Psychology 9990/11 October/November 2021: question paper and mark scheme

Mark scheme

1(a) From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): 1 State the number of participants used in this study. 1 mark for correct answer 72 / 36 males and 36 females 1(b) Describe how the participants were rated on their aggressive behaviours 2 before the experimental conditions. 1 mark per correct statement. 1 mark available for naming a scale Rated on four scales/five point scales; By experimenter and nursery school teacher; Scales = physical aggression / verbal aggression / aggression towards inanimate objects / aggression inhibition (2 named for 1 mark); They were rated independently. 1(c) Outline one conclusion from this study. 2 2 marks full conclusion 1 mark brief/partial conclusion e.g. 2 marks Children will imitate aggression because they have observed it from someone that they can relate to / a model; Children will imitate aggressive behaviour even when a model is no longer present; Children are more likely to imitate aggression/behaviours observed from a same-sex model; Children who observe/witness aggressive behaviour are more likely to replicate/imitate that behaviour; Gender affects the type of aggression imitated, as boys more physical/girls more verbal; e.g. 1 mark People will imitate aggression; Aggression can be learnt from observation; Boys tend to imitate physical aggression more / girls tend to imitate verbal aggression more; e.g., 0 marks Boys produced the highest level of mallet aggression when the model was aggressive and male (result); There are other creditworthy responses.

Mark scheme

2(a) From the study by Andrade (doodling): 3 Describe the psychology being investigated in this study. 1 mark per correct statement made e.g. Looking at whether doodling aids (cognitive) concentration/memory/attention; Arousal levels need to be maintained to be able to concentrate; Cognitive processing of dual tasks compete for the same levels of performance; This may slow down our overall cognitive processing speed; Boredom plays a role in paying attention to information; Information processing when asked to do ‘two things at once’/multitasking; Removes attention / takes away concentration / acts as a distraction (a second task); There are other creditworthy responses. 2(b) Outline one strength of this study in relation to the experimental design 2 used. 1 mark for identifying a strength 1 mark for linking it to independent measures (in context of Andrade) e.g. There is a potential reduction in demand characteristics (1 mark); as the participants were only allowed to doodle or not, they would not have worked out the aim of the study (1 mark); The two groups could be compared without any risks of order/practice/ boredom effects (1 mark); There are other creditworthy responses.

Mark scheme

3(a) From the study by Canli et al. (brain scans and emotions): 2 (a) Outline the sampling technique used in this study. 1 mark available for identifying the sampling technique 1 mark per correct description e.g. Volunteer/self-selected (1 mark) This is when the participants choose to be part of a study (1 mark). They may respond to an advertisement (1 mark) 3(b) Outline two questions that participants were asked during the 2 recognition test. 1 mark per question Have you seen this picture/scene before? (if yes) do you remember it with certainty or less certainty / is it familiar or not familiar?; 3(c) Describe the correlation between participants’ intensity ratings and 2 normative arousal ratings. 1 mark available for identifying the type of correlation 1 mark per correct description of correlation/direction of scores e.g. Positive correlation (1 mark); As one score went up so did the other (1 mark), so as the intensity rating increased so did the arousal rating (1 mark)

Mark scheme

4(a) From the study by Piliavin et al. (subway Samaritans): 5 Describe what the victim did during a trial. 1 mark per correct procedural point Always stood at the pole; In the critical area; After passing the first station (70s in); The victim was to stagger forward and collapse; They remained supine / face up / laid there until receiving help; If no help received they were helped up by the model; They then left the car at the next station. 4(b) Identify one weakness of this study. 1 1 mark for the identification e.g. Lacks generalisability (1 mark) Generalisability (0 marks) Difficult to replicate (1 mark) Replication (0 marks) Difficult to control (extraneous) variables (1 mark) Control of variables (0 marks) Broke ethical guideline of deception / informed consent / harm / debriefing (1 mark) Ethical issues (0 marks) There are other creditworthy responses.

Mark scheme

5(a) From the study by Laney et al. (false memory): 2 Identify two characteristics of the sample used in Experiment 2. 1 mark per correct characteristic identified Undergraduates/students; Mainly female; Mean age c.20 years. 5(b) Explain one reason why the Food Costs Questionnaire may not 2 accurately measure the most someone is willing to pay for a food item in a grocery store. 1 mark for a problem 1 mark for linking it to the study e.g. What people say they will do on a questionnaire may not ‘mirror’ their behaviour (1 mark); therefore just because they would spend a certain amount of money does not mean that actually will (1 mark); The sample of students might not be used to grocery shopping (1 mark) so they might not be able to even guess how much they would expect to pay (1 mark); It is a subjective measure (1 mark); Only a transient measure / less valid (1 mark); When in an actual shop, the products may be more appealing (1 mark); There are other creditworthy responses including individual experiences, fixed choices for payments, different shops have different prices, people change their minds, not in a grocery store.

Mark scheme

6(a) The study by Pepperberg (parrot learning) is based on social learning 4 theory. Describe social learning theory. 1 mark per correct point made Social Learning is when someone observes the behaviour of someone else / pay attention to behaviour; They retain this information for use at a later date; The organism/person/animal must feel capable of replicating that behaviour; The person/animal will imitate the behaviour they have observed; They need to be motivated via vicarious reinforcement; 6(b) Outline how one result from this study supports social learning theory. 2 1 mark for appropriate result, then 1 mark for explaining how it links to Social Learning Theory e.g. Alex scored well above chance on tests for same/different with familiar objects (76.6%) (1 mark). This may be because he had witnessed the model/rival learning about same/different (1 mark).

Mark scheme

7(a) Steve has learned about the study by Dement and Kleitman (sleep and 2 dreams). He believes that the study is ethical. Outline what is meant by the ethical guideline of ‘informed consent’. 2 marks for a full answer 1 mark for brief/partial answer e.g. This is when a participant is given enough information before a study begins so they can decide whether they would like to participate (or not) (2 marks) This is when a person decides if they want to take part in a study (1 mark) Telling participants information about the study before it starts (1 mark) 7(b) Outline why Steve is correct that this study is ethical, using evidence in 4 your answer. Up to 1 mark for outlining one ethical guideline directly relevant to Dement & Kleitman Up to 4 marks for using evidence to show that Dement & Kleitman was ethical e.g. Confidentiality was maintained in this study (1 mark outline); The results only used initials to identify participants (1 mark evidence); They were not deceived as they knew that their sleep/dreams were getting monitored (1 mark evidence); The participants were not forced to tell their dream narratives so it can be argued that privacy was given (1 mark evidence); EEGs do not pose any risk to people so physical protection was adhered to in the study (1 mark)

Mark scheme

8(a) Outline the debate about individual and situational explanations in 4 psychology, using an example other than the study by Milgram (obedience). 1 mark = defining individual + 1 mark example 1 mark = defining situational + 1 mark example e.g. The individual explanation states that we behave because of our personality (1 mark). For example, people helped in the Piliavin study because of their personality / they are altruistic (1 mark example) The situational explanation states that we behaviour because of the environment we find ourselves in (1 mark). For example, people helped in the Piliavin study because they were stuck in the subway car and could not escape (1 mark example) 8(b) Explain what psychologists have learned about obedience using two 8 results from the study by Milgram. e.g. People will follow destructive orders from a person in authority People will inflict harm on an innocent person if told to Some people do resist authority figures when it comes to obedience It is not only Germans in WW2 who were blindly obedient to authority figures Level Criteria Marks 4 The result presented has a meaningful comparison 4 and the candidate clearly explains what we have learned about the named concept 3 The result presented has a meaningful comparison 3 and there is a brief attempt at explaining what we have learned about the named concept; The result presented has no meaningful comparison but the candidate clearly explains what we have learned about the named concept 2 The result presented has a meaningful comparison 2 but there is no attempt at explanation; The result presented is not clear or no result but there is an attempt at explaining what we have learned about the named concept 1 The result presented has no meaningful comparison 1 or there is a basic attempt at explaining 0 No creditworthy answer 0 e.g. Level 4: People will follow destructive orders from a person in authority. In the study all participants went to 300 V and then 65% went to 450 V. People will show signs of distress when engaging in destructive obedience. Participants in the study showed sweating, nervous laughing, biting of lip, violent seizures (2 named needed). Level 3: People will follow destructive orders from a person in authority. 65% of participants went to 450 V. People will show signs of distress when engaging in destructive obedience. Participants in the study showed sweating, nervous laughing, biting of lip, violent seizures (1 named needed). Level 2: People will follow destructive orders from a person in authority OR in the study all participants went to 300 V and then 65% went to 450 V OR People will follow destructive orders as 65% gave the maximum voltage Level 1: People will follow destructive orders; people will follow authority figures; people get distressed following orders / being obedient

Mark scheme

9 Evaluate the study by Baron-Cohen et al. (eyes test) in terms of two 10 strengths and two weaknesses. At least one of your evaluation points must be about generalisations. Suitable strengths include: quantitative data, validity, reliability Suitable weaknesses include: generalisations, validity, ethics Level 4 (8–10 marks) • Evaluation is comprehensive. • Answer demonstrates evidence of careful planning, organisation and selection of material. • Analysis (valid conclusions that effectively summarise issues and arguments) is evident throughout. • Answer demonstrates an excellent understanding of the material. Level 3 (6–7 marks) • Evaluation is good. • Answer demonstrates some planning and is well organised. • Analysis is often evident but may not be consistently applied. • Answer demonstrates a good understanding of the material. Level 2 (4–5 marks) • Evaluation is mostly appropriate but limited. • Answer demonstrates limited organisation or lacks clarity. • Analysis is limited. • Answer lacks consistent levels of detail and demonstrates a limited understanding of the material. Level 1 (1–3 marks) • Evaluation is basic. • Answer demonstrates little organisation. • There is little or no evidence of analysis. • Answer does not demonstrate understanding of the material. Level 0 (0 marks) No response worthy of credit.