A researcher wanted to investigate whether walking in a natural environment improves cognitive focus more than walking on an indoor treadmill.
The researcher used a matched-pairs design. To recruit participants, she stood outside the university library on a Monday morning and selected the first 24 students who agreed to take part. Each student was matched on their baseline cognitive focus score and then assigned to one of two groups.
All participants were asked to maintain their usual sleep and dietary habits for the 2-week duration of the study. At the end of the two weeks, all participants completed a computerized concentration test to measure their post-study cognitive focus.
Question: Identify the type of sampling method used in this study. Explain one limitation of using this sampling method in this investigation.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 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.
