Question 1

Q1: 1. What are the goals of scientific enquiry?

Accepted Answer

According to the chapter, psychological enquiry, like any scientific research, has the following goals:    Description: This involves describing a behaviour or a phenomenon as accurately as possible. It helps in distinguishing one particular behaviour from others. For example, a researcher might des...

Question 2

Q10: 10. Explain the characteristics of a standardised test.

Accepted Answer

A standardised psychological test is an objective instrument used to assess an individual's standing in relation to others on some mental or behavioural characteristic. Its key characteristics are objectivity, standardisation (norms), reliability, and validity. 1.  Objectivity: This refers to the fa...

Question 3

Q11: 11. Describe the limitations of psychological enquiry.

Accepted Answer

Psychological enquiry, despite its scientific approach, faces certain general limitations that are important to consider: 1.  Lack of True Zero Point: In physical sciences, measurements start from a true zero (e.g., 0 cm length). Psychological measurements, however, lack a true zero point. For examp...

Question 4

Q12: 12. What are the ethical guidelines that a psychologist needs to follow while conducting a psychological enquiry?

Accepted Answer

Since psychological research involves human beings, it is essential for researchers to follow certain ethical principles to protect the rights and well-being of the participants. The key ethical guidelines are: 1.  Voluntary Participation: Participants must have the choice to decide whether or not t...

Question 5

Q2: 2. Describe the various steps involved in conducting a scientific enquiry.

Accepted Answer

The scientific method follows a systematic procedure for investigation. The steps involved in conducting a scientific enquiry are as follows: 1.  Conceptualising a Problem: The research process begins when a researcher selects a topic for study. This is followed by narrowing down the focus and devel...

Question 6

Q3: 3. Explain the nature of psychological data.

Accepted Answer

The information collected in psychological studies is called data. The nature of psychological data is unique and has several key characteristics:    Variety of Information: Psychologists collect a variety of information from different sources. This data can relate to an individual's covert (mental...

Question 7

Q4: 4. How do experimental and control groups differ? Explain with the help of an example.

Accepted Answer

In an experiment, the experimental group and the control group are two distinct groups of participants used to establish a cause-effect relationship between an independent and a dependent variable. Differences:    Experimental Group: This is the group in which the members are exposed to the manipula...

Question 8

Q5: 5. A researcher is studying the relationship between speed of cycling and the presence of people. Formulate a relevant hypothesis and identify the ind...

Accepted Answer

Based on the research problem, we can formulate a hypothesis and identify the variables as follows:    Hypothesis: A relevant hypothesis would be: "A cyclist performs better when cycling before a group of persons than when cycling alone." This is a tentative statement that proposes a relationship be...

Question 9

Q6: 6. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of experimental method as a method of enquiry.

Accepted Answer

The experimental method is a powerful tool for psychological enquiry, but it has both strengths and weaknesses. Strengths:    Establishes Cause-Effect Relationship: The primary strength of a well-designed experiment is its ability to provide convincing evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship bet...

Question 10

Q7: 7. Dr. Krishnan is going to observe and record children's play behaviour at a nursery school without attempting to influence or control the behaviour....

Accepted Answer

The method of research involved in this scenario is the Observational Method, specifically Naturalistic Observation. This is because the observation is being done in a natural, real-life setting (a nursery school), and the researcher, Dr. Krishnan, is not making any effort to control or manipulate t...

Question 11

Q8: 8. Give two examples of the situations where survey method can be used. What are the limitations of this method?

Accepted Answer

The survey method is used to study opinions, attitudes, and social facts by collecting information from a sample of people. Two Examples of Situations for Survey Method: 1.  Political Opinion Polls: During elections, surveys are widely used to find out public opinion. For example, a survey can be co...

Question 12

Q9: 9. Differentiate between an interview and a questionnaire.

Accepted Answer

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