Active learning ideas
Not all psychological questions can be answered with an experiment. This topic explores non-experimental methods: observations and self-reports (questionnaires and interviews). Students learn the nuances of designing effective surveys, the difference between structured and unstructured interviews, and the various ways to conduct observations, such as covert versus overt and participant versus non-participant.
Activity 01
Groups design a 5-item questionnaire on a school-related topic. They must include both open and closed questions, then pilot it on another group to check for 'leading' or ambiguous wording.
How do open and closed questions affect the type of data collected?
Activity 02
Students watch a video of social interaction and use a pre-made coding schedule to record specific behaviours. They then compare their results to calculate inter-observer reliability.
What are the ethical considerations when conducting a covert observation?
Activity 03
In pairs, one student acts as the interviewer and the other as the participant. The interviewer must try to gather deep, qualitative data on a topic (like 'attitudes toward social media') without using a fixed set of questions.
How can researchers ensure their self-report measures are reliable?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Questionnaires are always easier than experiments.
Clarify that while they seem simple, designing a valid, unbiased questionnaire is very difficult. Having students try to 'fix' a badly worded survey helps them appreciate the skill involved in creating reliable self-report measures.
Observations are just 'watching people'.
Emphasise that scientific observation requires a systematic method, including clear behavioural categories and a sampling technique (time or event sampling). Using a coding sheet during a practice observation helps students see the difference between 'watching' and 'measuring'.
Methods used in this brief
Experimental Methods and Design
An overview of laboratory, field, natural, and quasi-experiments. Students will learn how to formulate hypotheses, identify variables, and select appropriate experimental designs.
8 methodologies
Data Handling and Analysis
Introduction to quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Students will calculate measures of central tendency and dispersion, and learn how to present data using appropriate graphs and charts.
8 methodologies