A cognitive psychologist wanted to investigate whether there was a relationship between average daily time spent playing competitive video games and executive function (measured by a Stroop color-word interference task).
An advertisement was posted on a popular competitive gaming community forum, ProGamerIntel, inviting young adults aged 18 to 30 to participate in the study. Nine participants were recruited. They self-reported their average daily gaming hours and completed a computerized Stroop task to assess their executive function (with a higher score out of 80 indicating stronger cognitive control under interference).
The results of the study are shown in Table 1 below.
| Participant | Average daily gaming (hours) | Stroop interference score /80 |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6.5 | 58 |
| B | 2.0 | 32 |
| C | 8.0 | 71 |
| D | 1.5 | 24 |
| E | 4.0 | 45 |
| F | 5.5 | 52 |
| G | 3.0 | 38 |
| H | 7.0 | 65 |
| I | 4.5 | 48 |
Explain one limitation of the sampling technique used for this investigation.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Research methods and skills with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 657 questions covering Research methods and skills, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) 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.
