BIOLOGICAL practical

Question 1

what was the aim of the practical

Answer 1

to test whether there is a correlation between aggression and risk taking using self-report measurements

Question 2

what two questionnaires did we use

Answer 2

Dospert risk taking questionnaire (out of 160) and the Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire (out of 145)

Question 3

what is the null hypothesis

Answer 3

there will be no significant correlation between self-reported aggression (out of 145) and self-reported risk-taking (out of 160) and any correlation will be due to chance

Question 4

what was the procedure of the practical

Answer 4

• obtained sample by opportunity (whoever was in the psychology class at the time)
• complete both the Dospert and, Buss and Perry questionnaire
• explain instructions on reverse scoring
• ethically - got consent, right to withdraw, and debrief

Question 5

what data analysis technique did we use

Answer 5

Spearman Rank Correlational Coefficient

Question 6

why is that data analysis used

Answer 6

• ordinal data collected and a correlational design used

Question 7

how do you find out the Spearman rank scores

Answer 7

1) rank scores for both conditions by ordering and finding the mean of the ranks
2) find the difference in scores going from right to left (discard 0)
3) square the differences and add them altogether
4) put into the calculation

Question 8

how do you know if the results are significant

Answer 8

it says under the table - so look

Question 9

what are the strengths of the study

Answer 9

• both questionnaires had closed questions - Likert scale - measures in a standardised way - increases reliability
• quantitative data collected - increases objectivity - no personal interpretation needed - analysed in a methodical way - Spearman Rank
• correlational research does not involves deliberate manipulation - only measuring behaviours - more ethical - provides a good starting point for further research

Question 10

what are the weaknesses of the practical

Answer 10

• closed questions with fixed Likert scale - participants may adjust their answers about how aggressive they are - increases possibility of social desirability - reduces validity
• focuses purely on numerical responses - limits detail - unable to explain their responses - lowers validity
• Likert scale has middle values - lead to response bias - may not consider real opinions - not an accurate picture of their aggression and risk-taking - lowers the validity

Question 11

why is correlational research used

Answer 11

• aims to establish the strength of a relationship between two measured co-variables
• non-experimental type of quantitative research
• two measures taken from each individual