Research Methods

What Research Methods covers

Research Methods is examined in Both components, a section of each paper. It covers hypotheses, variables and experimental designs, sampling and ethical guidelines, Experiments, interviews and questionnaires, observations, case studies and correlations, descriptive statistics, tables and graphs and reliability, validity and bias.

The 7 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Hypotheses, variables and experimental designsAlternative and null hypotheses, independent, dependent and extraneous variables, co-variables, standardisation, repeated and independent measures designs, and counterbalancing.Open →
• Sampling and ethical guidelinesTarget populations, representative samples and generalisability, random, opportunity and self-selected sampling, and the British Psychological Society's ethical guidelines.Open →
• Experiments, interviews and questionnairesLaboratory, field and natural experiments, structured and unstructured interviews, open and closed questions and rating scales, and primary and secondary data.Open →
• Observations, case studies and correlationsNaturalistic, controlled, overt, covert, participant and non-participant observation, case studies, and positive, negative and zero correlations on scatter diagrams.Open →
• Descriptive statistics, tables and graphsThe mode, median, mean and range, percentages, ratios, fractions, standard form, significant figures and estimation, the normal distribution, frequency tables, bar charts, histograms and line graphs.Open →
• Reliability, validity and biasInternal, external and inter-rater reliability, ecological, population and construct validity, demand characteristics, social desirability, and gender, cultural, age, experimenter and observer bias.Open →
• The five core areas of psychologyThe biological, cognitive, social, developmental and individual differences areas of psychology, which area each theory belongs to, and why the areas are interrelated.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.

• Independent variable vs Dependent variable

  Independent variable: the factor the researcher changes between conditions. Dependent variable: the factor the researcher measures for an effect.

• Repeated measures design vs Independent measures design

  Repeated measures design: each participant taking part in every condition. Independent measures design: different participants taking part in each condition.

• Null hypothesis vs Alternative hypothesis

  Null hypothesis: a prediction that no difference or relationship will be found. Alternative hypothesis: a prediction that a difference or relationship will be found.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is an alternative hypothesis?

   Model answer

   An alternative hypothesis is a testable prediction that there will be a difference or a relationship. The alternative hypothesis states what the researcher expects to find.

2. 2

   What is a null hypothesis?

   Model answer

   A null hypothesis predicts that there will be no difference or no relationship. Any difference or pattern that does appear is put down to chance.

3. 3

   A researcher tests whether background music affects how many words people recall. Write an alternative hypothesis that predicts a difference.

   Model answer

   Participants will recall a different number of words from a list of 20 when music is playing than in silence.

4. 4

   A researcher predicts that the more hours students sleep, the higher their test scores will be. What kind of hypothesis is this?

   Model answer

   The prediction is a correlational hypothesis. A correlational hypothesis predicts a relationship between two co-variables rather than a difference between conditions.

5. 5

   Write a null hypothesis for a study of whether hours of sleep and test scores are related.

   Model answer

   The number of hours students sleep will show no relationship with their test scores. Any pattern found will be due to chance.

6. 6

   What is an independent variable, and how is it manipulated?

   Model answer

   The independent variable is the factor a researcher changes to see its effect. The researcher manipulates it by creating different conditions, such as music versus silence.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Research Methods revision questions

What does Research Methods cover in OCR GCSE Psychology?

7 subtopics: hypotheses, variables and experimental designs, sampling and ethical guidelines, experiments, interviews and questionnaires, observations, case studies and correlations, descriptive statistics, tables and graphs, reliability, validity and bias and the five core areas of psychology. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Research Methods organised?

By the OCR J203 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.