Correlational studies are one of the most commonly used research methods in the study of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In this post we’ll review WHAT correlational studies are, HOW they’re used to study PTSD and WHY they’re used. We’ll also review three key studies that can support this explanation. Research methods essays are the hardest to write, but that also …
Example Essay: Research methods (case studies) in the biological approach
Essays on research methods and ethical considerations are the hardest to write in IB Psychology exams. Here is an example essay on the use of case studies in the biological approach. Notice how the essay has a good balance between explaining the method (central argument), using studies (supporting evidence) and explaining limitations (counter-arguments). Read More: Example Essay: Technological Techniques 10 …
IA Tips: How to explain your…DESIGN
You can write an excellent explanation of your “design” in just three sentences. You can’t go wrong with What-How-Why (State-Describe-Explain) approach. You can explain any section of the Exploration by showing how it controls for one or more confounding variables. Here are 3 steps to explaining your design: State the design you used. Summarize how it was applied. Give a …
Generalizability in Animal Studies: Cognition and Culture
Generalizability is the extent to which we can confidently predict the results of a study would apply to a different context, including different people, places, and procedures. When considering the extent to which we can generalize findings from animal studies, we are considering how confidently we could predict the same finding in humans. For example, animal studies like Sapolsky’s research …
Let’s STOP the research methods madness!
“What was the research method of (x’s) study?” Along with, “Is this a good EE question…”, it’s the most common question IB Psych teachers ask. But we shouldn’t have to and we need to put an end to the research methods madness. Why? Well, let me count the ways (or if you’d rather just read some exam tips, scroll to …
How to evaluate any study in 3 simple steps
Being able to critically evaluate a study is a key skill for any budding psychologist. However, like anything, when you’re first learning how to do this it can be very difficult. In this post, we look at 3 simple steps you can take to evaluate any study. Read More 7 exam tips for evaluating studies So you want to assess …
How to solve the reproducibility crisis in Psychology
The “reproducibility crisis” (or “replicability crisis”) is the term used to describe the recent discovery in psychology that many classic studies are failing to have their results reproduced. In fact, the whole of psychology, especially social psychology research, seems to be in a crisis regarding its credibility as a source of knowledge. Other fields like economics and the sciences are facing …
Exam Tips: How to write a research methods essay
Updated Feb 2021 One of the most difficult of the five types of exam questions to write about in IB Psychology is research methods. Like most other essay questions, students tend to focus on studies and miss other important aspects of the essay. In this post, I offer my best tips for how to write an excellent essay on research …
Lesson Idea: Sampling Methods – Practice for Paper 3
For IB Psychology Paper 3, students need to know the following five sampling methods: Opportunity/convenience Random Self-selected/volunteer Snowball Purposive The stimulus material (summary of a study) that you are given in the exam may or may not state the sampling method used. Therefore, you need to be prepared to identify the method used based on the summary of how the …
fMRI: An important technological technique used to study the brain
The invention of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has rapidly advanced our knowledge and understanding of the human brain. In the IB Psychology course, fMRIs are a good example of a “technique used to study the brain in relation to behaviour.” Background Information fMRIs are a modification of a regular MRI machine. Whereas MRIs simply show the structure of the …
Ethical Considerations – The Belmont Report
One thing that makes writing about “ethical considerations” difficult in IB Psychology is when the question asks to write about “one” specifically. As we usually write about ethical guidelines (informed consent, debriefing, right to withdraw, etc.) it’s hard to identify just one as these are all interconnected. This is where using one of the three considerations that came out of …
Correlational studies on culture and behaviour
One common method used to study the effects of culture on behaviour is the correlational study. This method involves measuring the strength of a relationship between two or more co-variables. In correlational studies on the effects of culture on behaviour, one variable is related to culture (e.g. cultural dimensions) and the other is related to behaviour (e.g. conformity, mate preference …
Practice Paper 3 – Observation of Hospitals – EXAMPLE ANSWERS
The following are some sample answers to THIS PRACTICE PAPER THREE. Paper Three: Example Answers The following are example answers to the practice three paper found on pg. 1.(a) Identify the research method used and outline two characteristics of the method. Method = covert participant observation Observations in qualitative studies like this one tend to happen in naturalistic environments, like hospitals. …
Practice Paper 3 – Observation of Hospitals – MARK SCHEME
The following is a mark scheme to be used as a guide when marking answers to THIS PRACTICE PAPER THREE. 1.(a) Identify the research method used and outline two characteristics of the method. Method = covert participant observation (1 mark) participant observations involve the researcher becoming a member of the group they’re being observed (in this case they were a …
Practice Paper 3 – Observation of Hospitals
The following is a summary of a study that can be used for practice when preparing for the new Paper 3. You have one hour and need to answer all five questions. The stimulus material below is based on a research article. People living in poverty find it difficult to access health care resources (e.g. medical treatment, Doctor’s appointments, vaccinations, …
Genetic similarities – twin and kinship studies on antisocial behaviour and aggression
Clarifications to the new IB Psychology guide (first exams May 2019) has said that students might be asked specifically about twin and/or kinship studies to discuss “genetic similarities.” This blog post can be used as supplementary information if required. How and why twin studies are used in psychology Twin studies gather groups of monozygotic (MZ – identical) and dizygotic (DZ – …
So you want to assess ethical considerations?
One way of evaluating studies in psychology is to consider whether or not the study might have ethical issues. When evaluating ethics, many students want to jump straight to condemning studies by saying something like, “This study was unethical because…” I would refrain from making such condemnations and using this definitive language because it’s often very hard to completely write-off …
Lesson idea: Understanding research methods (with worksheet)
Research methodology is best understood when it’s made concrete and practical. Talking about concepts in the abstract will make it hard for students to comprehend. So this lesson idea is a simple way of getting students to think about research methods in a practical way. It will only work towards the end of a research methods unit when they already …
Lesson Idea: Understanding thematic analysis
The aim of the activities in this lesson is to help students understand the process and purpose of conducting a thematic analysis in qualitative research. It is not necessary to study how qualitative data is analyzed in the new IB Psychology curriculum, but it could be useful to help deepen your understanding of qualitative methods (and it could be used in …
What is “reflexivity?”
Updated July 2020 What is reflexivity? Reflexivity is the process of continual reflection upon the research process by a researcher; at the heart of reflexivity is the idea of self-awareness. Students need to be able to “explain the use of reflexivity in qualitative research,” which means defining the term and explaining how and why it’s used in qualitative studies and using …
What is a “narrative interview?”
This material is the for the “old syllabus.” Students in the new IB Psychology syllabus (first exams May, 2019), do not need to know about narrative interviews (but they do need to know about unstructured interviews). What is a narrative interview? A “narrative” is a spoken or written summary of connected events. So a narrative interview asks questions that require …
Lesson Idea: Generalizability (External Validity)
The Task Read the following fictional summaries of how people have applied results from psychological studies. Identify one or more reasons why the application is misguided and might not work. #1 Social Media and Anxiety: One study in the USA showed a correlation between social media and anxiety so a school in Japan has banned the use of social media. #2 Music Class …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Sampling Methods
Task: Read the following summaries of studies and how they got their samples. Identify the type of sampling method used. Was it: (a) Random (b) Self-selected/volunteer (c) Opportunity Mental Health and War: A psychologist studying the effects of war on mental health got a list of all enlisted soldiers in the countries army using public census records. They assigned a number to …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Self-selected Sampling
This activity and lots of others are included in the student workbook in the Teacher Support Pack for Chapter 6: Quantitative Methods. Read the aims of the following proposed experiments. Some researchers want to carry out these studies but their problem is they don’t have any participants yet. Working with a partner, come up with some ideas on how they …
Lesson Idea: Understanding correlational studies
The purpose of this activity is to help you learn about correlational studies and correlation coefficients. Key Questions: What are three characteristics of a correlational study? How do correlational studies differ from experiments? How and why are correlational studies used in one or more approaches to understanding behaviour? Resources Textbook 6.1f, pg 320-321 (IB Psychology: A Student’s Guide) (Link) Correlation …