6 Markers Flashcards
Explain the format for reporting psychological investigations.
Credit could be given for:
* Investigations normally being published in a journal (print and/or on-line)
* Identification and description of typical content of various key elements in a psychological investigation such as Title; Abstract; Introduction; Methods/Procedures; Results; Discussion/Conclusions; References.
* Abstract: brief summary of the research.
* Introduction: brief summary of relevant literature.
* Methodology: design chosen.
* Procedure: steps that were taken by the researcher.
* Findings/result: data gathered and analysed.
* Discussion of results and conclusion.
* Any other appropriate content.
5-6
* Reasonable explanation of the format used to report psychological
investigations given.
* Good use of appropriate terminology.
Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of conducting research in a laboratory environment.
Strengths of research in a laboratory environment:
* Allows the researcher to more easily control confounding or extraneous variables.
* Allows the researcher to more easily use equipment, such as an MRI scanner.
Weaknesses of research in a laboratory environment:
* Participants are in an artificial environment and so may behave
artificially.
* Some research can’t be done in a laboratory, because of the nature of the behaviour e.g. studying primates in their natural habitats.
* Any other appropriate content.
5-6
* Reasonable assessment of strengths and weaknesses of research conducted in a laboratory environment, used in psychology.
* Depth and range, but may not be in equal measure.
* Structure is logical.
Explain two ways in which Kohlberg’s (1968) research ‘The child as a moral philosopher’ could be improved.
Credit could be given for:
* Change to the interviewer/use of a naïve confederate.
* Changes to the sampling technique used.
* Changes to the moral dilemmas used.
* Any other appropriate content.
3 (per explanation)
* A way of improving the research is suggested.
* Thorough analysis of why this suggestion would improve the research.
* The structure is logical
Explain two ways in which Milgram’s (1963) research ‘Behavioural study of Obedience’ could be improved.
Credit could be given for:
* Changes to the nature of obedience task.
* Changes to the sampling technique used.
* Changes to the ways in which the ethical issues were dealt with.
* Any other appropriate content.
3 (per explanation)
* A way of improving the research is suggested.
* Thorough analysis of why this suggestion would improve the
research.
* The structure is logical.
Describe the process of peer review.
Credit could be given for:
Process of peer review is likely to have the following stages:
1. Researcher submits article to journal.
2. Journal assessed by editor of journal.
3. If accepted by editor, article is sent to reviewers (who is also an expert in the field).
4. Reviewers are normally kept anonymous from the article’s author.
5. Reviewers submit their comments to the editor.
6. Editor may reject the article or return it to the author to make revisions.
7. Revised article is re-submitted to editor for publication.
* Any other appropriate content.
5-6
* Reasonable description of the process of peer review.
* Good use of appropriate terminology.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of using semi-structured interviews.
Strengths:
* More detailed information can be obtained from each respondent than in a structured interview as the interviewer can tailor the questions to the respondent’s responses, get deeper insights into the respondent’s feelings and thoughts.
* Can avoid asking irrelevant questions.
* Allows the researcher to investigate topics which may vary greatly amongst participants with more sensitivity.
Weaknesses:
* Semi-structured interviews require interviewers with more skill than a structured interview because the interviewer must develop new questions on the spot. The requirement for well-trained interviewers makes semi-structured interviews more expensive to produce.
* Questions developed on the spot may lack objectivity more than
predetermined ones because of their instantaneous nature, as the interviewer has little time to reflect on what to say.
* Any other appropriate content.
5-6
* Reasonable evaluation of both strengths and weaknesses of
using semi-structured interviews.
* Structure is logical.
* Depth and range
Explain the strengths of longitudinal studies and the weaknesses of cross-sectional studies.
Strengths of longitudinal:
* Longitudinal studies control for ‘participant variables’, as the same person is tested on a number of occasions and compared and therefore acts as their own control.
* Cohort variables are not a problem.
* Reduces recall bias as participants are being researched as their life occurs, rather than research which may ask them to think back to experiences they may have had a long time ago.
* Helps us understand the order in which events may occur.
* Helps us establish links between early life circumstances and later outcomes.
Weaknesses of cross-sectional:
* Different people are in the different groups/conditions, so any difference detected may be due to participant variables other than age.
* Cohort variables may exist, such as individuals born during the same time period may share important historical experiences.
* Recall bias can occur if the study asks participants about experiences they may have had a long time ago.
* Difficult to indicate causal relationships (cause and effect).
* Any other appropriate content.
Explain the steps you would follow to calculate a standard deviation.
Credit could be given for:
* Descriptions of stages used in calculations – 1 mark per step
* Actual calculations of a worked example.
Exemplar answers:
I would calculate the standard deviation by completing the following steps:
1. Calculate the mean of the data set.
2. Take the mean away from each score in the data set.
3. Square each difference.
4. Add together each of the squared differences
5. Divide this by N – 1 (the number of scores in your data set - 1).
6. Find the square root of this value and this is the standard deviation.
