Imagine you have been asked to design a study to investigate potential differences in spatial problem-solving speed between young adults (aged 18–25) and older adults (aged 65–75). You decide you will ask participants to assemble a 15-piece geometric tangram puzzle to match a target silhouette pattern. You decide you will time how long each participant takes to successfully complete the puzzle using a digital stopwatch.
Discuss the following aspects of this investigation:
With reference to the puzzle-assembly task, explain how you would ensure that this is made the same task for all participants
One methodological issue you should take into account when obtaining suitable participants for this study, and explain how you would deal with this issue
How you would ensure that the experience of your participants is ethical
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Experimental method with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 32 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.