Research Methods

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. AQA AS Psychology students sit this topic in the first year.

• 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.

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. 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. 2

   In which type of experiment does the researcher have the most control over extraneous variables?

   Model answer

   Laboratory experiments.

3. 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. 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. 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. 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

Is Research Methods examined at AS in AQA Psychology?

Yes. It sits in Paper 2, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.

What does Research Methods cover in AQA AS-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.