WJEC A Level Psychology
WJEC A Level Psychology Methodologies, Location and Participants Exam Questions
Free WJEC A Level Psychology revision for Methodologies, Location and Participants: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers experiments, observations, content analysis, interviews, questionnaires, correlations, case studies, lab, field and online research and sampling techniques.
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About WJEC A Level Psychology Methodologies, Location and Participants
This part of Unit 2 Section B covers how research is carried out, where it happens and who takes part. The specification lists experiments (including quasi and natural experiments), participant and non-participant observation, content analysis, structured and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, correlational studies, case studies and self-reports, plus laboratory, field and online settings and nine sampling techniques. You need to recognise each in a description, carry it out in practice and evaluate it for a given aim. Examiners regularly ask you to identify a sampling method, suggest an improvement, or explain why one method suits a novel scenario better than another.
What you need to know
- Experiments True experiments manipulate an IV and measure a DV. Quasi-experiments use a naturally existing difference between people, such as age, and natural experiments use a naturally occurring event, so random allocation is not possible.
- Observations and content analysis Participant and non-participant observations record behaviour, ideally using behavioural categories. Content analysis codes material such as diaries, adverts or interviews into categories and counts them.
- Self-report methods Questionnaires and structured interviews use set questions; semi-structured interviews allow follow-up questions. Closed questions give quantitative data, and open questions give qualitative data.
- Correlations and case studies Correlations measure the relationship between two co-variables but cannot show cause and effect. Case studies investigate one person or a small group in depth.
- Location of research Laboratory: high control but artificial. Field: natural setting but less control. Online: large, varied samples at low cost but little control over conditions or identity.
- Sampling Random, opportunity, systematic, stratified, quota, self-selected and snowball sampling, drawn from a sampling frame for a target population. Observations use event sampling (each time a behaviour occurs) or time sampling (at set intervals).
Common mistakes in Methodologies, Location and Participants
- Calling a gender comparison a true experiment. Gender cannot be manipulated, so it is a quasi-experiment.
- Saying opportunity sampling is random because the researcher did not choose on purpose. Random sampling requires every member of the population to have an equal chance.
- Claiming correlations prove causation. They only show a relationship that may be due to a third variable.
- Confusing quota and stratified sampling. Quota sampling uses opportunity selection within subgroups; stratified uses random selection.
- Listing generic strengths. Link evaluation to the specific study in the question.
Try three Methodologies, Location and Participants exam-style questions
1. A researcher asks the first 20 students entering the library to complete a questionnaire. Identify the sampling technique and one weakness. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Opportunity sampling; weakness: the sample may not be representative, for example library users may be more studious than other students.
2. Explain one difference between a structured and a semi-structured interview. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
A structured interview uses fixed questions in a set order for every participant, whereas a semi-structured interview has some set questions but allows the interviewer to ask follow-up questions based on answers.
3. Explain how a researcher could carry out a systematic sample of 30 from a year group of 210. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Obtain a list of all 210 students as the sampling frame; 210 / 30 = 7, so select every 7th name; starting from a randomly chosen point among the first seven.
Methodologies, Location and Participants FAQs
What does WJEC A Level Psychology Unit 2 Methodologies, Location and Participants cover?
Research methods from experiments to case studies, laboratory, field and online settings, and all the sampling techniques in the specification.
Which paper is this examined in?
It is examined in Section B of Unit 2, Psychology: Using Psychological Concepts, which covers principles of research and the application of research methods to a novel scenario.
Which methods are added later in Unit 4?
Unit 4 adds brain scans, longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies, so learn the Unit 2 methods thoroughly first as a base.
