OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology
OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 Exam Questions
Free OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology revision for 3.2.3 Research Methods 1: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers experimental and non-experimental methods, hypotheses, sampling, experimental designs, variables, ethics, descriptive statistics, graphs and distributions.
Practise 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 with past papers
Once you have learnt this topic, find the 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 questions in real OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology past papers and mark them with the mark scheme. Doing lots of real questions is the quickest way to learn how examiners ask about each idea.
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About OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.3 Research Methods 1
Research methods 1 is the third section of Unit 2 on the OxfordAQA International AS Psychology course. It introduces how psychologists carry out and analyse research. You study laboratory, field and natural experiments, types of observation, questionnaires, interviews and correlations, along with the scientific processes behind them: aims and hypotheses, sampling, piloting, experimental designs, variables and control, demand characteristics and ethical issues. You also learn how to handle data using measures of central tendency and dispersion, tables and graphs, and normal and skewed distributions. Examiners often set a novel study and ask you to identify, design or improve parts of it.
What you need to know
- Experimental methods Laboratory experiments are highly controlled; field experiments manipulate the IV in a natural setting; natural experiments use an IV that varies naturally. Each differs in control, ecological validity and the risk of demand characteristics.
- Non-experimental methods Observations can be naturalistic or controlled, covert or overt, and participant or non-participant, using behavioural categories. Questionnaires use open or closed questions; interviews can be structured or unstructured. Correlations measure the relationship between co-variables and cannot show cause and effect.
- Hypotheses and variables A directional hypothesis predicts the direction of the effect; a non-directional one predicts a difference only. Operationalise the independent and dependent variables. Control extraneous variables and use standardised procedures.
- Designs and sampling Independent groups, repeated measures (control order effects by counterbalancing) and matched pairs. Random allocation reduces participant variables. Sampling methods include random and opportunity samples; sampling bias limits generalisation.
- Ethics Key issues include informed consent, deception, the right to withdraw, protection from harm, confidentiality and privacy, with debriefing used after research.
- Data handling Quantitative and qualitative data; primary and secondary data; meta-analysis. Mean, median and mode; range and standard deviation. Bar charts for categories, line graphs, and scattergrams for correlations. In a positive skew the mean is higher than the median; in a negative skew it is lower.
Common mistakes in 3.2.3 Research Methods 1
- Writing hypotheses that are not operationalised. Say exactly how the IV and DV are measured.
- Claiming a correlation shows that one variable causes the other.
- Choosing a bar chart for continuous data or a histogram for categories. Match the graph to the data type.
- Listing an ethical issue without explaining how it applies to the study described and how it could be dealt with.
- Saying a large standard deviation means the results are wrong. It means scores are widely spread around the mean.
Try three 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 exam-style questions
1. A researcher tests whether listening to music affects memory. Write a directional hypothesis for this study. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Participants who learn a list of 20 words in silence will recall more words than participants who learn the list while listening to music (IV and DV both operationalised, direction stated).
2. Ten participants' scores are 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10, 14. Calculate the mean and the range. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Mean = 80 / 10 = 8; range = 14 - 4 = 10.
3. Explain one strength and one limitation of using a repeated measures design. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Strength: the same participants are in both conditions, so participant variables are controlled and fewer participants are needed; limitation: order effects such as practice or fatigue may affect performance in the second condition, and participants may guess the aim, though counterbalancing can reduce order effects.
3.2.3 Research Methods 1 FAQs
What does OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 cover?
It covers experimental and non-experimental methods, aims and hypotheses, sampling, experimental designs, variables, ethics, and descriptive statistics, graphs and distributions.
Which unit is 3.2.3 Research Methods 1 examined in?
It is examined in Unit 2 (PS02), Biopsychology, development and research methods 1, as one of three compulsory sections.
How do I revise research methods effectively?
Learn the key terms precisely, then practise applying them to short novel studies: identify the method, design, variables, sampling and ethical issues, and suggest improvements. Practise mean, median, mode and range calculations without errors.
