Photo AI
Twitter and Facebook are popular social media platforms with many regular users - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 1 - 2020 - Paper 3
Question 1
Twitter and Facebook are popular social media platforms with many regular users. A group of researchers wanted to investigate whether personality was related to thos... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Twitter and Facebook are popular social media platforms with many regular users - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 1 - 2020 - Paper 3
Step 1
Explain one strength and one weakness of the sampling technique used for the Twitter and Facebook study.
Answer
Strength of the sampling technique: One strength of volunteer sampling is that it allows for participation from users who are already engaged with Facebook and Twitter. This ensures that those involved in the study are genuinely interested in the subject matter, reducing the likelihood of biased responses that might arise from individuals who are indifferent to these platforms.
Weakness of the sampling technique: A weakness of volunteer sampling is that it may attract individuals who are more sociable and outward-going. This means that the sample might not be representative of the broader population of Facebook and Twitter users, which could lead to skewed results related to personality traits.
Step 2
Analyse the data provided in Table 1 to explain two conclusions that the researchers in the Twitter and Facebook study might draw from these results.
Answer
Conclusion 1: Facebook users tend to rate that they like the company of others more than Twitter users. This is evidenced by the mean score of 4.99 for sociability among Facebook users compared to 3.39 for Twitter users, indicating a higher tendency towards enjoying social interaction.
Conclusion 2: Twitter users are more inclined toward cognitive engagement than Facebook users. This is supported by the mean score of 6.60 for need for cognition among Twitter users compared to 5.00 for their Facebook counterparts, showing that Twitter users enjoy complex problem-solving more.
Step 3
Explain one strength of using primary data for the Twitter and Facebook study.
Answer
Strength of primary data: The primary data gathered in this study specifically target the personality traits of the users, ensuring that the results are relevant and tailored to the research objectives. This means the findings will be more trustworthy and applicable to understanding the social media behavior of Twitter and Facebook users.
Step 4
Explain one weakness of using the mean score in the data analysis from the ranked scale questions.
Answer
Weakness of using mean scores: The mean score for personality types can be skewed by extreme responses. If a few participants score very high or very low, it may not accurately represent the average personality type within the Twitter or Facebook user base, leading to misleading conclusions about their traits.