# Strengths and limits of methods

> IB Psychology · IB Psychology 2027 First Assessment
> Source: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-rm-strengths-and-limits-of-methods/

The advantages and disadvantages of different research methods.

## Learning objectives

- The advantages and disadvantages of different research methods.

## How often is this tested?

Based on OwlsPrep's analysis of official CIE IB_PSYCH P1 past papers (2019–2025): **Strengths and limits of methods** appears **20 times** in the last 7 years — **3.9%** of all P1 questions (20 of 228).

Most-tested forms: Essay: Evaluate (22 marks) (9), Paper 3: research methods (3–6 marks) (8), Essay: Discuss (22 marks) (3).

## Core concept

Every method trades strengths against weaknesses, and evaluating one means weighing them against the aim. Controlled experiments buy internal validity and causal inference at the cost of artificiality and lower ecological validity; naturalistic observations and field studies buy realism at the cost of control and replicability; case studies buy depth at the cost of generalizability. There is no single 'best' method — only one better or worse suited to a given question.

## Key studies

IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:

**Tversky & Kahneman (1981)** — People reversed their risk choices depending on whether identical outcomes were framed as gains or losses. — *An EXPERIMENT's trade-off: tight control isolates the framing cause cleanly, but the artificial hypothetical scenarios lower ecological validity.*

**Odden & Rochat (2004)** — Observation in a Samoan village showed children acquiring complex skills and social knowledge largely by watching adults, without direct instruction. — *A NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION's trade-off: high ecological validity in a real setting, but little control and no way to manipulate variables for cause.*

## Evaluation (AO3)

**Strength — guides design and critique** — Knowing each method's characteristic trade-off lets you both design better studies and evaluate existing ones precisely.

**Limitation — trade-offs are context-dependent** — Whether a weakness matters depends on the aim — artificiality is fatal for a real-world claim but acceptable for isolating a mechanism — so strengths and limits cannot be judged in the abstract.

## Scope

> **note**
>
> The generic trade-offs of methods; the classification is RM_11 and the selection decision RM_12.

## Common pitfalls

- **Wrong:** Evaluating a method means evaluating the famous study that used it.
  - Why it fails: A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
  - Correct: Assess the METHOD's generic strengths and limitations (control, ecological validity, replicability, depth), not just the details of one study. A research-methods question wants the method, not a study summary.

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