Welcome to A Level Research Methods!
You’ve already mastered the basics of research in your AS Level studies. Now, as we move into the A Level (Paper 3 and 4), we dive deeper into specific tools used by psychologists in fields like Clinical, Health, and Organisational psychology. These methods help researchers measure complex things like depression, consumer habits, and employee satisfaction with more precision.
Don't worry if these terms sound fancy; most of them are things you’ve likely seen in everyday life. Let’s break them down step-by-step!
1. Randomised Control Trials (RCTs)
An RCT is often called the "gold standard" of research, especially in Clinical and Health psychology. It is a specific type of experiment used to test how effective a treatment is (like a new drug or a type of therapy).
How it works:
1. Participants are recruited (e.g., people with a phobia).
2. They are randomly allocated to either the experimental group (who receive the new treatment) or the control group (who might receive a placebo or a different existing treatment).
3. Researchers compare the results to see if the new treatment actually caused a significant improvement.
Why is it useful?
Because of random allocation, researchers can be more confident that any difference in the results is due to the treatment, not because one group was "naturally" different from the other. This increases the internal validity of the study.
Key Takeaway: RCTs are the best way to prove that a specific treatment or intervention actually works.
2. Postal Questionnaires
At AS Level, you learned about questionnaires in general. A postal questionnaire is exactly what it sounds like: a survey sent to participants through the mail. While it might seem "old school" in the age of the internet, it still has specific uses.
Strengths:
- Reach: You can send them to people in remote areas or those who don't use the internet.
- No Researcher Effects: Since the researcher isn't there, participants may feel less pressure and give more honest answers (reducing social desirability bias).
- Convenience: Participants can complete it whenever they want.
Weaknesses:
- Low Response Rate: Many people simply throw them away, which can lead to a biased sample (only people with a lot of free time or strong opinions might reply).
- No Clarification: If a participant doesn't understand a question, there is no one there to explain it to them.
3. Rating Scales and Forced/Fixed Choice
Psychologists love to turn feelings and attitudes into numbers so they can analyze them. They use specific types of closed questions to do this.
Rating Scales
A rating scale asks a participant to represent their view numerically. For example: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed do you feel at work?"
Forced Choice (Fixed Choice) Questions
A forced choice question doesn't allow for a "middle ground" or "I don't know" option. Participants must choose between set options. This prevents "fence-sitting" where people always pick the neutral middle option.
Example: "Which of these two leadership styles do you prefer: A or B?"
Quick Review: These methods produce quantitative data, which is easy to compare and put into charts, but they lack the qualitative depth of an open-ended interview.
4. Psychometric Tests
A psychometric test is a standardized instrument designed to measure a person's mental characteristics, such as personality, intelligence, or symptoms of a disorder. "Psych" means mind, and "metric" means measure.
In your Specialist Options, you will encounter many of these:
- Clinical Psychology: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) measures the severity of depression; the GAD-7 measures anxiety.
- Health Psychology: The McGill Pain Questionnaire measures the quality and intensity of pain.
- Organisational Psychology: The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) measures job satisfaction.
Evaluation of Psychometrics:
- Strengths: They are usually highly reliable (consistent) and allow for objective comparisons between people.
- Weaknesses: They can be reductionist because they try to turn complex human emotions into a single score.
5. Writing Hypotheses (A Level Focus)
At A Level, you are expected to write more precise hypotheses for your Paper 4 planning questions. There are two main types of alternative hypotheses:
Directional (One-tailed) Hypothesis
This predicts the specific direction of the results. Use this when previous research suggests which way the results will go.
Example: "Participants who receive CBT will have significantly lower depression scores on the BDI than those who do not."
Non-directional (Two-tailed) Hypothesis
This predicts there will be a difference, but doesn't say which way it will go. Use this when the research is new or results have been mixed in the past.
Example: "There will be a significant difference in the BDI scores of participants who receive CBT compared to those who do not."
Common Mistake: Don't forget the Null Hypothesis \( (H_0) \)! It always states that any difference is due to chance (e.g., "There will be no significant difference...").
6. Temporal Validity
This is a new validity concept for A Level. Temporal validity refers to whether the findings of a study still apply to people today or if they are "outdated."
For example, a study about advertising on television from 1985 might have low temporal validity because people's viewing habits and the way they interact with media have changed completely since then. When evaluating research in your essays, always ask: "Is this study still relevant in the modern world?"
Summary Checklist
Before you move on, make sure you can:
- Describe how an RCT uses random allocation.
- List one strength and one weakness of postal questionnaires.
- Define psychometrics and name one example (like the BDI).
- Identify the difference between a directional and non-directional hypothesis.
- Explain why a study from 40 years ago might lack temporal validity.
Note: For more on basic reliability and validity, see the chapter "Validity, reliability and data analysis". For general experimental design, see "Research methods (AS Level)".