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Caie As Level Psychology 9990 Methodology v3
Caie As Level Psychology 9990 Methodology v3
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CAIE AS LEVEL
PSYCHOLOGY
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE METHODOLOGY SYLLABUS
CAIE AS LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY
Strengths Weaknesses
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The split-half method involves the results of the first half the study at the end so that they live in the same
of the questionnaire or interview to be the same as the psychological state that they arrived in
results of second half when the questions are the same in Protection: Participants should not be exposed to any
both halves but presented in different a manner. greater physical or psychological risk than they would
The test-retest method is a way to measure the expect in their day-to-day life
consistency of a test or task by using it twice and then Informed consent: An ethical guideline stating that
comparing the results of each time to check how similar participants should know enough about a study to decide
they are. whether they want to agree to participate
Right to withdraw: An ethical guideline relating to ensuring
1.14. Data Analysis that participants know that they can remove themselves
and their data from the study at any time.
Measures of Central Tendency: a mathematical way to Deception: An ethical guideline is that participants should
determine the typical or average score from a data set. not be deliberately misinformed about the aim or
This includes the mean, median and mode. procedure of the study. If unavoidable, the study should
Mean is calculated by adding all the scores in a data set be planned to minimise the distress risk, and participants
and dividing them by the number of scores in the data set. should be thoroughly debriefed.
Median is the middle score of a data set when it is ranked Confidentiality: An ethical guideline stating that
in order (ascending order). participants’ results and personal information should be
Mode is the most frequent score in a data set. kept safely and not released to anyone outside the study
Measures of spread: a mathematical way to describe the
variation or spread within a data set. This includes the 2.3. Ethical Guidelines in Relation to
range and the standard deviation.
The range is between the most significant and negligible
Animal Participants
values with an addition 1.
Based on the British Psychological Society’s guidelines for
Standard deviation calculates the average difference
Psychologists working with animals (2012)
between each score and the data set's mean.
Replacement: Researchers should consider replacing
The normal distribution is an even spread of a
animal experiments with videos or computer simulations.
symmetrical variable about the mean, median and mode.
Species and strain: Psychologists should choose a species
It forms a bell-shaped curve and is symmetrical.
that is scientifically and ethically suitable for the intended
Bar charts are graphs used for data in discrete categories
use. Knowledge of the animal’s previous experience is
and total or average scores. There are gaps between the
also essential.
columns as the data is not related linearly.
Numbers: According to the Animal Scientific Procedures
A histogram is used to illustrate continuous data.
Act (1986), psychologists should always use the smallest
A scatter graph is a way to display data from a
number of animals that still accomplish the research aims
correlational analysis.
and goals. These could be calculated via a pilot study and
statistical programs.
2. Ethical Guidelines Procedures: Psychologists should consider research that
enriches rather than harms. Procedures that may cause
discomfort, injury, stress, etc., need a Project Licence,
2.1. Introduction which can be gained after a cost-benefit analysis.
Pain and distress: Research causing physiological or
Ethical Issues: Problems in research that raise concerns psychological pain or distress should be avoided.
about the welfare of participants Whatever procedure is used, any adverse effects on
Ethical Guidelines: Pieces of advice that guide animals must be recognised and assessed, and
psychologists to consider the welfare of participants and immediate action taken wherever necessary.
broader society Housing: Isolation & crowding should be avoided. Caging
should recreate aspects of the natural environment that
2.2. Ethical Guidelines in Relation to are important to the welfare of the animal and must take
into account the social behaviour of the species.
Human Participants Reward, deprivation and aversive stimuli: The researcher
should consider the animal’s usual eating and drinking
Based on the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Code of
habits and metabolic requirements. When using
Human Research Ethics (2014)
deprivation and aversive stimuli, the researcher should
Privacy: An ethical guideline related to avoiding the
ensure that there is no alternative way of motivating the
invasion of the participant’s personal physical space
animal that is consistent with the aims of the experiment
Debriefing: An ethical procedure giving all participants a
and that the levels of deprivation are no greater than that
full explanation of the aims and potential consequences of
needed to achieve the experiment's goals.
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Strengths Weaknesses
If we find out which
It is not always easy to
behaviours are on which side
separate individual and
of the debate, that can help to
situational factors
explain human behaviour
If there is an interaction
Studies might be unethical to
between both sides, then that
gain more valid results
is useful, too
Studies need high ecological
validity to be of more use to
this debate, but this can be
difficult if it is a laboratory
experiment.
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Psychology