1. Internal Assessment Part II Only write notes for slides that have this moon on them.

2. Internal Assessment Students are required to do a simple experiment by undertaking a replication of a published experimental study. ◦ Characteristics of the simple experimental study are:  Limited in scope  Manipulation of only one independent variable  Measurement of only one dependent variable  Requires the use and interpretation of descriptive statistics  Does NOT require the use of inferential statistics

3. Internal Assessment Many published research studies are quite complex in nature. For the purposes of the internal assessment, the scope of the original study may be deliberately limited in order to fulfill the requirements. As the purpose of the internal assessment is to introduce students to simple experimental research, it is very important for students to keep their experimental studies within a reasonable, limited scope. Students should manipulate only one independent variable with two conditions and should report on only one dependent variable, as outlined in their experimental hypothesis.

4. Quantitative Research Methods Psychologists use quantitative methods to investigate areas of study where it is possible to test hypotheses under rigorous conditions. Experiments can take place in the laboratory or in the field.

5. Quantitative Research Methods The aim of quantitative research is to be able to establish a cause and effect relationship through the use of descriptive as well as inferential statistics, allowing the researcher to determine the significance of the results.

6. The Experimental Method The psychology course defines a simple experimental study as requiring the manipulation of one independent variable and the measurement of one dependent variable, while other variables are kept constant. ◦ Correlational studies, quasi-experiments and natural experiments are not acceptable for the simple experimental study.

7. Variables NOT Acceptable as IV Gender (for example, comparing the results of female and male participants) Age (for example, comparing the performance of 10-year-old participants and 18-year-old participants) Native language (for example, comparing native French speakers and native Mandarin speakers) Culture (for example, comparing the results of Afro- Caribbean participants and Swedish participants) Education level (for example, comparing the performance of students in grade 5 and grade 11) Socio-economic status (for example, poor participants and rich participants) Handedness (for example, left-handed and right-handed participants).

8. Variables While these variables might be of interest to students, they cannot be manipulated within the framework of the internal assessment. If such a variable is defined as the independent variable, the project has not met the requirements and will not earn marks.

9. Variables Some of these variables may be used if they are not pre-existing characteristics of the participants and can be manipulated. One example would be gender. If students are interested in studying the effect of gender on behaviour expectations they could show two groups of participants a photograph of a baby in unisex clothing. One group of participants is told that the baby is a boy and the other group is told that the baby is a girl. Both groups are asked to describe the baby in the photograph. The descriptions given by the two groups can then be compared. In this example the student has manipulated the perceived gender of the baby and this would be suitable for the internal assessment.