An Ultimate Guide on IBDP Psychology IA

Ever wondered how psychologists do our scientific research??

Now, you can learn a lot about cognitive, biological, and sociocultural concerns in IBDP Psychology IA course. The IB Psychology IA is a stand-alone assignment that is taught at both the Standard and Higher Levels and is worth 25% and 20% of the final grade, respectively. 

You will complete an additional Paper 3 in HL that has three questions with brief answers about the research methodology.

IB Psychology IA requires you to undertake an experimental investigation in a group of no more than five students in order to pass the IB Psychology IA. But, you are expected to write reports alone even if the group will work together on the technique, materials list, and data gathering and compilation.

Now, lets’s discover how to do your IB Psychology Internal Assessment without being overly information-saturated.

Let’s get going.

Aspect #1: The Introduction (6 Marks)

It is critical to have a strong introduction. It is the first section of the report that your teacher will read, and it has the potential to make or break the report.

A strong introduction establishes context. It emphasizes the context's theory and provides a thorough explanation. It defines the key terms used in the study, and it highlights the purpose, methods, and results of the duplicate of the original study.

Your introduction must establish a link between your investigation and the duplicate theory. The purpose of your experiment must be clearly defined, and your readers must understand what you hope to achieve with your research. Maintain a focus on the dependent and independent variables.

Aspect #2: Exploration (4 Marks)

The term "exploration" refers to the process of conducting an investigation. This criterion considers how you conduct your research, the materials you use and their rationale, and so on. It requires you to defend your group's decisions made during the study.

Identify, mention, and explain the study's design and sample procedure. It is preferable to have strong arguments for choosing a specific design method.

Similarly, discuss and justify your sampling strategy selection for your study. Although the Opportunity Sample is the most commonly used sampling strategy for IA research, you must always defend your sampling technique choice.

Aspect #3: Analysis (6 Marks)

This section looks at how you interpret data. To receive full credit, you must demonstrate proficiency in descriptive and inferential statistics.

In Descriptive Statistics, you should provide one measure of central tendency (mean, median, or mode) and one measure of dispersion (standard deviation, variance, range, semi-interquartile range).

Inferential statistics, as opposed to descriptive statistics, is used to deduce information about the study/theory and draw conclusions. Statistics must have a verbal expression and be related to the hypothesis.

In addition, you must include a properly labeled graph and emphasize the significance of your findings in relation to the hypothesis.

Aspect #4: Evaluation (6 Marks)      

The investigation's conclusions should focus on the background theory/model rather than just the hypothesis. It is less important to link the results to the repeated research than it is to link them to the Theory.

A thorough evaluation of your study includes a discussion of the study's strengths and weaknesses. As a result, the benefits and drawbacks of the research design, samples, and procedure should be obvious.

When discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the research design, be careful not to confuse them with the process of the experiment.

On Blen, you can learn more about Internal Assessments.