OCR G541 Psychological Investigations
About Module G541: Psychological Investigations
G541 is assessed through a one hour examination, with three sections (A, B and C) – 20 minutes per section, with 20 marks for each section.The questions are based around three of the four main methods used in psychological investigations:
- Self Reports / Questionnaires
- Observations
- Experiments
- Correlations
You will also need to know about the different sampling methods used to select participants, how to effectively present and interpret results and how investigations could be conducted differently.
The best way to learn about psychological investigations is to conduct some for yourself. This makes it easier to understand how the methods work and some of the problems with them.
The following information is aimed at guiding you through the process of writing up those all important reports after you have completed your investigations.
For more information on conducting the studies, refer to your AS Psychology Handbook.
Some Important Notes on How to Complete Research Reports
- The report should be double line spaced - if using Microsoft Word this can be done from the Format menu. Select all of the text to be double spaced, choose PARAGRAPH from the FORMAT menu, and change LINE SPACING to DOUBLE. Click OK.
- All tables and graphs must be labelled properly, with titles.
- All pages should be numbered, and preferably have your name on them (or candidate number if later they will be peer-assessed).
- Research subjects should be referred to by a number, not their name to maintain confidentiality.
- All other information on descriptive statistics, evaluation issues etc. is in the AS Level Psychology Handbook, available from the online document archive.
Self Reports / Questionnaires
Aim
State here what the aim of the investigation was - what you investigated.Participants
State here the population from which your subjects were chosen, the sampling method (how you chose them - usually opportunistic or random), and the make up of the sample (number, males, females, age).Procedure
Include here:
Design
- That this used a questionnaire
- How the questions were developed (usually through a pilot study or by brainstorming with other researchers.
- Description of the questionnaire, including the style of questions, how responses were rated, what the ratings meant.
- Whether the investigation looked at the difference between two groups (eg males and females)
- What the questionnaire was measuring
- How this was measured (eg: The questionnaire measured male and female attitudes towards studying. Each question was rated using a Likert scale of 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a more positive attitude towards studying. There were ten questions on the questionnaire, which meant subjects could score a minimum of 10, and a maximum of 50)
- What was done, including what instructions were given and whether subjects were informed of the reason for the research.
- Anything that was done to make sure the research was valid, including questioning all subjects at the same time, using the same instructions etc.
- State the ethical considerations and what was done to ensure that the research was ethical.
Results
- A table to show the results
- Mean scores and other descriptive statistics as relevant (eg range of scores - range = highest total questionnaire score minus lowest score)
- A verbal summary, including unusual results and a description of what the graph shows (the graph should be an appendix at the end)
Evaluation / Conclusion
- Depends what was found in the investigation.
- Also include any strengths or weaknesses, how these could be addressed in future research and what the effect of any changes would be.
Appendices
- Blank questionnaire with rating scales shown under each question
- Raw data
- Standardised instructions given to subjects
- Graphs
Observations
Aim
State here what the aim of the investigation was - what you investigated.Participants
State here the population from which your subjects were chosen, the sampling method (how you chose them - usually opportunistic or random), and the make up of the sample (number, males, females,age).Procedure
Include here:
Design
- That this was an observation and what type (participant / non-participant and whether it was direct; also whether it was covert (subjects did not know they were being observed)
- How observation schedule and behaviour ratings were developed (usually through a pilot study or by brainstorming with other researchers.
- Description of the observation, including how behaviour was coded, what the ratings / coding meant.
- Whether the investigation looked at the difference between two groups (eg males and females)
- What the observation was measuring
- How this was measured (eg: The observation investigated male and female studying habits, by observing their behaviour in the study area. Studying behaviour was coded through a tally of how many males and how many females were studying. The researchers recorded this information at 5 minute intervals.)
- What was done, including what instructions were given and whether subjects were informed of the reason for the research.
- Anything that was done to make sure the research was valid, including questioning all subjects at the same time, using the same instructions etc.
- State the ethical considerations and what was done to ensure that the research was ethical.
Results
- A table to show the results
- Mean scores and other descriptive statistics as relevant.
- A verbal summary, including unusual results and a description of what the graph shows (the graph should be an appendix at the end)
Evaluation / Conclusion
- Depends what was found in the investigation.
- Also include any strengths or weaknesses, how these could be addressed in future research and what the effect of any changes would be.
Appendices
- Observation schedule, including any coding / rating for behaviours and tables for completion in observation.
- Raw data
- Standardised instructions given to subjects
- Graphs
Experiments
Hypotheses
Experimental Hypothesis
There is a difference between etc. (two-tailed)
OR
Condition one will be better / more likely to do / score higher or whatever than condition two (one-tailed)
Null Hypothesis
There is no difference etc.
There is a difference between etc. (two-tailed)
OR
Condition one will be better / more likely to do / score higher or whatever than condition two (one-tailed)
Null Hypothesis
There is no difference etc.
Participants
State here the population from which your subjects were chosen, the sampling method (how you chose them - usually opportunistic or random), and the make up of the sample (number, males, females, age).Procedure
Include here:
Design
- Whether this was an independent groups, repeated measures or matched pairs design.
- Whether it was a formal or quasi experiment.
- What method was used to collect the data (observation / questionnaire / interview etc.)
- State the Independent Variable and its two (or more) conditions.
- State the Dependent Variable (the behaviour that is being affected by the IV).
- What was done, including what instructions were given and whether subjects were informed of the reason for the research.
- Explain how each subject's score was calculated (eg from a rated questionnaire).
- Anything that was done to make sure the research was valid, including questioning all subjects at the same time, using the same instructions etc.
- State the ethical considerations and what was done to ensure that the research was ethical.
Results
- A table to show the results
- Mean scores and other descriptive statistics as relevant (eg range of scores - range = highest total questionnaire score minus lowest score)
- A verbal summary, including unusual results and a description of what the graph shows (the graph should be an appendix at the end)
Evaluation / Conclusion
- Depends what was found in the investigation.
- Also include any strengths or weaknesses, how these could be addressed in future research and what the effect of any changes would be.
Appendices
- Blank questionnaire with rating scales shown under each question / Observation schedule
- Raw data
- Standardised instructions given to subjects
- Graphs
Correlations
Hypotheses
Experimental Hypothesis
There is a correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (two-tailed)
OR
There is a positive correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (one-tailed)
OR
There is a negative correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (one-tailed)
Null Hypothesis
There is no relationship between variable 1 and variable 2
(Substitute variable 1 and variable 2 in the above for the real variable 1 and variable 2 .)
There is a correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (two-tailed)
OR
There is a positive correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (one-tailed)
OR
There is a negative correlation between variable 1 and variable 2 (one-tailed)
Null Hypothesis
There is no relationship between variable 1 and variable 2
(Substitute variable 1 and variable 2 in the above for the real variable 1 and variable 2 .)
Participants
State here the population from which your subjects were chosen, the sampling method (how you chose them - usually opportunistic or random), and the make up of the sample (number, males, females, age).Procedure
Include here:
Design
- What method was used to collect the data (observation / questionnaire / interview etc.)
- State Variable 1
- State Variable 2
- Explain what these are and how they were measured (ie Sleep was measured through a self report questionnaire rating quality of sleep compared to the subject's usual night's sleep)
- What was done, including what instructions were given and whether subjects were informed of the reason for the research.
- Explain how each subject's score was calculated (eg from a rated questionnaire)
- Explain how this was analysed.
- Anything that was done to make sure the research was valid, including questioning all subjects at the same time, using the same instructions etc.
- State the ethical considerations and what was done to ensure that the research was ethical.
Results
- A table to show the results
- Mean scores and other descriptive statistics as relevant (eg range of scores - range = highest total questionnaire score minus lowest score)
- A verbal summary, including unusual results and a description of what the scattergram shows (the scattergram should be an appendix at the end)
Evaluation / Conclusion
- Depends what was found in the investigation.
- Also include any strengths or weaknesses, how these could be addressed in future research and what the effect of any changes would be.
Appendices
- Blank questionnaire with rating scales shown under each question / Observation Schedule
- Raw data
- Standardised instructions given to subjects
- Scattergram
Evaluations
When evaluating your investigations you should think about:- Any potential problems with your participants and how they were selected.
- Whether the ways in which you measured behaviour, attitudes etc. were valid (measured what they were supposed to).
- If the procedure was controlled and the same for all who took part.
- Whether your chosen data collection methods were the best ones for the job.
- How possible it would be to replicate what you did.
- How useful your findings are.
- What future studies would be useful in the area you researched.
- Identify whether the point is about a strength or a weakness.
- Explain it in detail, outlining why it is a strength / weakness and the effect this has on the study.
- Suggest a way to improve it (if it’s a weakness) or how this makes the research useful (if it’s a strength).
- Describe what you think the effect of any improvements would be / suggest what future research could be done.