A psychologist is considering a community organisation's conclusion that adults' loneliness has increased over the past seven years. The conclusion is based on the following data.
| Data source | Participants and method | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Current study collected by the psychologist | 40 adults attending one community centre completed an anonymous rating scale, where 1 meant no loneliness and 10 meant extreme loneliness | Mean rating of 6.2 out of 10 |
| Study published seven years earlier by another research team | 120 adults recruited from across the county took part in open interviews about access to support; the full interview transcripts were published | 48 participants mentioned feeling lonely |
Evaluate whether these data sources provide enough evidence for the conclusion that adults' loneliness has increased over the seven years.
173 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Psychology 7.3 Analysing Research, covering 7.3.1 Types of Data, 7.3.2 Measures of central tendency, 7.3.3 Other descriptive statistics, 7.3.4 Tables, Charts and Graphs, 7.3.5 Reliability, 7.3.6 Validity and effects on validity, and 7.3.7 Sources of bias. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.