Experimental Design
What is the independent variable in an experiment?
The independent variable is the variable that the researcher manipulates or changes to see its effect on another variable.
What attachment type is characterised by distress when the caregiver leaves and happiness when they return?
Secure attachment — the child shows distress when the caregiver leaves but is comforted when they return.
What are the four stages of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
How many stages are in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development?
There are 8 stages, each involving a different psychosocial conflict.
Which lobe is involved when you feel warmth from a cup of tea?
Parietal lobe – somatosensory processing
Why is a control group important in experimental design?
A control group provides a baseline for comparison, allowing researchers to determine whether changes in the dependent variable are actually caused by the independent variable (and not something else).
In Ainsworth’s Strange Situation, how do avoidant infants typically respond to the caregiver?
They show little distress when the caregiver leaves and avoid or ignore them upon return.
What is object permanence, and in which stage does it develop?
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight.
It develops in the sensorimotor stage.
What is the main conflict in the first stage (infancy), and what is the positive outcome?
Trust vs Mistrust
Positive outcome: developing trust that caregivers will meet their needs.
You are trying to plan a holiday. Which brain region is most active?
Prefrontal cortex – planning, reasoning
What is random assignment, and how is it different from random sampling?
What did Harlow’s monkey experiments demonstrate about attachment?
Harlow showed that attachment is primarily based on comfort (contact comfort) rather than just food provision, as infant monkeys preferred a soft cloth “mother” over a wire one that provided milk.
What is egocentrism in the preoperational stage?
Egocentrism is the inability to see things from another person’s perspective. Children assume others think and see the world the same way they do.
What conflict occurs during adolescence, and what happens if it is not successfully resolved?
If not resolved, the individual may experience confusion about their identity, beliefs, and future direction.
A friend says “chair” when they mean “table.” Which brain area might be damaged?
Wernicke’s area
What is a confounding variable, and how can it affect the results of an experiment?
A confounding variable is an uncontrolled factor that may influence the dependent variable, making it unclear whether the independent variable actually caused the observed effect.
It can bias the results and lead to incorrect conclusions. Researchers try to control confounding variables through methods like random assignment, standardised procedures, or controlling conditions.
A child shows extreme distress when their caregiver leaves, and upon return they both seek comfort and resist it (e.g. pushing the caregiver away).
What attachment type is this, and what caregiving pattern is it associated with?
This is insecure-resistant attachment.
It is associated with inconsistent caregiving, where the caregiver is sometimes responsive and sometimes neglectful.
A child is shown two identical glasses of water. When one is poured into a taller, thinner glass, the child says it now has more water.
What concept is the child lacking, and which stage are they in?
The child lacks conservation (understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance).
They are in the preoperational stage.
A child is frequently criticised and discouraged when trying new skills (e.g., drawing, dressing themselves).
Which stage is affected, and what negative outcome may result?
Stage: Initiative vs Guilt (early childhood)
Outcome: The child may develop guilt, becoming hesitant to try new things and lacking confidence in their abilities.
You are walking and hear a car behind you. You turn around quickly. Which regions are involved?
Temporal lobe (sound), midbrain (orientation/movement), occipital (visual check).
A researcher finds that people who sleep more tend to perform better on cognitive tasks. Why can’t they conclude causation, and what experimental design change would fix this?
They cannot conclude causation because this is likely a correlational study, which does not control variables or establish cause-effect relationships.
To fix this, the researcher would need to use an experimental design—for example, manipulating sleep levels (independent variable) and randomly assigning participants to different sleep conditions while controlling other variables.
A childcare centre wants to improve children’s emotional development based on attachment theory. Using Ainsworth and Harlow, what two practical strategies should they implement and why?
Provide consistent and responsive caregiving (Ainsworth):
Caregivers should respond reliably to children’s needs to promote secure attachment.
Ensure warmth and physical/emotional comfort (Harlow):
Create an environment with comfort, affection, and emotional support, not just meeting physical needs, because attachment depends on contact comfort and security.
A teacher wants students to understand abstract concepts like justice and hypothetical situations. According to Piaget, what stage must the students be in, and how should the teacher adapt their teaching?
Students need to be in the formal operational stage, where they can think abstractly and hypothetically.
The teacher should:
An adult feels unproductive, disconnected from others, and unsure how they contribute to society.
Which stage of Erikson’s theory does this relate to, and what strategies could support positive development?
Stage: Generativity vs Stagnation (middle adulthood)
Strategies:
These promote generativity: a sense of purpose and contribution to society.
A footballer suffers a head injury and becomes emotionally volatile and impulsive. Explain which brain area might be affected and why.
Prefrontal cortex – emotion regulation and decision-making are disrupted.