Differential 2.1 and 2.2

Question 1

What are some categories of variances in individuals? (3 points)

Answer 1

Physical: height, weight, body build, skin, hair, eye colour
Physiological: blood pressure, hormone levels, metabolic rate, fertility, allergies
Developmental: ‘readiness’ to learn to read, pubertal timing, ageing rate, menopause timing

Question 2

How do individuals vary in psychological characteristics? (up to 11 examples)

Answer 2

Cognitive abilities
Learning rates and strategies
Activity level
Motivations
Goals
Attitudes
Personality
Interests
Creativity
Sexuality
Gender identity

Question 3

How do individuals vary in demographic status? (up to 8 examples)

Answer 3

Age
Sex
Employment
Marital status
Nationality
Ethnicity
Religion
Political party membership

Question 4

How do individuals vary in lifestyle? (up to 7 examples)

Answer 4

Diet
Exercise
Values
Material desires
Work ethic
Leisure activities
Circadian rhythms

Question 5

How do individuals vary in experiences? (up to 5 examples)

Answer 5

Upbringing culture
Educational opportunities
Involvement in traumatic events
Crime
Injuries

Question 6

What are Cronbach’s (1957) two disciplines of scientific Psychology? (2 points)

Answer 6

Experimental and Correlational
- experimental manipulation of conditions to see what happens
- correlational seeks to identify and understand patterns of nature / out of control

Question 7

What is the formal + informal definition of variance? (1 sentence each)

Answer 7

The expected squared deviation of a random variable from its statistical mean
How far and how much data tend to extend from their mean

Question 8

What is the definition of ‘psychometrics’?

Answer 8

The science of measuring mental capacities and processes

Question 9

What is the definition of ‘bias’ in psychological experiments?

Answer 9

A systematic, relevant measurement variance that is considered unfair

Question 10

What are the three stages that form a differential study?

Answer 10

Research question
Identification of data
Sample collection - represent the whole population

Question 11

What does it mean to measure something well? (5 points)

Answer 11

We’re assessing what we mean to (only one dependent variable)
Various assessment methods agree well
The same results are achieved with repetition
The assessment process is free from ‘bias’
The measurement has the same meaning across the entire population of the study