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Estimate - GCSE Psychology Definition

Reviewed by: Raj Bonsor

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In GCSE Psychology, the term 'estimate' refers to a thoughtful guess or judgement made about a number or outcome when exact information is not available.

Psychologists often use estimates when collecting data from experiments or surveys to understand how people think, feel, or behave in certain situations. For example, if psychologists want to know how many hours teenagers spend on social media each week but can’t ask everyone directly, they might ask a smaller group of people and use those answers to estimate the total amount.

Estimates help psychologists make predictions and better understand human behaviour, even when they don't have all the details.

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Raj Bonsor

Reviewer: Raj Bonsor

Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.

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