Practical: Choosing topics
One of the most common questions that Laura and I receive is about how to choose which practicals to do. There is a temptation to stick with experimental studies that we have done in the past - for example, Loftus and Palmer or one of the classic anchoring bias experiments. However, this becomes problematic when trying to answer question four on Paper 2, which asks students to design a study using a different method to investigate the same topic. This page has some suggestions on how best to choose your studies.
Practical practical advice
When planning your course, it is a good idea to think about how you will organize your practicals before you begin. Remember, the IB has clarified in the updated guide (December 2025) that you are not required to link your practicals to the four contexts. All four practicals could be done within one context. This doesn’t mean, however, that you wouldn’t spread them out throughout the course.
The guidance for the experiment is that it may either be done in class or students may organize their own experiments. Although I am a big fan of students designing their own experiments, when it comes to revising for exams, it is difficult to have common discussions about how to address the exam questions if students have all done different experiments. In addition, overseeing the creation, execution, and analysis of several different experiments is more work than many of us want to take on. I would recommend conducting a group experiment with your students as participants to fulfill the experimental requirement.
When it comes to surveys/questionnaires and interviews, I am going to have my students break into two teams. After teaching them the fundamentals of each method, half of the class will design an interview agenda for a topic, and the other half will create a Likert-Scale survey on the same topic. Each group will give feedback to the other half of the class to improve their questions.
As students are not required to write out an explanation of how the data was analysed, I will have the HL candidates carry out the thematic analysis and then explain to the SL students what they did.
The observation is the trickiest of the four practicals. Consent is not required if the study is done in a public space, so that is my recommendation. Observations can take place in the school library or cafeteria. They may also take place outside of school in public spaces.
Examples of topics
It is important that students are aware of the “topic” that is the focus of the practicals. The following three examples give you an idea of how you could organize your practicals.
Remember, it is not required that all four practicals have the same topic; however, this does help students with question 4 on the exams. In addition, any topic could be used. But when considering a topic, be sure to consider ethics. For example, when I was brainstorming how I could do an observation for a set of practicals on human attraction, I struggled to think of something that would be ethical.
Topic 1. Effects of technology on learning
Experiment: An experiment could examine how different types of technology use affect memory and learning. This could include the presence of a phone while listening to a lecture, the use of a laptop to take notes, or the use of social media for collaborative learning.
Survey/questionnaire: A Likert-scale questionnaire could measure students’ technology habits and their beliefs about how technology affects their learning. Students could rate statements such as “I study while checking messages,” “Technology helps me stay organized,” and “Notifications make it hard for me to concentrate,” using a strongly agree to strongly disagree scale. The survey would also include items about using technology for productive learning, such as watching educational videos, using online quizzes, or organizing notes.
Interview: The interview could explore students’ experiences with technology in more depth by asking them how and why they use devices when learning. Students could be asked to describe a typical study session, what apps or tools they rely on, and what tends to distract them. They could also be asked about situations where technology helped their learning and times when it made studying harder.
Observation: The observation would involve watching students in a laptop-based classroom and recording whether their device use is on-task or off-task. At regular time intervals, the observer would note whether students are working on the assigned task, switching between tabs, using social media, or engaging in unrelated activities. In group work, the observer could also record whether technology supports collaboration (such as shared documents and discussion) or leads to isolation (each student working alone on their own screen).
Topic 2. Improving our study habits
Experiment: This could be a study on a strategy to improve our memory. For example, a study of levels of processing, the use of the loci method, or spaced repetition.
Survey/questionnaire: This could be a Likert-scale survey to assess students' understanding of how the brain works. A “strongly agree to strongly disagree” scale could be used with regard to claims about learning. This would show whether students had a good understanding of best practice from a psychological perspective.
Interview: In an interview, they could ask students how they prepare for major assessments. What strategies have they tried, and why do they think that some strategies are better than others?
Observation: This could be a structured classroom/homework observation of actual study behaviors. For example, observe a group of students during a 30–45 minute independent study session and record, at fixed time intervals (e.g., every 2 minutes), what strategy they are using and how focused they appear.
Topic 3. Making healthy choices
Experiment: This could be a study on a strategy to improve healthy eating decisions. For example, participants could be shown two versions of a menu or snack table: one with calorie and nutrition information clearly displayed, and one without this information. They could then measure whether people choose healthier options (e.g., lower sugar, lower saturated fat, more fruits/vegetables) when nutrition information is present. Alternatively, the experiment could test whether small nudges, such as placing healthy foods at eye level, lead to better choices. Finally, a study of anchoring bias could be used to see if anchors determine one’s perception of caloric value.
Survey/questionnaire: This could be a Likert-scale questionnaire measuring students’ beliefs and knowledge about healthy eating. A “strongly agree to strongly disagree” scale could be used for statements such as: “Eating breakfast improves my concentration during the day” or “I consider the amount of sugar when choosing which foods to eat.”
Interview: In an interview, students could be asked about how they choose what to eat. Example questions include: What influences your choices most (taste, price, convenience, friends, health)? Have you ever tried to eat healthier? What worked or didn’t work? Why do you think some foods are easier to choose than others?
Observation: This could involve observing students’ real-life food choices in a cafeteria, vending area, or during lunch/snack time. For example, the researcher could record whether students choose fruits/vegetables, sugary snacks, or balanced meals, portion sizes, or the effect of placement (foods placed at eye level vs lower shelves).
Topic 4. Stress and performance
Experiment: A simple experiment could test how mild stress affects performance on a basic physical skill. Students could be randomly assigned to a low-stress condition (private attempt, supportive instructions, no audience) or a mild-stress condition (being watched by a small group, a visible timer, and a statement that scores will be compared anonymously). All students would complete the same short task, such as free throws, a wall-sit, a timed shuttle run, a balance task, or a juggling/dribbling drill. Performance could be measured with clear outcomes like time, number of successful repetitions, accuracy, or consistency. Students would also rate their stress level immediately before and after (e.g., 1–10), allowing the researchers to compare whether mild pressure improves effort and focus or reduces coordination and accuracy.
Survey/questionnaire: A Likert-scale questionnaire could measure how often students feel pressure in sports and how they believe stress affects their performance. Students could rate statements such as “I perform better when people are watching,” “Stress makes my coordination worse,” “Pre-competition nerves motivate me to try harder,” and “I feel more pressure from teammates/coaches than from opponents,” using strongly agree to strongly disagree. The survey could also include items on common coping strategies, like listening to music, breathing routines, visualization, warm-up habits, and self-talk.
Interview: An interview could explore students’ personal experiences with pressure during sport or exercise. Students could be asked to describe what happens before a game, performance test, or tryout, including physical signs (shaky hands, fast heartbeat, sweating) and mental signs (overthinking, blanking, negative self-talk). They could explain situations where pressure helped them perform better and times when it caused mistakes or fatigue. Students could also discuss what they do to manage stres and why they believe those methods work.
Observation: An observation study could record visible stress-related behaviors during PE, practice, or friendly competitions and connect them to performance behaviors. Using a simple checklist at set intervals, student researchers could record behaviors such as fidgeting, pacing, repeated equipment adjustments, looking to others for reassurance, avoiding attempts, rushing, or hesitating. They could also code performance-related behaviors like persistence after an error, focus on coach feedback, and willingness to take another attempt.