How do you design, run, analyse and evaluate the two personal investigations, and how are they examined?
The two personal investigations: designing and conducting two studies using different methods (aim and hypothesis, variables, design, sampling, ethics, procedure), analysing the data with appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics, writing up, and applying research-methods reasoning to a novel scenario.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the two personal investigations in Component 2. Covers designing and running two studies using different methods, making the design decisions, analysing data with descriptive and inferential statistics, writing the report, and applying research-methods knowledge to an unfamiliar scenario in the exam.
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What this dot point is asking
Component 2 requires you to design, run, analyse and evaluate two personal investigations using two different methods, and to apply this experience to unfamiliar scenarios in the exam. You must understand the whole research process and the decisions it involves.
The answer
Designing and conducting
Analysing and writing up
How it is examined
Component 2 does not award a coursework grade; instead it examines your understanding of the investigations and of research methods generally. Expect questions that ask you to design a study, interpret data, choose a test, evaluate a method, and apply research-methods reasoning to a novel scenario you have not seen.
Examples in context
Example 1. Why an experiment and a correlation complement each other. An experiment on caffeine and reaction time can show cause and effect but is artificial; a correlation between sleep and anxiety shows a real-world relationship but not cause. Doing both teaches why method choice determines what you can conclude, the core Component 2 lesson.
Example 2. Applying to a novel scenario. The exam may describe an unfamiliar study and ask you to identify the design, suggest a control, choose a test, or evaluate validity. Your hands-on experience of the personal investigations is what lets you answer these confidently.
Try this
Q1. State why the two personal investigations must use different methods. [2 marks]
- Cue. To experience the different strengths and limitations of more than one method (for example an experiment's control versus a correlation's real-world relationship), developing fuller research-methods competence.
Q2. List three sections of a psychological report. [3 marks]
- Cue. Abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references (any three).
Q3. Explain one ethical decision you would make when designing an investigation. [2 marks]
- Cue. Obtain informed consent and give the right to withdraw (or ensure protection from harm with risk no greater than everyday life, and debrief participants afterwards).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 201910 marksDescribe how you would design a personal investigation to test whether people recall more words when they are presented in categories than at random. [10 marks]Show worked answer →
A design item drawing on the personal investigations (AO2/AO3).
Aim and hypothesis: to test whether categorised presentation aids recall. Directional hypothesis if prior research supports it: "Participants will recall significantly more words when words are presented in categories than when presented at random."
Design: an experiment, repeated measures (with counterbalancing) or independent groups. IV: categorised versus random word lists. DV: number of words recalled from 20. Sampling: opportunity sample of, say, 20 participants, with informed consent and the right to withdraw. Controls: same words, same exposure and recall time, standardised instructions.
Analysis: report the mean and standard deviation for each condition, then an inferential test (Wilcoxon for repeated measures ordinal data, or Mann-Whitney U for independent groups), with significance at .
Markers reward a coherent, ethical design with operationalised variables, controls, and an appropriate analysis.
Eduqas 20218 marksExplain why psychologists conduct two personal investigations using different methods, and what can be learned from doing so. [8 marks]Show worked answer →
A knowledge item on the rationale (AO1/AO3).
Using two different methods (for example one experiment and one correlation, or an observation and a self-report) means learners experience the strengths and weaknesses of more than one approach: an experiment can show cause and effect but may be artificial, while a correlation can show a relationship in real data but cannot show cause. Doing both develops a fuller understanding of how design choices shape what can be concluded.
It also builds practical skills across the research process (designing, gathering data, choosing and running statistics, evaluating), which Component 2 then examines through questions about the investigations and a novel scenario.
Markers reward the point that different methods reveal different strengths and limits, and that doing both develops broad research-methods competence.
Related dot points
- The experimental method: types of experiment (laboratory, field, natural, quasi), independent and dependent variables and operationalisation, hypotheses, extraneous and confounding variables and controls, and experimental designs (independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs).
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the experimental method in Component 2. Covers laboratory, field, natural and quasi experiments, independent and dependent variables, operationalisation, hypotheses, extraneous and confounding variables, controls, and the three experimental designs with their strengths and weaknesses.
- Non-experimental methods: observation (naturalistic, controlled, participant, non-participant, overt, covert; behavioural categories and sampling) and self-report (questionnaires and interviews; open and closed questions; designing good questions).
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to observation and self-report methods in Component 2. Covers types of observation, behavioural categories, event and time sampling, questionnaires and interviews, open and closed questions, and the strengths and weaknesses of each method.
- Sampling (target population, sample, random, opportunity, volunteer, systematic and stratified sampling; bias and generalisability) and ethics (the BPS principles: informed consent, deception, right to withdraw, protection from harm, confidentiality, and dealing with ethical issues).
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to sampling and ethics in Component 2. Covers target populations and samples, random, opportunity, volunteer, systematic and stratified sampling, sampling bias and generalisability, and the BPS ethical principles with ways of dealing with ethical issues.
- Descriptive statistics: measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), measures of dispersion (range, standard deviation), levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval), percentages and ratios, and presenting data (tables, bar charts, histograms, scattergrams).
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to descriptive statistics in Component 2. Covers the mean, median and mode, range and standard deviation, levels of measurement, percentages and ratios, and how to present quantitative data in tables, bar charts, histograms and scattergrams, with worked calculations.
- Inferential statistics: probability and significance (), the null and alternative hypotheses, choosing the correct test (the binomial sign test, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, Spearman's rho, chi-square) from design and level of measurement, observed versus critical values, and Type I and Type II errors.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to inferential statistics in Component 2. Covers probability and the 0.05 significance level, the null hypothesis, how to choose between the binomial sign test, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, Spearman's rho and chi-square, comparing observed and critical values, and Type I and Type II errors.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCE A Level in Psychology (A290) specification — Eduqas (2015)