Biological Practical Flashcards
What is the aim of your biological practical?
To conduct a correlation to the relationship between testosterone (2D:4D ratio) and aggression (aggression questionnaire)
What is the abstract of your biological practical?
Aim: Is there a correlation between testosterone and aggression?
Procedure: Completed a questionnaire scored out of 50, measured length of ring finger and index finger and then measuring ratio, plotted a scatter graph to measure correlation and Spearman’s Rho was calculated
Result:
What is the alternative hypothesis (two-tailed) of your biological practical?
There will be a positive relationship between 2D:4D ratio and scores on an aggression questionnaire
What is the sample of your biological practical?
Opportunity sampling gathering 20 people from college aged 16 to 18
What is the procedure of your biological practical?
Completed a questionnaire of 30 questions about aggressiveness and measured on a 5 point scale giving them a total for aggression
Measured length of ring finger and index finger and then measuring ratio (to avoid them figuring out that their testosterone was being measured)
Their questionnaires were scored to give them a score out of 50 with some questions being reverse scored (high score makes you less aggressive)
Plotted on a scatter graph to measure correlation and Spearman’s Rho was calculated
What were the results of your biological practical?
Spearman of -0.65
What was the conclusion of your biological practical?
Negative correlation between testosterone and aggression levels
What is an improvement to your biological practical?
To increase the sample size from 20 to 100 so that the results about 2D:4D ratio and aggression are more representative of a wider population
What is a strength of your biological practical regarding the sample?
Using both males and females in finger ratio measures/aggression questionnaires so the results about 2D/4D ratio are more generalisable and representative of the wider population
What is a weakness of your biological practical regarding the sample?
Small opportunity sampling so high chance of shared characteristics (e.g. IQ) as they are all from the same college so results about 2D:4D ratio and aggression are not representative of a wider population
Why is it a strength if the biological practical is standardised?
Tasks like measuring finger ratio and questionnaires can be repeated to see if the results about 2D:4D ratio and aggression are reliable.
Why is using finger ratios not a valid measurement?
Correlation so may not really be telling us about testosterone and aggression, reducing validity
Why is it good that we collected quantitative data from the aggression questionnaires in the biological practical?
Allows for statistical testing/analysis to see if the results about aggression and finger ratio are due to chance
Why is using questionnaires a weakness in your biological practical?
5 point scales used can be subjective in interpretation (e.g. ‘4’ might mean
different things to different people) so the results about the correlation between finger ratio and aggression might be less valid if people interpret the aggression scores differently
