Psychology

The usefulness of psychological research

Psychology

What makes a study useful?

• A study with a useful sample would be useful because it could be generalised to many sections of the population.

• A study that uses a useful task is useful because it has high ecological validity and so can be related to real life.

• A study with a useful setting would be useful because it would have high ecological validity which means it can explain human behaviour in real life and so be applied to help society.

Psychology

What makes a study useful? (cont.)

• A relevant study would be useful because it would have high ecological validity in terms of sample, setting, task and results.

• A study that has extraneous variables is not useful because it will lack validity.

• A study that has only been carried out in one culture is not useful because it is not generalisable beyond that culture and may also be ethnocentric.