aims or expectations of the study and certain information about the procedure
is withheld
> Double blind technique can help control investigator effects- neither participants nor
researchers involved with data collection (or anyone that has contact with participants) know the
aims of study. Independent researcher is employed to conduct research
Controlling participant variables - Answers✔> Same participants in different conditions or
matched pairs on important characteristics
Random sampling - Answers✔The target population should be identified and should all have an
equal chance at being selected
1
, ©THEBRIGHT EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
> Will be representative as everyone has a fair chance at being selected (helps control participant
variables) although the participant may refuse to take part which makes the sample less
representative
Stratified sampling - Answers✔Each subgroup is proportionately represented in the sample
> Useful if a small subgroup may be missed by random sampling techniques, ensures that a
sample is representative as a cross section of the target population
> Time consuming, sample error if people refuse to take part
Volunteer sampling - Answers✔A sample of participants produced by a sampling technique that
relies solely on people offering to take part.
> Minimal effort, most ethical, possible to recruit from a target population by placing advert in a
particular location for example also you can still choose a stratified sample by choosing who you
want to be in the study
> Less representative as not everyone in the target population will be in the advert or want to
respond so have a biased sample as all the participants will have time, inclination and personality
type that allow them to respond, unreliable findings
Oppurtunity sampling - Answers✔People who happen to be around at time of research
> Quickest and simplest
> Biased sample because not every member of target population will be around at time of study,
not generalisable because the sample studied will exclude many groups e.g. people who are at
work
BPS Code of Human Research Ethics (2014) - Answers✔> Respect for autonomy, privacy and
dignity of individuals and communities- researchers must respect culture including individual
differences race sexuality etc and give them the right to withdraw
> Scientific integrity- must conduct well designed research and cannot claim misleading findings
> Social responsibility- findings must be beneficial to communities and findings must offer value
to organisations
> Maximising benefits and minimising harm- should not be placed in a situations that they would
not otherwise encounter, however if benefit to research outweighs costs to participants,
psychologists should safeguard participants and minimise risk of harm as much as possible
although is hard because individual difference may mean that people react differently to different
things
2
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology Theories
Paper 2 Exam Questions With Verified
Answers
Situational variables - Answers✔Light, noise, temperature, distractions and can affect mainly
when they vary between conditions.
Also how study was conducted can introduce variables, order effects, investigator effect and
demand characteristics
Participant variables - Answers✔Personality type, substance tolerance, life experience, mood,
physical ability, memory ability and upbringing, researcher must take into account which ones
effect their study
Controlling situational variables - Answers✔>Standardised procedure (e.g. silence sign must be
out all the time and not just for one condition of a study
> Order effects can be reduced by counterbalancing e.g half the participants experience condition
1 and then 2 and half experience condition 2 and then 1
> Order affects can also be controlled by randomisation of which condition they experience first
> Demand characteristics can be controlled by a single blind technique where the participant
does not know the aims or expectations of the study and certain information about the procedure
is withheld
> Double blind technique can help control investigator effects- neither participants nor
researchers involved with data collection (or anyone that has contact with participants) know the
aims of study. Independent researcher is employed to conduct research
Controlling participant variables - Answers✔> Same participants in different conditions or
matched pairs on important characteristics
Random sampling - Answers✔The target population should be identified and should all have an
equal chance at being selected
1
, ©THEBRIGHT EXAM SOLUTIONS 2024/2025
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
> Will be representative as everyone has a fair chance at being selected (helps control participant
variables) although the participant may refuse to take part which makes the sample less
representative
Stratified sampling - Answers✔Each subgroup is proportionately represented in the sample
> Useful if a small subgroup may be missed by random sampling techniques, ensures that a
sample is representative as a cross section of the target population
> Time consuming, sample error if people refuse to take part
Volunteer sampling - Answers✔A sample of participants produced by a sampling technique that
relies solely on people offering to take part.
> Minimal effort, most ethical, possible to recruit from a target population by placing advert in a
particular location for example also you can still choose a stratified sample by choosing who you
want to be in the study
> Less representative as not everyone in the target population will be in the advert or want to
respond so have a biased sample as all the participants will have time, inclination and personality
type that allow them to respond, unreliable findings
Oppurtunity sampling - Answers✔People who happen to be around at time of research
> Quickest and simplest
> Biased sample because not every member of target population will be around at time of study,
not generalisable because the sample studied will exclude many groups e.g. people who are at
work
BPS Code of Human Research Ethics (2014) - Answers✔> Respect for autonomy, privacy and
dignity of individuals and communities- researchers must respect culture including individual
differences race sexuality etc and give them the right to withdraw
> Scientific integrity- must conduct well designed research and cannot claim misleading findings
> Social responsibility- findings must be beneficial to communities and findings must offer value
to organisations
> Maximising benefits and minimising harm- should not be placed in a situations that they would
not otherwise encounter, however if benefit to research outweighs costs to participants,
psychologists should safeguard participants and minimise risk of harm as much as possible
although is hard because individual difference may mean that people react differently to different
things
2
