Example Answer for Question 20 Paper 2: AS Psychology, June 2017 (AQA)

Section C - Research Methods

Question 20: Discuss [3 Marks] - Counterbalancing

Suggested Answer: The purpose of counterbalancing is to ensure both conditions (Task A and B) are tested first and second in equal amounts. The purpose of this is to avoid order effects which could include practice effects, where participants perform better on their second trial, or fatigue/boredom effects, where participants perform worse on their second trial. By ensuring that half of the participants complete Task A first followed by B and the other half complete Task B first followed by A, then any order effects are balanced.