For all the AS studies in psychology there are certain questions to bear in mind. See the following document and remember these questions apply to all the studies.

Questions that you should ask about the key studies
1
Why was the study or review performed?
On what theory is the study or review based?
Introduce the area.
2
What are the aims of the article, what hypotheses are being tested, what are the independent and dependent variables, how are they operationalised, and were the variables operationalised appropriately?
3
What method was used in the study?
Laboratory Experiment, Natural or Field Experiment, Case Study, Questionnaire, Review.
4
State three advantages and three disadvantages of the method used.
5
Give details of the procedure(s). Include design, setting, subjects, controls, etc.
For case studies, say what happened to the subject. For review, give details of at least three aspects.
6
What were the main findings of the study or review?
What was concluded?
What are the implications of the study?
7
Are there any ethical guidelines broken in this study/area?
Deception, Withdrawal, Harm, Consent, Debriefing, Confidentiality, Protection of participants, Observational Research, Giving advice, Colleagues?
8
Evaluate the following:
Subjects/Sample, Experimenter bias, Demand Characteristics, Implications for theory, Ecological validity, Ethnocentrism, Control
Other evaluation.
9
The perspective is:
Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Comparative Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Culture & Identity.
10
This study relates to the issues of:
Ethics, Children, Animals, Nature & Nurture, Scientific Method.
Say why.
11
What are the key terms?
12
How were the variables operationalised?
13
How was the data collected?
14
How was the study affected by the social and political issues at the time it was conducted?
15
Can we relate the study to everyday life?
16
What if the location was different?
17
What if the measurement was different?
18
What if the procedure was different?

Important Issues
A. Everyday life -ecological validity
B. Nature and Nurture
C. Determinism and freewill
D. Psychometrics
E. Laboratory Vs Field Studies
F. Usefulness
G. Qualitative Vs quantitative
H. Norms v Diversity
I. Ethnocentrism
J. Different types of explanation for the same event - e.g. physiological v developmental v social explanations of aggression