Lesson 3.1.4.4.1

3.1.4.4.1 Experimental designs: independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3.1.4.4.1, Experimental designs: independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 4: Research methods, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. In an independent groups design, what happens to the participants?

    • Participants are paired by matching their scores
    • Participants are chosen only from the researcher's family
    • Each participant takes part in every condition
    • Each participant takes part in only one condition

  2. In a repeated measures design, what happens to the participants?

    • Each participant takes part in every condition
    • Each participant takes part in only one condition
    • Participants are split into pairs by matching
    • Participants are chosen at random from a list

  3. In a matched pairs design, how are participants allocated?

    • Participants take part in every condition in a fixed order that the researcher decides in advance
    • Participants are matched on a key characteristic and one from each pair goes into each condition
    • Participants are placed in conditions by the order in which they arrive at the research site
    • Participants are allocated by a coin toss for each test that is carried out in the study

  4. A study tests 40 people in one condition and 40 different people in another condition. Which design is this?

    • Independent groups
    • Case study
    • Matched pairs
    • Repeated measures

  5. A study tests the same 30 people before and after a training course. Which design is this?

    • Independent groups
    • Matched pairs
    • Repeated measures
    • Observation study

  6. What is the main strength of a repeated measures design?

    • It needs fewer participants and controls for individual differences between people
    • It removes all order effects from the results so that the second test is never affected at all
    • It makes the sample representative of the whole population from which it was drawn
    • It means participants never get bored or tired during the study, however long it lasts

  7. What is the main weakness of an independent groups design?

    • Participants can get fatigued by taking part in both conditions of the study
    • Differences between the people in each group may affect the results
    • The results are always biased towards the researcher who ran the study
    • Participants can learn from earlier conditions and carry that into later ones

  8. What is the main weakness of a repeated measures design?

    • The participants have to be matched on several characteristics before testing
    • Each participant takes part in only one condition of the whole study
    • Order effects, such as practice or fatigue, may affect the second condition
    • The design needs many more participants than other designs in the study

  9. How can a researcher reduce order effects in a repeated measures design?

    • Giving every participant the same condition twice in a row in the study
    • Counterbalancing the order in which participants take the conditions
    • Telling participants the aim of the study before they are tested at all
    • Using only one participant for the whole study and all of the tests

  10. What is the main weakness of a matched pairs design?

    • It always introduces order effects that cannot be controlled by the design
    • It cannot be used with any form of experiment at all in psychology research
    • It takes time to match participants and cannot match every characteristic
    • It always requires participants to take part in every condition of the study

  11. Which design is best for controlling participant variables when only a small sample is available?

    • Independent groups
    • Case study
    • Opportunity sampling
    • Repeated measures

  12. A researcher randomly assigns participants to two conditions. Which design does this describe?

    • Matched pairs
    • Independent groups
    • Naturalistic observation
    • Repeated measures

  13. A study pairs participants on age and test score, then places one from each pair in each condition. Which design is this?

    • Questionnaire study
    • Repeated measures
    • Matched pairs
    • Independent groups

  14. Why might a researcher choose an independent groups design over a repeated measures design?

    • To avoid order effects, since participants only take part once
    • To remove all differences between the people in each group completely
    • To ensure the same participants complete every condition of the study
    • To reduce the number of participants needed for the whole study

  15. Which statement about the designs is most accurate?

    • Independent groups is always the best design for every study, whatever the aim is
    • Repeated measures is always the best design for every study, whatever the research question
    • Matched pairs are never useful for experiments, so they should be avoided in every study
    • Each design has strengths and weaknesses, and the choice depends on the research question

  16. A researcher tests reaction time for each participant in a quiet room and then in a noisy room. Which design and order effect issue is most relevant?

    • Matched pairs, with no need for counterbalancing because the pairs are already balanced
    • Case study, with no order effect possible because only one person is observed in depth
    • Repeated measures, with a possible order effect such as practice
    • Independent groups, with no order effect possible because each person takes part only once

  17. What does counterbalancing mean in a repeated measures study?

    • Participants are only tested in the first condition so that practice effects are avoided
    • Half of the participants do the conditions in one order and half in the reverse order
    • Participants are given a reward for finishing both conditions, whatever order they took them in
    • All participants do the conditions in a single fixed order that the researcher chooses in advance

  18. A researcher uses an independent groups design but the two groups differ in age by ten years. What is the main problem?

    • Age may be a confounding variable that affects the results
    • Age removes the need for a dependent variable to be measured at all
    • Age makes the design a repeated measures design and not independent
    • Age is the independent variable in the study and is being manipulated

  19. Which design is most likely to be affected by fatigue?

    • Matched pairs with separate participants
    • Independent groups
    • Observation with no participants
    • Repeated measures

  20. Which feature defines a matched pairs design?

    • Participants are paired by important characteristics before being placed in conditions
    • Participants are chosen from a single school so that they share the same background
    • Participants are observed rather than tested, and their behaviour is recorded over time
    • Participants take part in every condition in one session, one after the other, with no breaks

All AQA Psychology quizzes