WJEC A Level Psychology
WJEC A Level Psychology Reliability, Validity and Ethics Exam Questions
Free WJEC A Level Psychology revision for Reliability, Validity and Ethics: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers reliability, validity, researcher bias, demand characteristics, social desirability, ethical issues, ethics committees and debriefing.
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About WJEC A Level Psychology Reliability, Validity and Ethics
Reliability, validity and ethics complete the Unit 2 principles of research. Reliability is about consistency; validity is about whether a study measures what it intends and whether the findings generalise; ethics is about protecting participants. The specification names threats such as researcher bias, demand characteristics and social desirability, and ethical issues from confidentiality and deception to working with children and animals, managed through ethics committees, guidelines and debriefing. Examiners ask you to spot problems in a novel study and suggest realistic solutions. Specific ways of assessing reliability and validity, such as test-retest, are developed further in Unit 4.
What you need to know
- Reliability Internal reliability is consistency within a measure; external reliability is consistency over time or between researchers. It is improved by standardised procedures, clear operationalised categories and trained observers.
- Validity Internal validity: did the IV cause the change in the DV? External validity: do findings generalise to other people, settings and times?
- Threats to validity Researcher bias, demand characteristics and social desirability. They are reduced using single or double-blind procedures, standardised instructions and anonymous responses.
- Ethical issues Confidentiality, deception, risk of stress, anxiety, humiliation or pain, risks to values, beliefs, relationships, status or privacy, valid consent, and extra care with vulnerable individuals including children.
- Managing ethics Ethics committees weigh costs and benefits before research starts; ethical guidelines set standards; debriefing tells participants the true aim, checks their well-being and offers the right to withdraw their data.
- Working with animals Research must be justified, use as few animals as possible and minimise suffering, following guidelines for animal research.
Common mistakes in Reliability, Validity and Ethics
- Mixing up reliability and validity. A consistent measure is reliable, but it is only valid if it measures what it claims to.
- Saying deception is always unethical. It can be acceptable if necessary, approved by an ethics committee and followed by a full debrief.
- Writing that debriefing gives consent. Consent must be obtained before taking part; debriefing comes after.
- Listing an ethical issue without explaining it in context. Show how the specific procedure creates the problem.
- Suggesting 'make it more ethical' as a solution. Give a concrete step such as parental consent or anonymised data.
Try three Reliability, Validity and Ethics exam-style questions
1. Explain what is meant by social desirability bias. (2 marks)
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Participants give answers that present them in a favourable light rather than truthful answers; this reduces the validity of self-report data.
2. A researcher observes children in a playground without their knowledge. Identify two ethical issues and suggest how each could be dealt with. (4 marks)
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Valid consent: obtain consent from parents and the school beforehand; privacy and confidentiality: record no names or identifying details and store data securely; or debrief parents and offer withdrawal of data.
3. Explain how a double-blind procedure improves validity. (3 marks)
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Neither participants nor the researcher collecting data know which condition participants are in; this prevents demand characteristics from participants and researcher bias in how data are recorded; so changes in the DV are more likely to be due to the IV.
Reliability, Validity and Ethics FAQs
What does WJEC A Level Psychology Unit 2 Reliability, Validity and Ethics cover?
Types of reliability and validity, threats such as demand characteristics, and the ethical issues and safeguards for human and animal research.
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.
How do I answer ethics questions about a novel study?
Name the issue, explain how this procedure causes it for these participants, then give a practical way to deal with it.
