Study Observations in the Pearson Edexcel A Level Psychology specification, including the knowledge, application and evaluation needed for exam questions and mark-scheme responses.
Mariana is planning to investigate the experiences of patients with mental health issues during inpatient stays at a mental health hospital. She plans to use a covert observational research method.
Explain one strength and one weakness, other than ethics, of using a covert observation to investigate the experiences of inpatients with mental health issues.
Strength
Weakness
AO2 (2 marks), AO3 (2 marks)
Credit one mark for accurate identification of strength/weakness in
relation to scenario (AO2)
Credit one mark for justification of strength/weakness (AO3)
Strength
- The inpatients will be behaving in their usual/natural way as they
would be unaware they are being observed (1) which will give the
study high ecological validity as it will represent the normal
experiences of inpatients in a mental health hospital (1).
Weakness
- Mariana could misinterpret the behaviour she observes as she
cannot clarify what she sees with any of the inpatients or ask why
they did a particular behaviour (1) which may result in subjectivity
in the findings as the interpretations could be biased towards
Mariana's aims of her research (1).
Look for other reasonable marking points.
Generic answers score 0 marks.
(4)
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