Issues and debates: practical issues (bio)

Question 1

INTRO

Practical issues

Answer 1

Practical issues include trying to control research to ensure replicability and increase reliability. Researchers often have to balance practical questions such as what design is appropriate with cost and time constraints. Practical issues can include sampling participants, and choosing which research method is most appropriate to investigate a topic, balancing realism with control.

Question 2

A01 & A03 (are)

Answer 2

A01
- Brain scans provide objective measures but are costly.
- Twin studies allow investigation of genetic influence without artificial manipulation.

A03
Raine et al:
- PET scans gave objective data but were expensive and didn’t directly measure brain activity, only glucose/oxygen uptake.
- Sample of NGRI murderers lacked generalisability.

Question 3

A01 & A03 (aren’t)

Answer 3

A01
Adoption studies separate genetics and environment naturally, offering valid conclusions without manipulation.

A03
Heston:
Controlled for environmental factors using matched pairs, improving internal validity and replicability.

Question 4

judgement

Answer 4

Overall, biological psychology has practical issues as it doesn’t offer a full picture of how behaviour is influenced.