Reflexivity
IB Psychologyยท Research methodologyยท 11 min read
1. Core concept
Reflexivity is the researcher deliberately examining how their own assumptions, expectations and presence shape the research โ especially in qualitative work, where the researcher is the main 'instrument'. It means checking for unconscious bias in how questions are asked, how participants respond to the researcher, and how data are interpreted, and being transparent about it. Reflexivity does not remove bias but makes it visible, which is central to the credibility of qualitative findings.
2. Key studies
IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:
Festinger, Riecken & Schachter (1956)
Covert participant observers embedded in a doomsday cult recorded that, after the prophecy failed, members intensified their belief to reduce dissonance. โ Immersed, covert observers can influence and selectively interpret what they see โ exactly the situation reflexivity is meant to check.
3. Evaluation (AO3)
Strength โ turns a weakness into transparency โ Naming the researcher's influence lets readers judge findings honestly, instead of pretending the researcher was invisible.
Limitation โ no guarantee โ Reflexivity relies on self-awareness and honesty; unconscious bias can persist unnoticed, and reflexive accounts can become performative.
4. Scope
5. Common Pitfalls
Wrong move:
'Bias' in a study means the sample was unrepresentative (sampling bias).
Why:
A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
Correct move:
Reflexivity targets the RESEARCHER's own unconscious bias โ in questioning, rapport and interpretation โ which is different from sampling bias (an unrepresentative sample) and from generalization. Do not collapse them.
Going deeper
- Ensuring credibilityreflexivity is one strategy for credibility (RM_10).
- Sampling techniquesresearcher bias must not be collapsed into sampling bias (RM_16).