research methods
What is the independent variable in a study where students complete a reading task in silence, soft music, or loud music?
The level of background noise
Name one ethical guideline researchers must follow when involving students in a study.
Informed consent
What are two biological factors that may affect memory in old age?
Brain aging, neuron loss
A mental structure for organizing and interpreting information
A mental structure for organizing and interpreting information
What is the purpose of rehearsal in memory?
Keeps information in short-term memory and helps encode it into long-term memory
What kind of sampling is it when students choose to respond to a survey shared in a group chat?
Self-selected sampling
What is the term for a participant’s right to stop being part of a study at any time?
Right to withdraw
What is a psychological effect of memory decline in older adults?
Anxiety or frustration
What is assimilation? Give an example.
Fitting new info into existing schema (e.g., child sees zebra and calls it a horse)
Which type of memory is used when recalling personal events?
Episodic memory
Is self-report data subjective or objective?
Subjective
Why is debriefing important after a psychological experiment?
Debriefing helps make sure participants understand what the experiment was really about, especially if anything was hidden from them at the start. It also gives them a chance to ask questions and feel okay about what they took part in.
What social factor might contribute to loneliness in a retirement village?
Loss of previous social network or isolation
What is accommodation? Give an example
Modifying schema (e.g., child learns zebra is not a horse)
What is the term for when a person remembers the start and end of a list best?
Serial Position Effect
Why might self-selected samples reduce the generalisability of a study’s results?
Because participants who volunteer may not represent the broader population
How could a researcher breach confidentiality in a school study, and how can this be avoided?
A researcher could breach confidentiality by sharing names or personal details of students who took part. To avoid this, they should keep names private and only use codes or fake names when sharing the results.
Describe how the biopsychosocial model explains changes in an elderly person who has recently become forgetful and withdrawn. Include one example for each factor.
Biological: brain aging; Psychological: frustration from memory loss; Social: isolation due to relocation
Piaget suggested learning happens through active discovery. How does this differ from passive learning
Active discovery means students learn by doing things, exploring, and figuring things out for themselves. Passive learning is when they just listen or copy without really thinking or understanding it for themselves.
How does chunking help improve short-term memory capacity?
It groups items into larger, meaningful units, allowing more information to be remembered.
Explain how using a control group improves the validity of an experiment.
A control group allows for comparison, helping to isolate the effect of the independent variable.
A researcher is running a study on teenage stress but plans to publish individual student responses with their names to highlight “real voices.”
What ethical guideline is being violated, and what could be done instead to share findings responsibly?
The researcher is breaking confidentiality by sharing students' names.
Instead, they should keep names private and use fake names or codes so no one knows who said what.
Evaluate one strength and one limitation of using the biopsychosocial model in explaining behaviour.
Strength: considers multiple influences. Limitation: difficult to determine which factor has the most impact.
Why is it helpful when children feel confused or challenged by new information, according to Piaget’s theory?
Because it shows that their old way of thinking doesn’t work anymore. This pushes them to learn something new and change how they think, which helps their brain grow and understand more.
Explain how emotional significance can enhance long-term memory encoding
Emotionally charged events activate the amygdala, strengthening memory consolidation.