The common response I receive when I tell people that I teach psychology is: ‘Does that mean you are going to be analysing everything I say?’ It is often assumed by those who don’t study the subject, that psychology is just ‘talking about disorders and behaviours’. While these undoubtedly form part of the subject matter of psychology, this assumption is based on a failure to understand the scientific and analytical aspects of what psychologists do. This is where research methods come in.
Every A-level exam board puts a lot of emphasis on students having a sound knowledge of research methods because they are central to understanding the subject. In fact, it is the rule across all boards that at least 25% of the final exam mark comes from research methods topics. Considering the fact that getting a score of 25% on an exam can gain you a pass for some exam boards, this means that if you are very good at research methods you hardly need to know a lot more psychology to pass the exam.
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