SCIENCE

INQUIRY
SKILLS
PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS
2022
1. A researcher wanted to test the hypothesis that Year 12 students study more effectively when they
are supervised than when they are unsupervised. The researcher selected a sample of twenty
students from one school and randomly allocated each student to one of two groups of equal size. One
group studied in a supervised location and the other group studied in an unsupervised location. In
each location, the students were observed for 1 hour. The observer measured the number of minutes
each students stopped studying to talk to another student. The results are as follows:

Study location Average Minutes Spent Talking

Supervised 12
Unsupervised 26

a. Identify the independent variable in this research.

(2 marks)

b. Describe one limitation of drawing conclusions using this sample of students.

(2 marks)

2. Identify one objective quantitative method for assessing psychological responses.

(2 marks)

2. Two Psychology classes completed their mid-year examination and both achieved a mean of 62
marks out of 100. The following standard deviations were calculated:

Class A had a standard deviation of 2.1 marks.

Class B had a standard deviation of 7.9 marks.

Describe what the different standard deviations tell us about the distribution of marks in each class.

(4 marks)

3. An investigation was carried out to answer the question “Does the level of violence seen by children
on television influence their responses to violent actions?” Children were placed into two groups –
Group A involved 50 children who were shown one hour of violent cartoons on television, and Group
B which also involved 50 children who were shown one hour of non-violent cartoons. At the end of
the hour each child was shown a single violent action in a short cartoon, and asked to answer YES or
NO to the question “Was it OK to do that?”

The results are summarised in the following table:

GROUP CARTOON SHOWN RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE

% RESPONDING ‘YES’
A Violent 23/50 = 46%
B Non-violent 11/50 = 22%
a. Write a possible hypothesis for this study.

(2 marks)
b. Identify the dependent variable in this investigation.

(1marks)
c. Identify and state the type of investigation being carried out.

(2 marks)
d. State one conclusion that can be made from the summarised data. Explain your response.

(2 marks)

e. What are two possible extraneous variables that could have impacted the results of this
investigation?

(2 marks)

2003
4. Investigations in psychology can be classified as either quantitative or qualitative. Each style of
investigation has advantages and disadvantages. Describe one advantage of qualitative investigations.

(2 marks)

5. An experiment is conducted to investigate the effect of alcohol on reaction time.

Ten adult participants are required to play a game that simulates driving a car. The participants are
instructed that, whenever the traffic lights at intersections in the game change from green to red, they
should depress the brake pedal as quickly as possible. Participants are given two standard alcoholic
drinks 5 minutes before starting the game.

The time taken by each participant to respond to each of four red lights in a 20-minute session is
recorded. The table below shows the average reaction time (measured in milliseconds) for each
participant. Participants are numbered from 1 to 10. The last row of the table shows the sum of
scores, ΣX
(a) Calculate the mean for this distribution of scores.

(2 marks)

(b) Calculate the median for this distribution of scores.

(2 marks)

6. The standard deviation of this distribution is 6.58. The experimenter repeats the experiment using
a different group of ten participants. The mean for this second group is the same as that for the first
group, but the standard deviation is different. The standard deviation for the second group is 8.50.

Describe what the standard deviations of the two groups tell us about the distributions of scores.

(4 mar

2004

7. Investigations in psychology can be classified as either quantitative or qualitative. Each style of

investigation has advantages and disadvantages. Describe one disadvantage of quantitative
investigations.

(2 marks)
8. Refer to the following table, which shows the scores out of 100 obtained by ten students in their
mid-year statistics examination. The last row of the table shows the sum of scores, ΣX.

(a) Calculate the mean for this distribution of scores.

(2 marks)

(b) Calculate the median score in this distribution.

(2 marks)
9. The standard deviation of this distribution is 16.7.

The same ten students do a mid-year history examination. The mean for this examination is the same
as that for the statistics examination, but the standard deviation is different. The standard deviation
for the history examination is 12.3.

Describe what the standard deviations of the two sets of examination scores tell us about the
distributions of scores.

(4 marks)

2005

10. Describe one advantage of using the Delphi technique, rather than a focus group, in a qualitative
investigation.

(2 marks)

11. Describe one difference between experimental investigations and quantitative observational
investigations in their design.

(2 marks)
12. A psychologist interviews a sample of twenty women aged between 20 years and 30 years to
investigate society’s attitude to increasing immigration.

State two limitations of drawing conclusions using this sample.

(2 marks)

13. Describe one example of a subjective quantitative measure.

(2 marks)

14. Refer to the following table, which shows the resting heart rate of ten participants in an
investigation. The last row of the table shows the sum of scores, ∑X.

(a) Calculate the mean for this distribution of scores.

(2 marks)

(b) Calculate the median score in this distribution.

(2 marks)

15. A psychologist plans to interview children under 14 years of age to investigate the factors that
contribute to self-esteem.

Describe three ethical issues that would be relevant to this investigation.

(2 marks)
2006

16. Refer to the following table, which shows personality scores for Extraversion for a group of
students.

(a) Determine the median score in this distribution.

(2 marks)

(b) The standard deviation of this distribution is 1.05. Describe what the standard deviation of this
set of scores tells us about the distribution.

(2 marks)

(c) The above data were collected as part of a quantitative observational investigation design.
Describe one advantage of using a quantitative observational investigation design.

2010
17. A researcher hypothesises that adolescents use social networking websites to develop friendships.
To test this hypothesis, he administers a questionnaire to a sample of 15-year-olds from a local high
school. Describe one limitation of drawing conclusions from this sample.

(2 marks)

18. A group of volunteers take part in a study to measure the effects on heart rates of watching a
frightening movie. The volunteers are allocated randomly to one of two different groups of equal size.
One group watches a movie that is frightening and the other group watches a movie that is not
frightening.

(a) Identify the investigation design used in this study.

(2 marks)
(b) Justify your answer to part (a) using the information provided.

(2 marks)

19. Ten students were given one minute to memorise a list of twenty words. Five minutes later, they
were given one minute to recall as many words from the list as they could. Their scores are listed in
the table below. For this distribution of scores, calculate:

(a) the mean

(2 marks)

(b) the median

(2 marks)

20. Two classes of students are given a standardised intelligence test. Both classes have a mean IQ of
100.

Class A has a standard deviation of 15

Class B has a standard deviation of 2.

Explain why it would be easier to predict the intelligence of a student in Class B than it would be to
predict the intelligence of a student in Class A.

(4 marks)

21. To reach consensus of opinion on an issue, a researcher sends a series of questionnaires to the
same group of experts. Successive questionnaires use and refine information gathered from the
previous questionnaire.

State the name of the qualitative investigation design that is used.

(2 marks)
22. A psychologist conducts an investigation into the relationship between shift work and fatigue. She
selects participants from each of the following groups of people:

Group 1 Night shift workers

Group 2 Day shift workers

(a) Explain why this investigation design is quantitative observational.

(2 marks)

(b) Describe one advantage of using an observational research design for this investigation.

(2 marks)

2011
23. Using an experimental design, researchers randomly allocated students to two different study
programs. One study program used audio materials only and the other study program used
audiovisual materials. The students were tested each week for the 4 weeks.

Refer to the following graphs, which shows the average performance of the two groups in these tests.

a. Identify the independent variable in this experimental investigation design.

(2 marks)
b. Describe one advantage of using an experimental design for this investigation.

(2 marks)

c. Analyse the graph to formulate a relevant conclusion about the independent variable.

(2 marks)
24. A group of psychologists proposed that wearing red uniforms increases the probability of winning
sports matches. They gathered one season’s data from ten football teams. The results are presented in
the table below.

They concluded that wearing red uniforms increases the probability of winning sports matches.

(a) Discuss one disadvantage of using a quantitative observational design for this investigation.

(2 marks)

(b) Suggest one improvement that could be made to the investigation design to increase the validity
of the psychologists’ conclusion.

(4 marks)

25. A focus group discusses racial discrimination. Describe one ethical issue, other than informed
consent, that is relevant to this focus group.

(2 marks)

26. Describe the process of content analysis.

(2 marks)

2012

27. Doctors at a hospital are interested in the emotional experiences of their patients. Describe one
subjective quantitative method of assessing these emotional experiences.

(2 marks)

Research was conducted to test whether receiving money makes people happier. Describe one
advantage of using a quantitative observational investigation for this research.

(2 marks)
28. A government is reviewing its policies on child care. One method the government is using to
collect information on child care is through a focus group.

(a) Describe how responses are generated within a focus group.

(4 marks)

(b) Identify one limitation of applying knowledge based on data collected from a single focus group in
forming policies on child care.

(2 marks)

2013

29. Refer to the following table, which shows the ages of twelve students who completed a
3-year university degree:

(a) Calculate the mean for this set of data.

(2 marks)

(b) The median for this set of data is 25. Explain why the median is a more accurate representation of
the age of this group of students than the mean.

(2 marks)
30. A psychologist was interested in finding out whether online social networking makes people more
likely or less likely to interact with other people in face-to-face situations.

(a) Explain why a quantitative observational investigation design is appropriate for researching this
topic.

(2 marks)

(b) Explain one difference between an experimental investigation design and a quantitative
observational investigation design.

(2 marks)

31. Two Psychology classes completed their mid-year examination and both achieved a mean of 62
marks out of 100. The following standard deviations were calculated:

Class A had a standard deviation of 2.1 marks.

Class B had a standard deviation of 7.9 marks.

Describe what the different standard deviations tell us about the distribution of marks in each class.

(2 marks)

2014

32. A psychologist was researching memory in secondary students, using a test involving memorising
and recalling a list of fifteen items. A sample, comprising two students in each year level from one
secondary school, was selected to undertake the test.

Describe one limitation of drawing conclusions from this sample.

(2 marks)

33. Heart-rate monitors were used for a psychological investigation. Later testing of the monitors
showed that one monitor consistently gave a reading 5 beats per minute higher than it should have
been.

Explain why measurements on this monitor were reliable, but not valid.

(4 marks)
34. A psychologist is planning to conduct research into the effects on children of watching cartoons.
Describe one ethical issue that needs to be considered in this research.

(2 marks)

35. Describe the process of content analysis of responses in focus groups.

(2 marks)

36. Research was conducted on whether loud noise reduces the ability to solve puzzles. Describe one
feature of an experimental investigation design that allows a researcher to conclude that loud noise
causes a reduction in the ability to solve puzzles.

(2 marks)

37. A psychologist measured the heart rate of participants watching either a scary movie or a funny
movie. The mean heart rate of 75 beats per minute (bpm) was the same for both groups of
participants. The standard deviation for the scary movie group was 3 bpm, while the standard
deviation for the funny movie group was 8 bpm. The frequency of heart-rate readings among the
participants in each group is graphed below.

(a) Describe one difference between the heart rates of the scary movie group and the funny movie
group.

(2 marks)
2015
38. A university study was conducted to determine the accuracy of participants on a cognitive task
with increasing blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

The results were plotted on a scatter plot and the trend line obtained is shown below.

(a) Use the graph to determine the expected percentage accuracy for someone completing this
cognitive task with a BAC of 0.05%.

(2 marks)

(b) Use the graph to explain why it is dangerous to drive after consuming alcohol.

(2 marks)

(c) Suggest a reason why the experiment was designed so that the BAC of participants did not exceed
0.10%.

(2 marks)

39. An educational psychologist investigated the development of numeracy skills in children. Letters
were sent to all parents/guardians of Year 3 children in three schools, asking for volunteers to
participate in the investigation. Twenty parents/guardians replied and their children were accepted.

All participants in the investigation completed a numeracy test (Test 1). The results were used to
place the participants into ten matched pairs, based on the similarity of their scores. Each participant
in a pair then had an equal chance of being assigned to Group A or Group B. Participants in Group A
were required to watch numeracy programs on television for 30 minutes every day for 4 weeks.
Participants in Group B were required to watch cartoons for 30 minutes every day for 4 weeks. After
the 4 weeks, all participants completed a second numeracy test (Test 2).

A flow chart of the procedure is shown below.

(a) Describe one feature of the procedure that identifies this as an experimental design.

(2 marks)

(b) Describe one advantage of using an experimental design for this investigation.

(2 marks)

(c) Identify the independent variable in this investigation.

(2 marks)

(d) Explain why the educational psychologist placed participants into matched pairs.

(2 marks)

40. The table below shows the numeracy scores obtained by the ten matched pairs of participants in
Test 2.

(a) Using the results provided in the table, suggest a possible conclusion for this investigation.

(2 marks)
(b) Describe one factor that could reduce the validity of your conclusion for this investigation.

(2 marks)

(c) Define reliability and evaluate the reliability of the data obtained for Test 2.

(2 marks)

2019
41. A sample of 20 schools participated in an investigation into the memory performance of students
who eat at the school canteen. Random assignment was used to determine which 10 school canteens
would offer healthier food. The other 10 school canteens did not change the food that they offered.
Three months later, a psychologist assessed the memory performance of students who ate at the
school canteen in the 20 schools.

(a) Discuss two ethical issues that would be relevant to this investigation.

(2 marks)

(b)Suggest one hypothesis for this investigation.

(2 marks)

(c) Explain one reason why this is an experimental investigation.

(2 marks)

(d) Explain one advantage of using an experimental design for this investigation.

(2 marks)

42. After the investigation, participating schools designed a persuasive campaign aimed at improving
the eating habits of their students.

(e) Describe two audience factors that schools should consider when designing their campaign.

(2 marks)
(f) It is also possible that eating healthier food could affect the mood of students. Describe one type of
subjective quantitative measure that the psychologist could use to measure mood.

(2 marks)

2021

43. Many companies analysed art from social media accounts to target advertising to an individual's
personal preferences and habits described 2 ethical issues related to the collection of these data.

(2 marks)

44. Read the source below.

Collecting data from 43 students at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), a business school from São Paulo,
Brazil, our analysis yielded a significant negative relationship between total time spent using
smartphones and academic performance, after controlling for known predictors of performance such as
self-efficacy and past academic results. Each 100 min spent using the device on average per day
corresponded to a reduction in a student's position at the school's ranking of 6.3 points, in a range from 0
to nearly 100. Moreover, if we consider usage during class time only (as opposed to during free time and
weekends), the effect was almost twice as high.

(a) Describe one possible limitation of the sample in this investigation.

(2 marks)

(b) Describe the relationship between average time spent using phones per day and academic
performance

(2 marks)

(c) When educators became aware of the study they communicated the results to students however
there was little change in the use of phones by students. Using the principles of operant conditioning,
explain the students behaviour.

(2 marks)

45. Read sources one and two before answering the questions below.
SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

(a) this research design has two aspects quantitative observational and experimental describe one
feature of this investigation that indicates that this research is observational.

(2 marks)

(b) Data collection could have included biological measures in addition to surveys. Describe one
advantage of using biological measures in this investigation.

(2 marks)

(c) data collection could have included surveys in the investigation. Describe one advantage of using
surveys in this investigation.

(2 marks)
(d) explain the importance of the control group in this investigation.

(2 marks)

(e) following the original investigation, the researchers conducted a focus group to find out how the young
participants responded to mood change. Describe how focused group responses could be analysed.

(4 marks)
EXTENDED RESPONSE 1
A researcher uses a qualitative investigation design to determine the effects that different types of
noise have on students’ ability to study and recall information. All students have agreed to participate
voluntarily and have provided signed, informed consent.

Describe:
 one qualitative investigation design that the researcher could use;
 one method of analyzing responses gained from a qualitative investigation design;
 one advantage and one disadvantage of using a qualitative investigation design;
 two ethical considerations that should be incorporated in this investigation other than those
mentioned in the scenario above.

(10 marks)
EXTENDED RESPONSE 2 - 2007

A research psychologist was interested in the effects on high school students of assembling a jigsaw
puzzle.

The psychologist tested a sample of 100 students split randomly into two equal-sized groups.
Students in one group assembled a jigsaw puzzle for 10 minutes, while students in the other group sat
in silence in a separate area for 10 minutes and did not assemble a jigsaw puzzle. Halfway through the
10-minute session, all students had their heart rates measured. When the session was over, all
students completed an anxiety questionnaire (AQ).

The following graph and table show the results of the psychologist’s investigation.

(10 marks)
EXTENDED RESPONSE 3 - 2008

A researcher uses a qualitative investigation design to determine the effects that different types of
noise have on students’ ability to study and recall information. All students have agreed to participate
voluntarily and have provided signed, informed consent.

Describe:

 one qualitative investigation design that the researcher could use;

 one method of analysing responses gained from a qualitative investigation design;
 one advantage and one disadvantage of using a qualitative investigation design;
 two ethical safeguards that should be incorporated in this investigation other than those
mentioned in the scenario above.

(20 marks)