Lesson 3.1.4.9.2

3.1.4.9.2 Primary and secondary data Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.4.9.2, Primary and secondary data: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 4: Research methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is primary data?

    • Data that is always qualitative in nature
    • Data taken from existing sources such as published reports
    • Data collected first-hand by the researcher for their own study
    • Data that has been checked by an independent reviewer

  2. What is secondary data?

    • Data that the researcher collects during a second phase of the study
    • Data gathered from a second sample of the same participants
    • Data that is always numerical and quantitative
    • Data that already exists and was collected by someone else for another purpose

  3. Which is an example of secondary data?

    • Census figures used to compare population sizes in two towns
    • Questionnaire answers collected by the researcher this week
    • Interview transcripts from the researcher's own study
    • Observations recorded by the researcher during a trial

  4. What is an advantage of secondary data?

    • It is usually cheaper and quicker to obtain than collecting new data
    • It is always collected using the researcher's own design
    • It guarantees the data matches the researcher's exact hypothesis
    • It can never contain errors because it has been published

  5. What is a disadvantage of primary data?

    • It can take a long time and cost a lot to collect
    • It cannot be analysed using any statistical methods
    • It can only be collected from large national databases
    • It is always out of date because it was collected years earlier

  6. Which is a possible limitation of secondary data?

    • It is always qualitative in nature
    • It may not have been collected in a way that suits the new research question
    • It always requires participants to give fresh consent every week
    • It cannot be stored on a computer

  7. A researcher uses a national survey dataset collected by a government office to study sleep patterns. What type of data is this?

    • Primary data
    • Experimental data collected by the researcher
    • Secondary data
    • Qualitative primary data

  8. A psychologist runs her own memory experiment and records the scores. What type of data are the scores?

    • Meta-data from a previous review
    • Secondary data
    • Archival data from a library
    • Primary data

  9. A student reviews published findings from several past studies on sleep. Which type of data are they using?

    • Secondary data
    • Original participant observations
    • Primary data
    • Newly collected questionnaire responses

  10. Which is the best reason to choose primary data for a new study?

    • The researcher wants to avoid writing any ethics form
    • The researcher wants data that is guaranteed to be already analysed
    • The researcher wants data that costs nothing to access
    • The researcher needs data that directly answers their specific research question

  11. A school records attendance daily for its own use, and a researcher later analyses those records for a study on absence. What type of data is this for the researcher?

    • Secondary data, because it was collected by someone else for a different purpose
    • Primary data, because it is numerical and was recorded in school
    • Primary data, because the researcher analysed it personally
    • Neither, because school records cannot be used in research

  12. Why should a researcher evaluate the source of secondary data before using it?

    • Secondary data is always accurate because it was published, so no evaluation is needed
    • Its quality, accuracy and original purpose may affect whether it suits the new study
    • Secondary data can only be used if it was collected in a laboratory by trained staff
    • Secondary data cannot be used in any psychology study at all without new ethical approval

  13. A researcher combines primary and secondary data in one study. What is a key benefit?

    • It removes any need for ethical approval for the primary part
    • It allows broader comparison
    • It guarantees the data will be statistically significant
    • It makes the study qualitative only

  14. Which is a typical source of secondary data in psychology?

    • A laboratory experiment run during the current project
    • A questionnaire completed by the researcher this week
    • Published journal articles and national statistics
    • Interview transcripts from a study the researcher designed

  15. A psychologist uses a previous study's raw data to test a new hypothesis. Which statement is accurate?

    • The data is secondary for the new study
    • The data cannot be used because it was previously published
    • The data is qualitative for the new study by definition
    • The data is primary for the new study, because it is being analysed now

  16. What is the main concern when using secondary data from a previous psychological study?

    • The data cannot be stored for more than one year before it must be deleted
    • The data must be collected again from scratch in every case to be valid
    • The original sampling and measures may not match the new study's aims or population
    • The original researchers are always legally required to be present when data is reused

  17. Which is a valid reason for a researcher to choose secondary data?

    • They need a large amount of existing evidence quickly for a literature-based review
    • They want to be sure the sample matches their own target group exactly
    • They want to watch participants behaving in an unplanned way
    • They want to control every variable in a laboratory

  18. Which statement best evaluates primary data?

    • It cannot be used alongside qualitative methods
    • It is always cheaper than secondary data and never affected by bias
    • It allows control over design and measures
    • It is always out of date because it has been used before

  19. Which is an example of primary data in a psychology study?

    • A meta-analysis of twenty earlier studies
    • Historical records from a university archive
    • A researcher's own reaction time scores from a new experiment
    • A national dataset of sleep patterns published last year

  20. Why might a researcher be cautious about trusting data reported in a secondary source?

    • Secondary sources are always too recent to use in research
    • Secondary sources always contain falsified results by design
    • The original analysis may have had errors or been reported selectively
    • Secondary sources cannot include any numerical data

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