A sociologist was interested in exploring whether the types of social media platforms used differ between younger and older teenagers, particularly in terms of sleep disruption. They decided to conduct a pilot study. Fifteen secondary school students (7 younger and 8 older) volunteered for the study. For a four-week period, the students kept a daily sleep diary and were interviewed each Friday afternoon. The interviewers, who were unaware of the specific aims of the study, conducted and transcribed the sleep interviews.
What is meant by a pilot study? Explain one possible reason why the sociologist decided to conduct a pilot study for this investigation.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Research methods with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 100 questions covering Experimental method, Observational techniques, Self-report techniques, Correlations, Content analysis (A-level only), Case studies (A-level only), Scientific processes, Data handling and analysis, and Inferential testing (A-level only), 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.