AQA A Level Pyschology - Paper 2,
Research Methods 2024/2025 Exam
Questions and Answers 100%
Guaranteed Success | Already Rated A+
What does significance at p<0.05 mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔That there is less than
5% chance that the results were due to chance/something other than the IV.
Why is using counterbalancing good? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔It reduces order effects
What does a low standard deviation mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔That the results
were more consistent/less spread out
What is a benefit of using a repeated measures design? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔It
reduces individual differences as participants take part in both conditions
List some ways to improve validity in an experiment - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Use a
broader sample, make the conditions less obvious (reduces demand
characteristics), guarantee anonymity so people will feel more inclined to
answer/behave truthfully.
Explain a strength of using a matched-pairs design - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Participants
only take part in one condition so order effects are reduced, also it reduces
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,demand characteristics as they are less likely to guess the aims of the
experiment if they only take part in one condition.
What is a paradigm and a paradigm shift? Give an example. - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔A
paradigm is a set of shared beliefs or assumptions about how
behaviour/thought is explained.
A paradigm shift occurs when members of the scientific community change from
their established ways of explaining/thinking about behaviour to a new way due
to new scientific evidence. This leads to a scientific revolution. E.g. Changing
from behaviourist approach to a biological approach of explaining behaviour
(happened in the latter half of the 20th century)
What does it mean to have high concurrent validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Where
there is close agreement between the data produced by the new test compared
to the old, established test. Close agreement is indicated if the correlation
between the two sets of data produced by the two tests exceeds +0.8.
What does face validity mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Does the test look as if its
measuring what the researcher intended to measure?
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, What does content validity mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Involves asking experts in the
field to check the content of the test to see how accurately it measures the
variable
What is interpretive validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the
researcher's interpretation of events matches those of the participants
What is temporal validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Extent to which findings can be
generalised to another historical time/era
What is mundane realism? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔How a study mirrors the real world
What is ecological validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the findings of a
study can be generalised to real-life settings.
What is population validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Extent to which findings can be
generalised to different groups of people (within a/the population)
What is external validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which you can
generalise the findings outside of the study's settings
What is internal validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the researcher is
measuring what they set out/intended to measure
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Research Methods 2024/2025 Exam
Questions and Answers 100%
Guaranteed Success | Already Rated A+
What does significance at p<0.05 mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔That there is less than
5% chance that the results were due to chance/something other than the IV.
Why is using counterbalancing good? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔It reduces order effects
What does a low standard deviation mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔That the results
were more consistent/less spread out
What is a benefit of using a repeated measures design? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔It
reduces individual differences as participants take part in both conditions
List some ways to improve validity in an experiment - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Use a
broader sample, make the conditions less obvious (reduces demand
characteristics), guarantee anonymity so people will feel more inclined to
answer/behave truthfully.
Explain a strength of using a matched-pairs design - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Participants
only take part in one condition so order effects are reduced, also it reduces
Page 1 of 22
COPYRIGHT©JOSHCLAY 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER:
619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
,demand characteristics as they are less likely to guess the aims of the
experiment if they only take part in one condition.
What is a paradigm and a paradigm shift? Give an example. - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔A
paradigm is a set of shared beliefs or assumptions about how
behaviour/thought is explained.
A paradigm shift occurs when members of the scientific community change from
their established ways of explaining/thinking about behaviour to a new way due
to new scientific evidence. This leads to a scientific revolution. E.g. Changing
from behaviourist approach to a biological approach of explaining behaviour
(happened in the latter half of the 20th century)
What does it mean to have high concurrent validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Where
there is close agreement between the data produced by the new test compared
to the old, established test. Close agreement is indicated if the correlation
between the two sets of data produced by the two tests exceeds +0.8.
What does face validity mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Does the test look as if its
measuring what the researcher intended to measure?
Page 2 of 22
COPYRIGHT©JOSHCLAY 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025. COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER:
619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
, What does content validity mean? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Involves asking experts in the
field to check the content of the test to see how accurately it measures the
variable
What is interpretive validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the
researcher's interpretation of events matches those of the participants
What is temporal validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Extent to which findings can be
generalised to another historical time/era
What is mundane realism? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔How a study mirrors the real world
What is ecological validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the findings of a
study can be generalised to real-life settings.
What is population validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔Extent to which findings can be
generalised to different groups of people (within a/the population)
What is external validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which you can
generalise the findings outside of the study's settings
What is internal validity? - 🧠ANSWER ✔✔The extent to which the researcher is
measuring what they set out/intended to measure
Page 3 of 22
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619652435. TERMS OF USE. PRIVACY STATEMENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
