Recently, health agencies have emphasized the importance of regular physical activity for mental well-being. A researcher conducted a study to explore the relationship between vigorous physical exercise and anxiety levels in young adults.
The researcher recruited an opportunity sample of 10 participants, aged 18 to 22, from a local community college. Each participant self-reported the total duration (in minutes) they spent performing vigorous physical exercise over the course of one week. They were instructed to exclude low-intensity activities like casual walking or household chores.
Each participant also completed a standardized anxiety questionnaire. The questionnaire yielded a score out of 40, where a higher score indicated a higher level of anxiety and lower scores indicated lower anxiety.
The raw data from this study are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1 The minutes spent on vigorous exercise and anxiety scores of 10 participants
| Participant | Minutes spent on vigorous exercise | Anxiety score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 180 | 15 |
| 2 | 45 | 35 |
| 3 | 240 | 10 |
| 4 | 0 | 38 |
| 5 | 120 | 22 |
| 6 | 90 | 28 |
| 7 | 300 | 8 |
| 8 | 150 | 18 |
| 9 | 60 | 30 |
| 10 | 210 | 14 |
The participants reported the number of minutes they spent doing vigorous physical exercise over one week. Briefly explain one problem that might have occurred because of this self-report method of data collection.
38 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Self-report techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.