Practice Paper 3 IB PsychologyTechnology and Learning: The influence of technology when studying

The following Paper 3 has been created using real studies about digital and print reading and their effect on learning. 

QUESTION BOOKLET

Psychology Higher Level Paper 3

Practice Paper – Question Booklet

1 hour 45 minutes

Instructions to Candidates

• Do not turn over this examination paper until instructed to do so
• Answer all the questions
• The accompanying psychology resource booklet is required for this examination paper.
• The maximum mark for this examination paper is [30 marks].

Answer all questions. Refer to source 1 below to answer question 1 and the sources in the accompanying resource booklet to answer questions 2–4.

The sources in this examination have been collated to assess the claim that studying with technology-based resources can have a negative impact on learning.

 

SOURCE 1

Figure 1 shows the findings from an experiment on the influence of reading medium on reading comprehension scores. Students read English texts of similar reading difficulty either printed on paper or on their mobile phone. Afterwards they completed a reading comprehension test.

FIGURE 1: The Influence of Reading Medium on Comprehension

1. Explain one issue that limits the interpretation of the data in source 1. [3]
2. Analyse the findings from source 2 and state a conclusion linked to the claim that studying with technology-based resources can have a negative impact on learning. [6]
3. Discuss how the researcher could improve the credibility of the findings in source 3 [6]
4. To what extent can we conclude that studying with technology-based resources can have a negative impact on learning? In your answer, use your own knowledge and at least three of sources 2–5. [15]

Resource Booklet

The sources in this examination have been collated to assess the claim that studying with technology-based resources can have a negative impact on learning.

SOURCE 2

Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) recruited 67 university students to investigate whether taking notes by hand or on a laptop influenced learning. Participants were assigned to one of two conditions: taking handwritten notes or typing notes on a laptop. They watched TED talks on interesting but unfamiliar topics while taking notes using their assigned method. Approximately 30 minutes later, participants completed a test containing factual questions (testing memory of specific information) and conceptual questions (testing understanding and application of ideas). The researchers also measured how many words participants recorded and how much of their notes copied the talks word-for-word. Their findings are displayed on the graph and table below.

*A z-score shows how many standard deviations a score is above (positive) or below (negative) the mean, with 0 representing the mean. For example, a z-score of +1.5 means the score is 1.5 standard deviations above the mean, while a z-score of −0.5 means it is 0.5 standard deviations below the mean. See below for a note on z scores in Paper 3

SOURCE 3

Johnston and Salaz (2019) used a qualitative survey to analyse the reasons why Australian university students prefer to read print or digital course materials. A total of 582 students completed the survey. A thematic analysis of the comments revealed that some students preferred reading in print over digital formats. They gave reasons such as the accessibility, eyestrain, tactile features, better focus and the ability to highlight and take notes. However, the students also acknowledged that digital texts are convenient and cheaper to produce. Other students who preferred digital texts gave reasons such as cost, the environment and convenience. The researchers conclude that university libraries should carefully consider the role that printed textbooks and resources can have in supporting student learning.

 

SOURCE 4

Day et al. (2021) conducted a correlational study investigating laptop use during class and exam performance. They monitored laptop activity among university psychology students during lectures and compared it with their examination performance. Their results are in the table below.

 

SOURCE 5

The box and whisker graph below shows the scores on a reading comprehension experiment that tested the influence of different formats on comprehension.

 

*z scores are unlikely to be reported in a real Paper 3 exam because they are not listed in the IB Guide as required content knowledge. They’re included in this paper to be consistent with the original study. They are easy to interpret if you understand standard deviation, which is essential content knowledge for Paper 3.

References

Source 1: Yu, J., Zhou, X., Yang, X., & Hu, J. (2022). Mobile-assisted or paper-based? The influence of the reading medium on reading comprehension of English as a foreign language. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(1–2), 217–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2012200

Source 2: Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581

Source 3: Johnston, N., & Salaz, A. M. (2019). Exploring the Reasons Why University Students Prefer Print over Digital Texts: An Australian Perspective. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 68(2), 126–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2019.1587858

Source 4: Day, A. J., Fenn, K. M., & Ravizza, S. M. (2021). Is it worth it? The costs and benefits of bringing a laptop to a university class. PloS one, 16(5), e0251792. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251792

Source 5: The boxplot was created by ChatGPT and informed by research comparing comprehension across print and digital formats, particularly Alexandri (2023), Støle et al. (2020), and El-Attar et al. (2022)