4.2.3.1.1 Aims, hypotheses and sampling Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. An aim in a psychological study is best described as:

   • A precise, testable prediction about the outcome that can be checked by statistical test
   • The number of participants needed for the study, calculated from the expected effect size
   • A general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate
   • The statistical test used to analyse the data after the results have been collected

2. A directional (one-tailed) hypothesis:

   • Is always the same as the aim of the study, restated as a numbered prediction
   • Predicts the direction of the difference or relationship
   • Predicts that a difference exists but not in which direction it will go
   • Makes no prediction about any relationship between the variables at all

3. A non-directional (two-tailed) hypothesis:

   • States the aim of the study in general terms without any testable prediction
   • States that there will be no difference between the groups being compared
   • Predicts that a difference or relationship exists without stating its direction
   • States that one group will score higher than another on the measured outcome

4. The difference between a population and a sample is that:

   • A sample is always drawn from the same location as the population, so they match exactly
   • A population is the whole group of interest, while a sample is a subset of that group
   • A sample is the whole group of interest, while a population is only a small subset of it
   • A population is always smaller than a sample, because it is the group chosen for testing

5. Random sampling is a method in which:

   • Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
   • Participants are selected because they are available at the time of the study only
   • Participants volunteer by responding to an advert placed in a local newspaper
   • The researcher selects people who are typical of the population, based on judgement

6. Opportunity sampling involves:

   • Selecting people who are available and willing at the time of the study
   • Selecting people in equal proportion to their share of the population of interest
   • Selecting every tenth person from an ordered list of all the members available
   • Asking participants to volunteer through an advertisement placed in the local press

7. Volunteer sampling is a method in which:

   • The researcher chooses people at random from a register
   • Every fifth person from a list is chosen
   • Participants are selected because they are available in the moment
   • Participants self-select in response to an advert or invitation

8. A researcher predicts that students who sleep more will score higher on a memory test. What type of hypothesis is this?

   • Directional hypothesis
   • Null hypothesis that predicts no difference
   • Non-directional hypothesis
   • Aim of the study

9. A researcher predicts that there will be a difference in memory scores between morning and evening testing. What type of hypothesis is this?

   • Operationalised aim of the study
   • Directional hypothesis, one-tailed
   • Systematic sample from a list
   • Non-directional hypothesis

10. A researcher takes a list of all students, numbers them and selects every tenth name. Which sampling method is this?

    • Opportunity sampling
    • Systematic sampling
    • Quota sampling by year group
    • Volunteer sampling

11. A researcher divides a population into age groups and samples each group in proportion to its size. What is this method?

    • Volunteer sampling through an advert
    • Random sampling from one list
    • Stratified sampling
    • Opportunity sampling from a single location

12. A researcher recruits the first 30 students who arrive at the library. What is the main concern?

    • The sample will include every member of the population, so it is fully representative
    • The sample will be random and therefore unbiased, since every person had a chance
    • The sample will be too large to analyse, so the researcher must reduce its size
    • The sample may be biased because it reflects who happened to be there

13. Why might volunteer samples be biased?

    • People who volunteer may differ systematically, for example in motivation or interest in the topic
    • Volunteers always produce identical results, which makes the sample too uniform to be useful
    • Volunteers are always less interested in psychology than others, so they add no useful data at all
    • Volunteers are required by law to take part in research, so they are not truly self-selected

14. Evaluate opportunity sampling. Which conclusion is most accurate?

    • It is convenient and quick, but the sample is unlikely to represent the population well
    • It is the most representative sampling method available, since every member is included
    • It requires the researcher to list every member of the population before selection begins
    • It always produces unbiased, generalisable results, whatever the setting of the study

15. The null hypothesis states that:

    • The aim of the study is fully achieved, so the results match the original purpose
    • There is no significant difference or relationship between the variables being studied
    • The sample is randomly selected from the population, so the results are assumed to be fair
    • The direction of the difference is predicted in advance by the researcher, as in one-tailed tests

16. A researcher wants to generalise findings to the adult population of a town. Which combination of sampling is most appropriate?

    • Volunteer sampling from a social media advert
    • Sampling the first 20 people in a shopping centre
    • Opportunity sampling from a university campus
    • Random sampling from the electoral register

17. Why does a stratified sample tend to be more representative than a simple random sample?

    • It always includes exactly the same number of people in each subgroup, however large
    • It removes the need for any sampling frame, because the groups form themselves naturally
    • It ensures each subgroup is represented in proportion to its size in the population
    • It only includes people who volunteer, which means the groups are formed by choice

18. A study on gender differences in leadership recruits only male participants. What is the main problem?

    • The study will have no dependent variable, so no outcome can be compared at all
    • The sample is too large to analyse statistically, so the results must be summarised
    • The sample is unrepresentative, so the results cannot be generalised to women
    • The study cannot be carried out ethically, since the group chosen was not consented

19. A researcher uses a sampling frame of registered patients and draws a random sample. What is a sampling frame?

    • The type of hypothesis the researcher tests
    • The statistical test used to analyse results
    • The method of randomly allocating participants to conditions
    • A list of the population from which the sample is drawn

20. Which factor most strongly limits how far volunteer samples can be generalised?

    • The study must use an unstructured interview, which restricts the questions that are asked
    • The number of volunteers is always too small to analyse, so the sample cannot be used
    • Volunteers always give false answers, which means their data can never be trusted at all
    • Self-selection, which means the sample may differ from non-volunteers in important ways

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