Research Evidence, Analysis and Evaluation
Use aims, methods, results and conclusions accurately, then analyse implications and evaluate with justified criteria.
How to study Higher Psychology
Build each answer from accurate psychological knowledge, named evidence, application to behaviour, analysis and justified evaluation.
Core concepts
Concept 1
aims, methods, results and conclusions
Exam cue: Separate description of a study from the inference drawn from it.
Concept 2
application of evidence to behaviour
Exam cue: Explain how evidence supports, challenges or qualifies a theory.
Concept 3
methodological strengths and weaknesses
Exam cue: Add the consequence of each methodological strength or weakness.
Concept 4
ethical and scientific standards
Concept 5
analysis, evaluation and comparison
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Writing a generic list of strengths and weaknesses.
Guardrail: State a criterion and explain why it changes the value, interpretation or use of the theory or evidence.
Calling a finding significant without appropriate evidence.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Confusing evaluation with contradiction.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Memory anchors
Aim
The psychological question the study was designed to investigate.
Method
Participants, design, materials, procedure, variables and ethics used to obtain evidence.
Result
The observed or calculated outcome, separate from interpretation.
Conclusion
The evidence-based inference drawn in relation to the aim or hypothesis.
Evaluation
Make a judgement using a criterion and explain its consequence for the evidence.
Analysis
Connect parts, implications, applications, comparisons and evidence into a reasoned whole.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
What is a study's aim?
What belongs in a method description?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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