Eduqas A Level Psychology Methodologies and Location of Research Exam Questions

About Eduqas A Level Psychology Methodologies and Location of Research

This part of Component 2 covers the full range of research methods that psychologists use and where research takes place. You need to describe each methodology, recognise it from a description, and weigh its strengths and weaknesses for a particular aim. You must also distinguish quantitative from qualitative data and primary from secondary data, and evaluate laboratory, field and online settings. Examiners often present an unfamiliar study and ask you to identify the method, suggest a better one or design a study, so practise applying, not just defining, the methods. The classic studies give useful examples: Milgram's lab study and Kohlberg's longitudinal interviews.

What you need to know

• Experiments Laboratory, field and quasi-experiments involve measuring a DV. In a true experiment the IV is manipulated; in a quasi-experiment the IV is a naturally existing difference, such as age or gender, so participants cannot be randomly allocated.
• Observations Participant observation means the researcher joins the group; non-participant observation means watching from outside. Observations can be covert or overt, and structured using behavioural categories.
• Self-report methods Questionnaires use closed or open questions; structured interviews use fixed questions, while semi-structured interviews allow follow-up questions. Both risk social desirability bias.
• Correlations and content analysis Correlational studies measure the relationship between two co-variables and cannot show cause and effect. Content analysis turns qualitative material, such as interviews or media, into categories that can be counted.
• Case, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies Case studies give in-depth data on one person or a small group. Longitudinal studies follow the same people over time; cross-sectional studies compare different groups at one point in time. Brain scans such as PET and fMRI measure brain activity.
• Data types Quantitative data are numerical; qualitative data are descriptive. Primary data are collected by the researcher; secondary data were collected by someone else, as in a meta-analysis.
• Location of research Laboratory research offers control but can lack ecological validity; field research is more natural but less controlled; online research reaches large, varied samples cheaply but gives less control over who takes part and how.

Common mistakes in Methodologies and Location of Research

• Calling a study with a naturally occurring IV a field experiment. If the researcher cannot manipulate the IV, it is a quasi-experiment, wherever it takes place.
• Saying correlations show that one variable causes the other. A correlation only shows a relationship; a third variable may be responsible.
• Confusing covert and non-participant observation. Covert means participants do not know they are observed; non-participant means the observer is not part of the group.
• Describing qualitative data as unscientific without explanation. Explain the trade-off: rich detail and validity versus difficulty in analysing and comparing.
• Writing generic evaluation that could apply to any method. Link each point to the aim and setting of the study in the question.

Try three Methodologies and Location of Research exam-style questions