AS Psychology

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AS Psychology

• Tips and sample answer

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Assessment objectives

• AO1 is knowledge with understanding - and good
  clear communication
• AO2 is comment, analysis, evaluation, strengths,
  weaknesses, application, comparing, assessing
• AO3 is practical work e.g. designing a study and
  includes be able to use methods (Unit 5 method
  question)

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Exams test two skills - skill 1

• Exams test knowledge of course
• But you need to show understanding too so be
  clear
• When you show knowledge with understanding that
  is AO1
• Questions include such words as describe,
  outline, identify, name
• You just have to say what you know about the
  topic in question
• E.g. describe one study
• E.g. Outline one key assumption
• E.g. What is meant by the term

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Exams test two skills - skill 2

• You need to be able to evaluate, criticise and
  comment on practically everything
• Practise this at all times
• This is called AO2
• E.g. evaluate a study
• E.g. describe one criticism of
• E.g. outline one strength of...

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AS structure

• Six approaches to psychology
• Unit 1 Cogntive, Social and Cognitive-developmen
  t
• Unit 2 Learning, Psychodynamic and
  Physiological (biological)

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Structure for each approach

• Two key assumptions (specified)
• Some methods commonly used (specified)
• Some in-depth materials (specified to an extent)
• Two studies (centres own choice)
• One key application (specified)
• One contemporary issue (e.g. something in the
  news that can be explained using the approach
  (centres own choice)

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AS psychology - marking

• One mark per point made but elaboration can be
  another point
• E.g. A problem with Loftus and Palmers eye
  witness testimony study is that it used students
  in an artificial situation, watching a film of an
  accident ?. This meant there was no ecological
  validity - we dont usually judge speed of cars
  in that way ?.

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AS psychology - marking

• Say clearly what you mean
• E.g. Loftus and Palmers study lacked ecological
  validity - gets no marks
• Describe and outline clearly and in detail
• E.g. The three mountain task used three objects
  on mountains - this is getting somewhere but not
  enough (okay for an identification mark)

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Ideas for AO1 questions (not essays) - marks in
brackets

• Outline one key assumption (3)
• Identify two methods commonly used (2)
• Outline two studies (6)
• Describe one theory (4)
• Outline one contemporary issue (3)
• What is meant by the term (2)
• Name one theory (1)
• Define the term (2)
• Match definitions (boxes)

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Ideas for AO2 questions (not essays) - marks in
brackets

• Evaluate one study (5)
• Describe one criticism of (4)
• Give one strength and one weakness of (4)
• Explain a contemporary issue using one or more
  concepts from(6)
• Evaluate one theory (4)

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Ideas for essay questions

• Describe and evaluate one study (e.g. from
  cognitive approach) (12)
• Discuss psychological research into (e.g. ewt)
  (12)
• Discuss one theory (e.g.in psychodynamic
  approach) (12)
• Discuss how research intocan help to
  explain(e.g. sleepjet lag)

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Marks for essay questions - at end of paper
(10/12 marks)

• Essays always include 2 marks for clarity and
  communication (AO1 marks)
• Which is mainly use of appropriate specialist
  terms
• And good spelling and grammar

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Marks for essay questions - at end of paper
(10/12 marks)

• Essays always include 2 marks for balance and
  breadth (AO2 marks)
• Which is mainly answering the question fully
  (e.g. if two things to do such as consider
  practical and ethical issues)
• And/or answering the question itself (e.g.
  assessing if asked to)
• And/or having both AO1 and AO2 points

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Marks for essay questions - at end of paper
(10/12 marks)

• Essays have half AO1 and half AO2
• 2 AO1 marks are C marks and 2 AO2 marks are B
  marks
• Take 4 marks off total and then half of what is
  left is AO1 and half is AO2
• E.g. 12 marks gives 2 C, 2 B, 4 AO1 and 4 AO2

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Principles when question setting (AS)

• Booklet and space for answers (GCSE style)
• 72 marks in 90 minutes
• One question with 10 or 12 extended writing at
  end (essay)
• Short answer questions
• Currently 6 questions across 3 approaches
  (usually)

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Template for describe a study questions

• E.g. Describe one study from the cognitive
  approach (7)
• Identify the study (1)
• Give the aim (1)
• Give two points about the method (2)
• Give two points about the results (2)
• Give a conclusion (1)

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Activity One (describe one study)

• Describe the Loftus and Palmer (1974) study
  (cognitive approach) using the template above (7)

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Answers for Activity One

• Idenfity - Loftus and Palmer? study into eye
  witness testimony judging speed ?
• Aim - to see if word changes will influence
  testimony ? to look at the effect of leading
  questions on witnesses ?
• Method - students shown a film about a car crash
  and asked to estimate speed of car ? all asked
  the same wording except for the verb which was
  smashed, hit, bumped, collided or
  contacted and which changed ?

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Answers to Activity One

• Results - the more serious the word the higher
  the estimated speed ? Average estimate 41mph with
  smashed and average 32 mph with contacted ?
  (could include later question too - did you see
  broken glass? - 32 did with smashed and 14
  did with hit)
• Conclusion - changing a word can change testimony
  ? (not about memory?)

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Suggestions for evaluate a study answers

• Give criticisms of the method used
• Give alternative studies that show something
  different (contradict)
• Give criticisms of the method specifically
  looking at ethics
• Be precise e.g. specific ethical problems and
  specific methodological problems

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Common issues when evaluating

• Not making the point so getting no marks
• E.g. saying it is not ecologically valid
  without saying why
• E.g. saying Freuds is a stage theory without
  saying if this is a problem or not and not saying
  why
• E.g. saying Milgrams study is not ethical
  without saying why, or there is deceit without
  saying why

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Activity Two - evaluate a study

• Evaluate Loftus and Palmers (1974) study (5)
• Dont use bullet points - spell out each point
• Make your point fully

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Answers for Activity Two

• Watching a film of a car accident does not give
  emotional responses when a real accident would
  do so so not very true to life - lacks validity ?
• We dont usually have to estimate speed of cars
  in this way so participants might just guess -
  lacks validity ?

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Answers for Activity Two

• Watching a car accident might be stressful for
  participants, if, for example, they have recently
  been involved in one, so the ethical guideline of
  causing no harm might be broken ?
• There were careful controls such as that the
  question, film etc. was the same for all
  participants so the study could be replicated and
  there is good reliability ? ?

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Activity Three - Question 1, Answer 1

• Q. Outline one key assumption of the learning
  approach (3)
• A. Environment is important ?, stimulus reponse,
  modelling
• One mark given here for the assumption itself but
  the rest is by no means clear - dont use bullet
  points anywhere

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Activity Three - Question 1, Answer 2

• Q. Outline one key assumption of the learning
  approach (3)
• A. The learning approach assumes that we learn
  from our environment ? using the idea that the
  effect of a certain behaviour on others or on the
  environment leads either to that behaviour being
  repeated or not ? This is the law of effect.
  For example, if a behaviour is rewarded then it
  is likely that it will be repeated to get the
  reward ?
• 3 marks, one for the assumption itself

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Answering contemporary issue questions

• Prepare to describe the issue
• If using a key application present it as an issue
• E.g. eye witness testimony - is an issue because
  it may be wrong - in itself it is not an issue
  (the issue is not ewt)
• And Michael Jackson is not an issue

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Activity Three - Question 2 - answer

• Q. Outline one contemporary issue - learning
  approach (3)
• A. The effect of media violence ? It has been
  claimed that violence if portrayed in the media
  might itself lead to violent behaviour
  particularly in children ? There have been high
  profile cases where it has been suggested that
  either a particular film (e.g. Childs Play) or a
  video (e.g. Manhunt) have caused a violent crime.
  The issue is whether the 9 oclock watershed is
  enough or should violence not be portrayed at
  all? Are children particularly affected? ?

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Activity Three - Question 3 - answer

• A. Bandura showed that children who watched an
  adult beat a Bobo doll were more likely to repeat
  that aggressive behaviour when they were in a
  play situation with a Bobo doll available. ?
  Bandura concluded that children model on adults
  around them. He found that boys tend to copy
  male models and tend to be more physically
  aggressive. ? Girls are aggressive too though,
  but this is more verbal aggression. ? However,
  it is not that all children who watch violence on
  TV become aggressive in real life - Banduras
  studies were laboratory ones and perhaps the
  children thought they ought to copy the adults
  strange (what they thought of as strange)
  behaviour. ? In some reported cases where
  children are supposed to have copied violent
  games or programmes this was not proved. Bandura
  suggested that film and TV violence tended to
  ignore the aggression and aggressors were not
  always punished. If the children saw the
  aggression punished they might be less likely to
  copy the behaviour ?

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Activity Three - Question Four

• The cognitive approach is concerned with the
  development of abilities over time
• According to the cognitive approach it is
  possible to infer mental processes from
  experimental tasks ?
• According to the cognitive approach the major
  influence on behaviour is situational pressure
• According to the cognitive approach humans are
  like computers in that they can only process a
  limited amount of information ?

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Activity Four - describe lab experiments

• Take place in a controlled setting
• Take place in an artificial setting ?
• There is an independent variable that is
  manipulated (changed) by the researcher(s) ?
• There is a dependent variable which is what is
  measured in the study ?
• All variables other than the IV and DV are
  controlled including instructions and materials ?

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Activity Four - evaluate lab experiments

• Strength
• The careful controls mean that there is
  reliability as the study can be repeated
  (replicated) ? since everything about the study
  is known and documented ?
• Weakness
• The careful controls make the situation very
  unnatural usually, for example, setting up
  situations that would not occur in real life such
  as remembering a list of words ? This means that
  the study lacks ecological validity ?

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What to revise?

• Use specification (www. edexcel.org.uk)
• Assessment objectives p7 (AO1, AO2, AO3)
• Material in specification too
• Use past papers (from edexcel or teacher)
• Practise setting questions for yourself

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Summarising advice

• Prepare as much AO2 as AO1 for all areas
• Check mark allocation and address it
• Analyse question fully before starting
• Use past papers
• Use specification to see what questions are
  possible - (and prepare material)
• Answer in detail with clear and effective
  communication