What types of data do psychologists collect and how are they described?
Types of data: quantitative and qualitative data, primary and secondary data, the use of measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and ways of displaying data.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.4, covering quantitative and qualitative data, primary and secondary data, the measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) and ways of displaying data.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to distinguish quantitative from qualitative data and primary from secondary data, calculate the measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode), and describe ways of displaying data. Research methods is examined across both papers and includes maths skills (at least 10 percent of the marks), so you must be able to do the calculations accurately.
Quantitative, qualitative, primary and secondary data
- Quantitative data: easy to analyse statistically and compare, and objective, but can lack depth.
- Qualitative data: rich and detailed, capturing meaning and feelings, but harder to analyse and more open to subjective interpretation.
- Primary data: collected first-hand by the researcher for the current study, so it fits the research aim exactly.
- Secondary data: already collected by someone else (such as government statistics), so it is quicker to obtain but may not fit the aim perfectly.
Measures of central tendency
Displaying data
Data is often displayed in a table (showing the raw or summarised values), a bar chart (for data in separate categories, with gaps between the bars) or, for showing the spread, other graphs. Choosing the right display matters: bar charts suit categorical comparisons, while a table is useful for exact values.
Try this
Q1. Find the mode of these scores: 4, 7, 7, 2, 9, 7, 3. [1 mark]
- Cue. 7 (it appears most often).
Q2. Explain one difference between quantitative and qualitative data. [2 marks]
- Cue. Quantitative is numerical and easy to compare; qualitative is descriptive and gives depth.
Q3. Calculate the mean of: 5, 8, 8, 11. Show your working. [2 marks]
- Cue. .
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20194 marksA psychologist recorded the number of words recalled by seven participants: 8, 6, 9, 6, 10, 6, 12. Calculate the mean, the median and the mode for these scores. Show your working. (Paper 1, Section D)Show worked answer →
This is a quantitative item; markers reward correct working as well as the final values.
Mean: add the scores and divide by how many there are. The sum is , and there are 7 scores, so the mean is (to 2 decimal places).
Median: put the scores in order, , and take the middle value. With 7 values the middle is the 4th, so the median is .
Mode: the most frequent value. The score appears three times, more than any other, so the mode is .
Markers reward each correct measure with appropriate working (the sum and division for the mean, ordering for the median, the most frequent value for the mode). A common error is to forget to order the data before finding the median.
AQA 20213 marksExplain one strength of using quantitative data and one strength of using qualitative data. (Paper 1, Section D)Show worked answer →
A 3-mark item that rewards one developed strength of each, plus accurate definitions.
Quantitative data (numerical data) is easy to analyse statistically and to compare, and it is objective, so it allows clear, replicable conclusions (for example, comparing mean recall scores between two groups). Qualitative data (non-numerical, descriptive data such as interview transcripts) gives rich, detailed insight into how people think and feel, capturing meaning that numbers would miss.
Markers reward one clear strength of each type linked to its nature (numbers being easy to compare; words giving depth). The strongest answers briefly define each type.
Related dot points
- Experiments and variables: independent and dependent variables, the hypothesis, experimental designs, extraneous variables, and laboratory, field and natural experiments.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.4, covering independent and dependent variables, hypotheses, experimental designs, extraneous variables, and laboratory, field and natural experiments.
- Sampling methods: the target population and sample, random, opportunity, systematic and stratified sampling, and their strengths and weaknesses for representativeness.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.4, covering the target population and sample, random, opportunity, systematic and stratified sampling, and their strengths and weaknesses for representativeness.
- Research ethics: the British Psychological Society guidelines including consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality and the right to withdraw, and how reliability and validity are assessed.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.4, covering the British Psychological Society ethical guidelines (consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality and the right to withdraw) and how reliability and validity are assessed.
- Factors affecting the accuracy of memory: interference, context and false memories, plus theories of forgetting including interference and retrieval failure.
A focused answer to AQA GCSE Psychology 3.1, covering factors that affect the accuracy of memory such as interference, context and false memories, and explanations of forgetting including interference and retrieval failure.
Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification — AQA (2017)