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Tabitha wanted to investigate whether there is a difference in brain activity when people are exposed to aggressive stimuli and non-aggressive stimuli - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 7 - 2022 - Paper 1
Question 7
Tabitha wanted to investigate whether there is a difference in brain activity when people are exposed to aggressive stimuli and non-aggressive stimuli. She decided t... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Tabitha wanted to investigate whether there is a difference in brain activity when people are exposed to aggressive stimuli and non-aggressive stimuli - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 7 - 2022 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe how Tabitha could use a volunteer sampling technique to gather participants for her investigation.
Answer
Tabitha could utilize a volunteer sampling method by posting a notice on social media platforms that invites female participants aged between 20 and 30 years to take part in her research. The notice would include details on her study, focusing on brain activity in response to aggressive and non-aggressive stimuli. Interested individuals would then respond to the advertisement and provide their contact information, which Tabitha would use to reach out to them.
Step 2
Describe how Tabitha could use a PET brain-scanning technique for her investigation.
Answer
Tabitha would first administer a radioactive tracer to the female participants before conducting the PET scan. This tracer enables the measurement of brain activity in response to different stimuli, such as aggressive and non-aggressive scenarios. During the study, participants could be shown clips from aggressive films, followed by non-aggressive scenes, while the PET scan records their brain's activity in real-time. This method allows Tabitha to analyze the variations in brain responses to the contrasting stimuli.
Step 3
Explain one strength of Tabitha using a PET brain-scanning technique for her investigation.
Answer
A significant strength of using a PET scan is that it provides Tabitha with a visual representation of brain activity while participants are exposed to various stimuli. This allows for a clear understanding of specific brain areas engaged during aggression. Furthermore, the findings can be compared against other research, increasing the reliability and validity of her results as multiple studies can corroborate her observations.
Step 4
Explain one improvement that could be made to Tabitha’s choice of participants.
Answer
To enhance the representativeness of her sample, Tabitha could expand her participant criteria to include women outside the 20 to 30 years age group. By incorporating a broader age range, she would be better positioned to generalize her findings to a wider population, potentially revealing variations in brain activity across different age demographics and enriching her research outcomes.