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A-LevelPsychologyResearch methods9990/23 · May/June 2020 · Q53 Marks

Descriptive statistics used in studies can include the range and the standard deviation.

  1. (a)State what these descriptive statistics measure.[1]
  2. (b)Explain one advantage of the standard deviation compared to the range.[2]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2020). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. [1] (a) 1 mark for: dispersion; spread; how much variation there is.
  2. [2] (b) 1 mark for explanation; 1 mark for detail. The SD takes all scores into account (and the range does not) so the SD is more representative / informative.

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About this question

Topic
Research methods, A-Level Psychology (syllabus 9990). Structured question, 3 marks.
Source
A-Level Psychology, May/June 2020 Paper 2 Variant 3, question 5.

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