AQA PSYCHOLOGY – RESEARCH METHODS EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH WELL DETAILED ANSWERS GRADED A+
Leading Questions - ✔✔ Encourages P.ps to give a particular answer e.g don't you think...?
Ambiguity - ✔✔ Questions which can be interpreted in various ways. They can mean different
things to different people.
Loaded Questions - ✔✔ They are questions which contain emotive language which is likely to
produce an emotional reaction in the respondent.
Double-barreled Questions - ✔✔ They contain two options within a single question.
Aim - ✔✔ A general statement that the researcher intends to investigate.
Hypothesis - ✔✔ A detailed statement which is clear, precise and testable that states the
relationship between variables being tested.
Directional Hypothesis - ✔✔ The researcher makes it clear what difference is anticipated
between the 2 conditions or groups.
(One tailed).
Non-directional Hypothesis - ✔✔ Simply states that there is a difference but not what the
difference will be.
,Null Hypothesis - ✔✔ There will be no relationship between the 2 variables.
Meta-analysis - ✔✔ A particular form of research method that uses secondary data. Data from a
large number of studies which have involved the same research question and method are
combined.
Quantitative Data - ✔✔ Data that focuses on numbers and frequencies which can be counted.
e.g. experiments, questionnaires and psychometric tests.
Qualitative Data - ✔✔ Data that describes meaning and experiences which is expresses in words
e.g. case studies, interviews and observations.
Primary Data - ✔✔ Information that has been obtained first hand by the researcher. It is also
known as field research.
Secondary Data - ✔✔ Information that has already been collected by previous researchers. It is
also known as 'desk research' and can be found in journal articles, books or websites.I
BPS - ✔✔ British Psychological Society
Informed Consent - ✔✔ Participants should be told what they are letting themselves in for. Only
then they are in a position to give informed consent. If under 16 consent must be obtained from
their parents.
, Deception - ✔✔ Information is withheld from participants: they misled about the purpose of the
study and what will happen during it.
Right to Withdraw - ✔✔ Participants should be told this at the start of the research. No attempt
should be made to encourage them to remain.
Protection from harm - ✔✔ Participants should not be put through anything they wouldn't
normally be expected to.
Competence - ✔✔ Psychologists must not attempt to carry out research unless they are qualified
to do so.
Debrief - ✔✔ Researchers should discuss the aims of the research with the p.ps making sure they
know how they've contributed to meeting the aims
Variable - ✔✔ Any "thing" that can vary or change with in an investigation. They are generally
in experiments to determine if changes in one result in changes to another.
Independent Variable - IV - ✔✔ An aspect of the experimental situation that is manipulated by
the researcher or changes naturally so the effect on the DV can be measured.
Dependent Variable - DV - ✔✔ The variable that is measured by the researcher. Any
result/change on the DV should be caused by the change in the IV.
QUESTIONS WITH WELL DETAILED ANSWERS GRADED A+
Leading Questions - ✔✔ Encourages P.ps to give a particular answer e.g don't you think...?
Ambiguity - ✔✔ Questions which can be interpreted in various ways. They can mean different
things to different people.
Loaded Questions - ✔✔ They are questions which contain emotive language which is likely to
produce an emotional reaction in the respondent.
Double-barreled Questions - ✔✔ They contain two options within a single question.
Aim - ✔✔ A general statement that the researcher intends to investigate.
Hypothesis - ✔✔ A detailed statement which is clear, precise and testable that states the
relationship between variables being tested.
Directional Hypothesis - ✔✔ The researcher makes it clear what difference is anticipated
between the 2 conditions or groups.
(One tailed).
Non-directional Hypothesis - ✔✔ Simply states that there is a difference but not what the
difference will be.
,Null Hypothesis - ✔✔ There will be no relationship between the 2 variables.
Meta-analysis - ✔✔ A particular form of research method that uses secondary data. Data from a
large number of studies which have involved the same research question and method are
combined.
Quantitative Data - ✔✔ Data that focuses on numbers and frequencies which can be counted.
e.g. experiments, questionnaires and psychometric tests.
Qualitative Data - ✔✔ Data that describes meaning and experiences which is expresses in words
e.g. case studies, interviews and observations.
Primary Data - ✔✔ Information that has been obtained first hand by the researcher. It is also
known as field research.
Secondary Data - ✔✔ Information that has already been collected by previous researchers. It is
also known as 'desk research' and can be found in journal articles, books or websites.I
BPS - ✔✔ British Psychological Society
Informed Consent - ✔✔ Participants should be told what they are letting themselves in for. Only
then they are in a position to give informed consent. If under 16 consent must be obtained from
their parents.
, Deception - ✔✔ Information is withheld from participants: they misled about the purpose of the
study and what will happen during it.
Right to Withdraw - ✔✔ Participants should be told this at the start of the research. No attempt
should be made to encourage them to remain.
Protection from harm - ✔✔ Participants should not be put through anything they wouldn't
normally be expected to.
Competence - ✔✔ Psychologists must not attempt to carry out research unless they are qualified
to do so.
Debrief - ✔✔ Researchers should discuss the aims of the research with the p.ps making sure they
know how they've contributed to meeting the aims
Variable - ✔✔ Any "thing" that can vary or change with in an investigation. They are generally
in experiments to determine if changes in one result in changes to another.
Independent Variable - IV - ✔✔ An aspect of the experimental situation that is manipulated by
the researcher or changes naturally so the effect on the DV can be measured.
Dependent Variable - DV - ✔✔ The variable that is measured by the researcher. Any
result/change on the DV should be caused by the change in the IV.
