Question 1

What is NCEA AS 91874 about?

Accepted Answer

You're doing your own psychology research project from start to finish, with your teacher checking in along the way to give feedback and make sure it's ethical. You'll need to come up with a research question linked to psychology, pick a method that actually works, follow ethical guidelines, collect and analyze your data, and write it all up with clear conclusions. The better you do at explaining your choices and thinking deeply about what your results mean, the higher your grade.

Question 2

What do students need to do for AS 91874?

Accepted Answer

1. Create a clear research aim and question connected to a real psychological concept or idea 2. Choose an appropriate research method (survey, observation, experiment, etc.) and explain why it suits your research question 3. Design and follow a proper procedure that meets the New Zealand Code of Ethics for psychological research 4. Collect and record data carefully, then analyze it to reach a conclusion that directly answers your research question 5. Write up your findings and explain what they mean in terms of the psychological ideas you were testing

Question 3

What's the difference between Achieved, Merit, and Excellence for AS 91874?

Accepted Answer

Achieved: You conduct your own psychological research with a clear aim, appropriate method, ethical consideration, and reach a valid conclusion based on your data. Merit: You conduct your research in depth by explaining why you chose your method, evaluating how reliable and valid your data collection was, and discussing what your findings mean for the psychological concepts you were studying. Excellence: You comprehensively conduct your research by justifying your entire research design and method, using your findings to suggest directions for future research, and providing a full list of your sources.

Question 4

What mistakes do students typically make in AS 91874?

Accepted Answer

1. Not linking the research clearly to a psychological concept—make sure your aim and question are grounded in actual psychology theory or ideas, not just a general question about people's behaviour 2. Choosing a method without explaining why it's the right fit for your research question, or not thinking critically about whether the method actually gave you reliable and valid data 3. Weak ethical consideration—don't just tick a box; show you've genuinely thought about informed consent, privacy, and harm, and demonstrate how you've applied the NZ Code of Ethics

Independent psychological research

Your assessment resources

Videos & study resources

More in this subject

Other Psychology standards · Level 3 · Year 13

Foundations — Psychology Level 2 · Year 12

Related standards