A psychologist compares the concentration scores of students at two schools. School A has a 60-minute lunch break and School B has a 30-minute lunch break. The psychologist finds that students at School A have higher concentration scores in afternoon lessons.
Explain why the psychologist cannot be sure that the length of the lunch break caused the difference in concentration.
145 exam-style questions on Oxford AQA IGCSE Psychology 1.4 Research Methods, covering 1.4.1 Hypotheses, 1.4.2 Types of variables, 1.4.3 Sampling methods, 1.4.4 Strengths and weaknesses of sampling methods, 1.4.5 The experimental method, 1.4.6 Experimental designs, 1.4.7 Laboratory experiments, 1.4.8 Field and natural experiments, 1.4.9 Interviews, 1.4.10 Questionnaires, 1.4.11 Case studies, 1.4.12 Observation studies, 1.4.13 Strengths and weaknesses of research methods, 1.4.14 Correlation and scatter diagrams, 1.4.15 Strengths and weaknesses of correlations, 1.4.16 Controlling extraneous variables, 1.4.17 Planning research: reliability and validity, 1.4.18 Ethical issues in research, and 1.4.19 Dealing with ethical issues. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.