📚 Year 7 AQA Psychology: Key Points for Experimental / Practical Assessments | Year 7 AQA 心理学：实验/实践考核要点
In Year 7 Psychology, understanding how to conduct experiments is a fundamental skill. Practical assessments test your ability to design a simple investigation, collect data, and draw conclusions. This guide covers the key points you need to know, from forming a hypothesis to presenting your findings, all aligned with AQA standards and suitable for your first practical work in psychology.
在七年级心理学课程中，理解如何进行实验是一项基本技能。实践考核会测试你设计简单调查、收集数据和得出结论的能力。本指南涵盖从提出假设到展示结果的关键要点，全部符合 AQA 标准，适合你第一次接触心理学实验。
1. Forming a Hypothesis | 提出假设
A hypothesis is a clear, testable prediction about the outcome of an experiment. It usually states how the independent variable (the thing you change) will affect the dependent variable (the thing you measure). For example: ‘Students who listen to music while memorising words will recall fewer words than students who memorise in silence.’
假设是对实验结果的一个清晰、可检验的预测。它通常陈述自变量（你改变的东西）会如何影响因变量（你测量的东西）。例如：“边听音乐边记单词的学生回忆起的单词数量，会比安静记单词的学生少。”
A good hypothesis is directional and precise. It must tell the reader exactly which condition you think will score higher or lower. Avoid vague statements like ‘Music affects memory’ because they do not show a clear prediction and are not testable in a simple practical.
好的假设是有方向且精确的。它必须让读者明确知道你认为哪种条件下得分会更高或更低。避免模糊的说法，如“音乐影响记忆”，因为它们没有体现清晰的预测，也无法在简单的实践中检验。
2. Independent and Dependent Variables | 自变量与因变量
In any experiment you must identify two key variables. The independent variable (IV) is the factor you deliberately change or manipulate. The dependent variable (DV) is the factor you measure to see if the IV has had an effect. For instance, in the music and memory experiment, the IV is whether music is present or absent, and the DV is the number of words correctly recalled.
在任何实验中，你都必须识别两个关键变量。自变量（IV）是你故意改变或操控的因素。因变量（DV）是你为观察自变量是否产生效果而测量的因素。例如，在音乐与记忆的实验中，自变量是是否有音乐，因变量是正确回忆的单词数量。
| Variable | What it is | Example (Music & Memory) |
| Independent Variable (IV) | The ’cause’ – deliberately changed | Presence or absence of music |
| Dependent Variable (DV) | The ‘effect’ – measured | Number of words correctly recalled |
3. Controlling Extraneous Variables | 控制额外变量
To make your experiment fair, you must keep other factors constant so they do not affect the DV. These are called extraneous variables. If you let background noise, the difficulty of the words, or the time of day vary, you cannot be sure the IV is the real cause of any difference. Good control means standardising procedures so every participant has the same experience except for the IV.
为了保证实验公平，你必须让其他因素保持不变，以免它们影响因变量。这些因素被称为额外变量。如果你让背景噪音、单词难度或一天中的时间发生变化，就无法确定自变量是造成差异的真正原因。良好的控制意味着将流程标准化，让每位参与者除了自变量之外经历完全相同。
For example, in the music and memory experiment, you should use the same list of words for all participants, give exactly the same time to memorise (e.g., 2 minutes), and test them in the same quiet room with only the music condition differing. Keeping everything else the same improves validity.
例如，在音乐与记忆的实验中，你应该为所有参与者使用同一份单词表，给予完全相同的记忆时间（如 2 分钟），并在同样安静的房间中测试，只让音乐条件有所不同。保持其他一切相同可以提高实验的有效性。
4. Experimental Designs | 实验设计
Year 7 practicals often introduce three basic experimental designs: independent groups, repeated measures, and matched pairs. In an independent groups design, you use different participants in each condition (e.g., one group hears music, another does not). This avoids practice effects but may be affected by participant differences.
七年级实践通常会介绍三种基本实验设计：独立组、重复测量和匹配对。在独立组设计中，你在每种条件下使用不同的参与者（例如，一组听音乐，另一组不听）。这避免了练习效应，但可能受参与者个体差异的影响。
In a repeated measures design, the same participants take part in all conditions. This controls for individual differences because each person serves as their own control, but it can cause order effects such as boredom or improvement due to practice. Counterbalancing (changing the order for half the participants) can help.
在重复测量设计中，同一批参与者参加所有条件。这控制了个体差异，因为每个人都是自己的对照，但它可能引起顺序效应，如无聊或因练习而进步。平衡法（让一半参与者颠倒顺序）可以有所改善。
Matched pairs design involves matching participants on a key trait (e.g., memory ability) and then splitting each pair into the two conditions. This reduces participant differences without order effects, but it is time‑consuming and requires a good matching task beforehand.
匹配对设计涉及让参与者在关键特征上匹配（如记忆能力），然后将每对拆分到两种条件中。这既减少了个体差异又没有顺序效应，但很耗时，且需要事先进行良好的匹配任务。
5. Sampling Participants | 抽样参与者
The people who take part in your experiment are called participants or a sample. For a Year 7 practical, you might use opportunity sampling – asking classmates who are available and willing. This is quick and easy, but the sample may not be representative of all students because it is biased towards your immediate friends.
参加你实验的人称为参与者或样本。对于七年级实践，你可以使用机会抽样——询问有空且愿意参加的同学。这种方法快捷简单，但样本可能无法代表所有学生，因为它偏向于你身边的朋友。
Random sampling, where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected (e.g., drawing names from a hat), is fairer but harder to organise. In your practical assessment, you should name and justify your sampling method and discuss any potential bias it may introduce.
随机抽样，即目标群体中的每个人被选中的机会均等（如从帽子里抽取名字），更公平但更难组织。在实践考核中，你应该指出并解释你的抽样方法，并讨论它可能带来的任何偏差。
6. Ethical Guidelines | 伦理准则
All psychological research must respect ethical principles. Even in a small Year 7 experiment, you need to obtain informed consent – tell participants what the task involves and get their permission. They must also know they have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty.
所有心理学研究都必须遵守伦理原则。即使是在七年级的小实验中，你也需要获得知情同意——告诉参与者任务内容并征得许可。他们还必须知道，自己有权在任何时候退出研究而不会受到任何惩罚。
You must protect participants from harm or distress. Avoid tasks that could embarrass or stress them. After the experiment, you should give a brief debrief – explain the true purpose of the study and check they are comfortable. Keep all data confidential; do not use real names in your report.
你必须保护参与者免受伤害或压力。避免可能让他们尴尬或紧张的任务。实验结束后，应进行简短的反馈——解释研究的真实目的，并确认他们感觉良好。所有数据保密；报告中不要使用真实姓名。
| Ethical Principle | What it means in practice |
| Informed consent | Participants agree knowing what they will do |
| Right to withdraw | They can stop at any time |
| Protection from harm | No physical or psychological discomfort |
| Confidentiality | Data remain anonymous |
7. Collecting Data: Quantitative and Qualitative | 收集数据：定量与定性
Data in psychology can be quantitative (numbers) or qualitative (words and descriptions). In a memory experiment, the number of words recalled is quantitative data. If you also asked participants to describe how they tried to remember the words, their answers would be qualitative.
心理学中的数据可以是定量（数字）或定性（文字和描述）的。在记忆实验中，回忆的单词数量是定量数据。如果你还让参与者描述他们是如何努力记住单词的，他们的回答将是定性数据。
Year 7 practicals tend to focus on quantitative data because it is easier to analyse using simple statistics. However, a good investigation can include both types: for example, recording a recall score (quantitative) and then asking participants whether they found the music distracting (qualitative).
七年级实践倾向于关注定量数据，因为它更容易用简单统计方法分析。然而，一个好的调查可以同时包含两种类型：例如，记录回忆分数（定量），然后询问参与者是否觉得音乐分散了注意力（定性）。
8. Descriptive Statistics: Mean, Median, Mode and Range | 描述统计：平均数、中位数、众数和范围
Once you have collected scores, you need to summarise them. The mean is the average – add up all the scores and divide by the number of scores. The median is the middle value when the scores are arranged in order. The mode is the most frequent score.
收集到分数后，你需要对它们进行总结。平均数是所有分数相加再除以分数的个数。中位数是将分数按顺序排列后处于中间的值。众数是出现次数最多的分数。
Mean = Sum of all scores ÷ Number of scores
The range tells you how spread out the data are. It is calculated by subtracting the smallest score from the largest score. A large range suggests there is wide variation between participants, which might be due to uncontrolled extraneous variables.
范围告诉你数据的分散程度。它的计算方式是用最大分数减去最小分数。范围大说明参与者之间存在很大差异，这可能是由于未受控制的额外变量造成的。
9. Presenting Data: Tables and Graphs | 展示数据：表格和图表
Clear presentation helps you and the examiner see patterns. A results table should have clear headings with units (e.g., ‘Number of words recalled’) and one row for each condition. Below a table, you can calculate and display the mean for each condition.
清晰的展示可以帮助你和考官看到规律。结果表格应该有带有单位的明确标题（如“回忆单词数量”），并为每个条件设一行。在表格下方，你可以计算并展示每个条件的平均数。
A bar chart is the most common graph for Year 7 experiments comparing two conditions. The x-axis shows the conditions (e.g., ‘Music’ and ‘No music’), and the y-axis shows the mean recall score. Always label axes and give the chart a title, such as ‘Mean number of words recalled in music and silent conditions’.
条形图是七年级实验中比较两种条件最常用的图表。x 轴显示条件（如“有音乐”和“无音乐”），y 轴显示平均回忆分数。务必给坐标轴贴上标签，并为图表加上标题，如“有音乐和安静条件下平均回忆单词数量”。
You should also include a short written description of what your graph shows – does one bar look clearly taller? This links your data to your original hypothesis.
你还应该简要写下图表所显示的内容——是否有一根柱子明显更高？这将你的数据与最初的假设联系起来。
10. Writing a Simple Lab Report | 撰写简单的实验报告
A good lab report follows a standard structure. Start with a title that reflects the IV and DV, then write a short introduction explaining the purpose and your hypothesis. The method section should describe what you did in enough detail that someone else could repeat your experiment exactly.
一份好的实验报告遵循标准结构。先用反映自变量和因变量的标题，然后写一段简短的引言，说明目的和你的假设。方法部分应足够详细地描述你所做的事情，以便他人可以完全重复你的实验。
In the results section, include your table of raw data, calculated means, and a graph. The discussion section is where you interpret what the results mean – do they support your hypothesis? You should also mention at least one limitation and suggest a realistic improvement for next time.
在结果部分，包含原始数据表格、计算出的平均值和图表。讨论部分是你解释结果含义的地方——它们是否支持你的假设？你还应至少提及一个局限性，并为下次提出一个切实可行的改进建议。
Finally, give your report a conclusion that sums up whether your prediction was supported, using the actual numbers. Keep your language clear and scientific, but it is fine to use first person (‘I found…’) in a school report.
最后，为报告做一个结论，用实际数字总结你的预测是否得到支持。保持语言清晰科学，但在学校报告中使用第一人称（“我发现……”）也是可以的。
11. Common Mistakes and How to Improve | 常见错误及改进方法
One common mistake is writing a hypothesis that is not measurable – for instance, ‘Music makes memory better’ is too vague. Always specify exactly what will be measured. Another mistake is forgetting to control time limits or word difficulty; these slip‑ups can ruin the fairness of your test.
一个常见错误是写出的假设不可测量——例如，“音乐让记忆力更好”过于模糊。一定要具体说明将要测量什么。另一个错误是忘记控制时间限制或单词难度；这些疏漏会破坏测试的公平性。
- Mistake: Only having one condition. You cannot compare unless you have at least two levels of the IV.
- 错误：只有一个条件。除非自变量至少有两个水平，否则无法比较。
- Mistake: Using different instructions for different participants. Keep everything scripted.
- 错误：对不同的参与者使用不同的指导语。一切都要按照稿子来。
- Mistake: Drawing conclusions beyond the data. If your mean difference is tiny, say so honestly.
- 错误：得出超出数据范围的结论。如果平均差异很小，就要如实说明。
To improve, always pilot‑test your procedure on a friend before the real experiment. This helps you spot problems with timing, instructions, or materials. After the practical, reflect on what went well and what you would change – this examiner evaluates your scientific thinking, not just the result.
要改进，始终在正式实验前向朋友试测你的流程。这能帮你发现时间安排、指导语或材料方面的问题。实践结束后，反思哪些地方做得好，哪些地方要改变——考官评估的是你的科学思维，而不仅仅是结果。
12. Summary: Key Assessment Checklist | 总结：关键考核清单
Before a practical assessment, run through this mental checklist: Can I state a clear, testable hypothesis? Have I identified the IV, DV and at least two control variables? Do I know which experimental design I am using and why? Am I following ethical rules – consent, withdrawal, confidentiality?
在实践考核前，在脑中过一遍这个清单：我能说出一个清晰、可检验的假设吗？我是否确定了自变量、因变量和至少两个控制变量？我是否知道自己使用的是哪种实验设计以及为什么？我是否遵守伦理规则——知情同意、退出权、保密？
During the practical, collect data carefully and keep everything fair. After the experiment, present your data neatly and calculate at least the mean. Write a short discussion that links back to your hypothesis and suggests one genuine improvement.
在实践过程中，仔细收集数据并保持一切公平。实验结束后，整齐地展示数据，至少计算出平均数。写一段简短的讨论，与你的假设联系起来，并提出一个真正的改进建议。
Your Year 7 psychology lesson is your first step into scientific thinking. Focus on being systematic, honest and critical about your own work; these habits will earn you high marks in any AQA practical assessment. Remember, even a simple experiment teaches you how scientists answer questions about human behaviour.
七年级的心理学课是你步入科学思维的第一步。要注重系统化、诚实和批判性地对待自己的工作；这些习惯将使你在任何 AQA 实践考核中取得高分。记住，即使是一个简单的实验也能教你科学家是如何回答关于人类行为的问题的。
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