Key term
AQA A-Level Psychology 7182
Social Influence
Memory
Attachment
Topic overviewCaregiver-infant interactions: reciprocity and interactional synchronySchaffer's stages of attachmentMultiple attachments and the role of the fatherAnimal studies of attachmentExplanations of attachmentAinsworth's Strange Situation and types of attachmentBowlby's theory of maternal deprivation and effects of institutionalisationInfluence of early attachment on relationshipsCultural variations in attachment
Approaches in Psychology
Biopsychology
Topic overviewDivisions of the nervous systemStructure and function of neurons and synaptic transmissionThe endocrine systemThe fight or flight responseWays of studying the brainLocalisation of function and hemispheric lateralisationPlasticity and functional recovery of the brain after traumaBiological rhythms: circadian, infradian and ultradian
Clinical Psychology and Mental Health
Research Methods
Scientific Processes
Topic overviewAims and hypothesesSamplingPilot studiesExperimental designsObservational designQuestionnaire construction and design of interviewsVariablesControlDemand characteristics and investigator effectsEthicsPeer reviewImplications of psychological research for the economyReliabilityValidityFeatures of scienceReporting psychological investigations
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Topic overviewQuantitative and qualitative data; the distinction between qualitative and quantitative data collection techniquesPrimary and secondary data, including meta-analysisDescriptive statistics: measures of central tendency and measures of dispersionPresentation and display of quantitative data: graphs, tables, scattergrams, bar chartsDistributions: normal and skewed distributionsIntroduction to statistical testing; the sign test
Data Handling and Analysis
Inferential Testing
Issues and Debates in Psychology
RelationshipsOption 1
GenderOption 1
Cognition and DevelopmentOption 1
SchizophreniaOption 2
Eating BehaviourOption 2
StressOption 2
AggressionOption 3
Forensic PsychologyOption 3
AddictionOption 3
Explanations for Nicotine AddictionOption 3
Research Methods
- 6 subtopics
- 30 things to know
- Paper 2
What Research Methods covers
Research Methods is the third topic of Paper 2, though research methods can be assessed on any of the three papers. It covers the methods psychologists use to gather data: experiments and where they are run, observation, self-report, correlation, content analysis and case studies, with the strengths and limitations of each.
The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Experimental methodLaboratory, field, natural and quasi-experiments, and what separates them in terms of setting and control over the independent variable.Open →
- Observational techniquesNaturalistic and controlled observation, the behavioural categories that make recording possible, and event and time sampling with the drawbacks of each.Open →
- Self-report techniquesQuestionnaires and structured, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, together with the response biases that affect what people report.Open →
- CorrelationsPositive, negative and zero correlations, the third variable problem, and why a correlation cannot establish that one variable causes another.Open →
- Content analysisTurning qualitative material into analysable data, the stages of carrying out a content analysis, and its strengths and limitations.Open →
- Case studiesThe in-depth study of a single person or group, the techniques combined within one, and the trade-off between detail and generalisability.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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What is a field experiment?
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What is a natural experiment?
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What is a quasi-experiment?
Evaluation
Give the main strengths and weaknesses of laboratory experiments.
Evaluation
Why is internal validity reduced in a quasi-experiment?
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What is a naturalistic observation?
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What are behavioural categories, and what must they be like?
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What is event sampling, and what can go wrong with it?
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Define time sampling and give its main drawback.
Evaluation
Evaluate covert observation.
Evaluation
Evaluate participant observation.
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What is non-participant observation?
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What is a questionnaire?
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Describe the structured interview.
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Describe the unstructured interview.
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Define social desirability bias.
Evaluation
Why can questionnaire wording damage the data collected?
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What is a correlation?
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What is a negative correlation?
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What is the third variable problem?
Evaluation
Evaluate correlational research as a method.
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What is content analysis?
Process
Outline the stages of carrying out a content analysis.
Evaluation
Give the strengths of content analysis.
Evaluation
Give the limitations of content analysis.
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What is a case study?
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Which techniques are combined within a case study?
Evaluation
Give the strengths of the case study method.
Evaluation
Give the limitations of the case study method.
Take Research Methods further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Natural experiment vs Quasi-experiment
Natural experiment: the independent variable changes through a real event outside the researcher's control. Quasi-experiment: the independent variable is a characteristic participants already had, such as age.
Internal validity vs Ecological validity
Internal validity: confidence that the manipulated variable, and nothing else, caused the change. Ecological validity: the extent to which findings reflect behaviour in real everyday settings.
Covert observation vs Overt observation
Covert observation: participants are unaware that they are being watched. Overt observation: participants know that a researcher is recording their behaviour.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is a laboratory experiment?
Model answer
An experiment conducted in a controlled, artificial environment where the researcher manipulates the independent variable and controls extraneous variables.
- 2
In which type of experiment does the researcher have the most control over extraneous variables?
Model answer
Laboratory experiments.
- 3
What is a field experiment?
Model answer
An experiment conducted in a natural, real-world setting where the researcher still manipulates the independent variable but has less control over extraneous variables.
- 4
What happens to the control of extraneous variables when moving from a laboratory to a field setting?
Model answer
Control decreases because the natural environment contains more variables that the researcher cannot control.
- 5
What is a natural experiment?
Model answer
An experiment where the independent variable varies naturally without researcher manipulation, such as comparing children who experienced a natural disaster with those who did not.
- 6
If a researcher wanted to study the psychological effects of a factory closure on workers, what type of experiment would this be and why?
Model answer
A natural experiment, because the independent variable (factory closure) varies naturally without researcher manipulation.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Research Methods revision questions
- What does Research Methods cover in AQA A-Level Psychology?
- 6 subtopics: experimental method, observational techniques, self-report techniques, correlations, content analysis and case studies. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Research Methods organised?
- By the AQA 7182 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Research Methods, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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