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Researchers wanted to investigate whether there were sex differences in navigation strategy and efficiency - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 2 - 2021 - Paper 3
Question 2
Researchers wanted to investigate whether there were sex differences in navigation strategy and efficiency. The researchers created a virtual reality (VR) maze and ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Researchers wanted to investigate whether there were sex differences in navigation strategy and efficiency - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 2 - 2021 - Paper 3
Step 1
Explain one weakness of using a random sampling technique for the navigation study.
Answer
A major weakness of using a random sampling technique is that the participants may not represent the diversity of the local population. For instance, individuals from the town may have different levels of navigation skills based on their previous experiences. This limitation can result in the sample not being representative, leading to biased conclusions about sex differences in navigation abilities.
Step 2
Explain one conclusion the researchers of the navigation study could make using the data in Figure 4.
Answer
The researchers could conclude that males were more likely to use shortcuts compared to females when completing the maze task. This is evident from Figure 4, which shows that six more males (14) relied on shortcuts compared to only eight females (6). This suggests a possible difference in navigation strategies based on sex.
Step 3
Complete Table 3 to calculate the chi-squared test for the navigation study.
Answer
To calculate the chi-squared test, we first find the observed and expected values:
- Observed values: Males: Less than 1 minute (14), More than 1 minute (9); Females: Less than 1 minute (10), More than 1 minute (12).
- Expected values for each group are calculated based on the total counts.
- Fill in the O - E and (O - E)² / E columns to compute the chi-squared value.
- For Males: Less than 1 min: O-E = 14 - 12.27 = 1.73; (O-E)²/E = 2.99/12.27 = 0.24; More than 1 min: O-E = 9 - 10.73 = -1.73; (O-E)²/E = 2.99/10.73 = 0.28.
- For Females: Less than 1 min: O-E = 10 - 11.73 = -1.73; (O-E)²/E = 2.99/11.73 = 0.25; More than 1 min: O-E = 12 - 10.27 = 1.73; (O-E)²/E = 2.99/10.27 = 0.29.
Summing these values gives us a chi-squared value of approximately 1.06.
Step 4
Explain two improvements that the researchers could make to the navigation study.
Answer
- The researchers could consider using a real maze in a real-life setting instead of a virtual reality (VR) maze. This would enhance the ecological validity of the study and better reflect how males and females might behave differently in a physical environment, potentially leading to varied navigation strategies.
- They could also expand their participant pool by including individuals from multiple local towns rather than just one. By doing this, the results related to navigation strategies would be more generalizable to a broader population rather than being limited to the characteristics of residents from a single town.