Stating an Aim Clearly

Being able to state a clear aim is a key part of the internal assessment.

The “aim” of a research study simply refers to what it intends to find out. In experiments, this usually involves investigating the cause and effect relationship between two variables. These two variables we call in an experiment the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV). Since the purpose (or aim) of conducting a “true” laboratory experiment is to investigate a cause and effect relationship between two variables, this should be reflected in the aim.

So the statement of an aim should show the relationship between the two variables. The verbs “investigate” and “determine” are common when stating an aim.

Here are some examples:

• To investigate the effects of acetylcholine depletion on visuo-spatial memory of rats (Martinez and Kesner)
• To see if the observation of an aggressive model results in copying of the observed behaviour (Bandura)
• To examine the effects of environmental stimulation on brain development (Rosenzweig and Bennett). 

Write Your Aim and/or Research Question 

To gain top marks in the IA you need a “clearly stated and focused” aim or research question. Why not write both and choose the one you like best? You could even keep them both in the final draft if you wanted.

Writing the Aim

The aim of any true experiment is to see if A causes a change in B. You can follow these simple steps to produce a simple, clearly-written aim.

1. Begin with.. The aim of this study is to…
2. Identify your independent variable: What will you change to create your two experimental groups? (What do you think is going to cause a positive change?)
3. Identify your dependent variable: What are you measuring?
4. Choose the best verb: investigate / determine / examine / test
5. Add your population/sample: age/school/location/country

Now put it all together. Here’s my example aim from this example IA on a quasi-experiment:

• “To investigate the effects of childhood physical abuse on working memory capacity in local high school students.”
  • Verb = Investigate
  • IV = Childhood physical abuse
  • DV = Working memory capacity
  • Population = local high school students
    • Note: This topic is unethical and so inappropriate for your IA, which is exactly why I chose it as an exemplar.

Tip: To have a “clearly stated and focused aim” in the IA it helps to include key details of your sample or the population in the aim. This includes the local context (e.g., town, city, country), and any other specific demographic details (e.g. age, race, occupation).

Writing a Research Question

If the aim of your experiment is to see if A changes B then your research question is simply “Does A change B?” Your wondering if the intervention will help reduce the problem and cause a positive change in behaviour for a specific group of people. That’s the basis of your research question.

• Examples:
  • Does exposure to the “thin ideal” in popular media cause increased scores on the body dissatisfaction scale in teenage girls?
  • Does caffeine increase IB Mock Exam scores for IB Psychology students?
  • Does castration of laboratory mice reduce scores on the resident-intruder test?
    • NB: These research questions are on topics forbidden for the IA – don’t copy them.