IB Psychology - Pamoja Teacher Articles
  • Introduction
  • General psychology resources
    • Links to psychology resources
    • Resources from the American Psychological Association
    • Outstanding IB psychology blogs you need to know about
    • TED Talks: Psychology playlist
    • Brain Pickings: Outstanding Psychology Blog
  • General articles
    • Education and technology
    • Mindfulness and performance
    • Malala Yousafzai
    • Effective study techniques in Psychology
    • The need for personal space
    • The IB Psychology Subject Report – May 2019
    • A learning mindset
    • Gender considerations
    • Effective Online Group Work
    • Tips for Effective Notetaking
    • If it weren’t for the last minute, I would never get anything done
    • How focused are you?
    • Quiet: The power of introverts
    • Psychology and cinematography
    • To what extent are we shaped by unconscious biological processes?
  • Approaches to research
    • What does Approaches to Research mean?
    • Thinking critically about research design and methodologies
    • The research and null hypothesis
    • Learning about psychological research
    • Original reports of research studies
  • Biological approach
    • Brain and behaviour
      • Serotonin and reactions to unfairness
      • What happens to the brain when you fall in love?
      • Research study investigating ketanserin
      • Localisation of function – Relevant research studies
      • Techniques to study the brain
      • Techniques used to study the brain in relation to behaviour
      • Brain imaging technology
      • Oliver Sacks
      • HM’s brain
      • Agonists and antagonists
      • A focused look at two possible biological approach SAQs: Agonists and antagonists
      • The teenage brain
      • Neural pruning and the adolescent brain
      • Neuroplasticity
      • Neuroplasticity and poverty
      • Key study of neuroplasticity: Brain damage and language (Tierney et al. 2001)
    • Fear and Loathing: An Evolutionary Explanation
    • Hormones and Pheromones
      • Relevant research studies
    • Genetics and behaviour
      • An explanation of concordance rate
      • Do your genes determine your entire life?
      • Evolutionary explanations of jealousy
      • For those of you who like Biology: Some behavioural genetics
      • Epigenetics
      • Your mood swings may give you an evolutionary advantage
      • Disgust and evolutionary psychology
      • Fear and loathing: An evolutionary explanation
      • Economising research studies: Caspi et al. (2003)
      • Examining the outcomes and implications of genetic research – gene editing
      • Relevant research studies
    • The role of animal research
      • How ethical is animal research?
  • Cognitive approach
    • Cognitive processing
      • In two minds? The dual processing model
      • The Serial Position Effect – A Classic Study of Memory
      • The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and leisure activity choices
      • Relevant research studies
    • Reliability of cognitive processes
      • Reliability of Cognitive Processes and Biases: Illusory Correlations
      • The reliability of cognitive processes: additional information on Loftus and Palmer (1974)
      • The reliability of eyewitness testimony
      • How accurate are Flashbulb memories of dramatic events?
      • False memories – false claims made?
      • The Memory Wars Revisited
      • The malleability and reliability of eyewitness testimony
      • Misconceptions about the reliability of memory
      • Illusory correlations
      • Relevant research studies
    • Emotion and cognition
    • Cognitive processing in a technological world
      • Cognitive impacts of social media and digital devices
      • The influence of modern digital technologies on cognitive processes
      • The accuracy of eye witness testimony
      • Our relationship with technology
  • Sociocultural approach
    • The individual and the group
      • Social identity theory and discrimination
      • Tajfel and social identity theory
      • Howarth (2002) and an Historical Perspective
      • Social cognitive theory: Bandura and the Bobo doll
      • In and out-groups
      • Bandura et al. (1961): Transmission of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models
    • Cultural origins of behaviour and cognition
      • The significance of different cultural groups
    • Cultural influences
      • A model of Acculturation: Berry (2005)
      • Does individualism bring happiness?
      • 10 minutes with Geert Hofstede
    • The influence of globalization
      • Does Globalization Influence Cooperative Behaviour to solve Global Issues?
      • The Influence of Globalization
      • Globalisation and intercultural competence
  • Fitting In: Assimilation, Integration and Acculturation
  • Abnormal psychology
    • Factors influencing diagnosis
      • On “Being sane in insane places”
      • Szasz and the myth of mental illness
    • Etiology of abnormal behaviour
      • What is depression?
      • Depression and social isolation
    • Treatment of disorders
      • Treatment of Depression – Key Studies
      • CBT and the treatment of depression
  • Psychology of human relationships
    • Personal relationships
      • Why we love
    • Group dynamics
    • Social responsibility
      • Situational factors and human behaviour – the bystander effect
      • Kitty Genovese and the Bystander Effect
      • The Bystander Effect challenged
      • Reciprocal altruism
  • Internal assessment
    • IA Statistics…where do I start?
    • Writing the introduction and the exploration sections
    • Writing the analysis and evaluation sections
    • Common errors and omissions
    • IB Psychology subject report May 2019: The internal assessment
    • Suitable studies to investigate psychological theories and models
    • What are “True” experiments in Psychology?
    • How can Psychology help us in our everyday lives?
    • Using reputable websites in your IA
  • External assessment
    • Psychology external assessments: A guide for IBDP students
    • FAQs on IB Psychology external assessment
    • Responding to the “describe” command term
    • Responding to the “explain” command term
    • Why is an argument so important in writing an essay in IB Psychology?
    • How to approach SAQ writing: An example
    • Unpacking an ERQ
    • Writing a conclusion for your response to an ERQ
    • Unpacking Extended Response Questions: Criterion A – Focus on the Question
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  1. Approaches to research

Original reports of research studies

PreviousLearning about psychological researchNextBiological approach

Last updated 4 years ago

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While philosophers ponder life’s big questions and poets play with words to convey their ideas, psychologists carry out scientific research. They have many options: observe people, ask people questions or set up conditions to see how people react. In broad terms, psychologists generate answers to research questions through either quantitative or qualitative methods or by combining both methods.

While reading an original report of a research study is challenging, the experience is much more rewarding than simply reading a summary or brief description of the study.

The site, , is also another very good source.

Suggested activities

  • Find the original report of a study you found particularly interesting in Year 1 and read the report. Reflect on how accurate the summary you read was compared to the full report

  • Provide the link to any original study of interest by means of the comment facility on this post.

Classics in the History of Psychology