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Marya carried out a questionnaire to investigate whether a new therapy was effective for children with autism - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 12 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 12
Marya carried out a questionnaire to investigate whether a new therapy was effective for children with autism. She wanted to see if it would improve their social ski... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Marya carried out a questionnaire to investigate whether a new therapy was effective for children with autism - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 12 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
Calculate the range of Condition B and complete Table 3 with your answer.
Answer
To calculate the range of Condition B, we first identify the highest and lowest scores from the scores listed:
- Highest score in Condition B: 6
- Lowest score in Condition B: 1
Now, we calculate the range using the formula:
Substituting the values gives us:
Thus, the completed table shows:
| Condition A | Condition B |
|---|---|
| 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 0 | 5 |
| 0 | 3 |
| 0 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 |
| 1 | 5 |
| 1 | 6 |
| 0 | 4 |
Range = 3 Range = 5
Step 2
Explain why Marya used the mean rather than the mode when analysing the results of her questionnaire.
Answer
Marya used the mean as a measure of central tendency because it takes into account all the scores from the social skills questionnaire for all ten participants in each group. This makes it a more meaningful representation of the overall performance, as it allows for consideration of every individual score, rather than just the most frequently occurring score (the mode). Using the mean helps provide a clearer view of the general improvement in social skills across the groups.
Step 3
Explain one improvement Marya could make to her investigation.
Answer
One improvement Marya could make is to gather her data after a few years rather than after six months. This extended time frame would allow her to see if the new therapy had a long-term effect on the social skills of those with autism, providing more robust data on the effectiveness of the therapy.