AS Marking Exercise (notes)

AS marking exercise

Outline one advantage of using questionnaires. (3 marks)  Some questionnaires can provide rich detail about an

individual’s life, particularly if it is an open questionnaire, where an individual can provide better more specific information for the psychologist’s benefit.  An advantage of using questionnaires for stress research is

that it allows a huge sample to be gained fairly quickly. This increases the reliability of stress research.  Gives quick data, allows rapid increase through replication.  The answers are quantitative when using yes or no answers

or are rich in detail when longer answers are required, therefore results can be gathered and used to back up research.

1 mark for identification 2 marks for elaboration

How does the behaviour of securely attached infants differ from that of insecurely attached infants? (4 marks)  If an infant is securely attached

then their behaviour is a lot different from those who have an insecure attachment. If you are securely attached then you will seek proximity and distress when you are separated you are also likely to be easily calmed down. If you are insecurely attached then you will show no signs of distress when separated and make it seem as though you have no care.

Max 1 mark for two separate descriptions Max 2 marks for implicit comparison Can focus on one difference in detail or more than one more briefly.

How does the behaviour of securely attached infants differ from that of insecurely attached infants? (4 marks)  Securely attached infants cry

when the caregiver leaves the room but are easily soothed when reunited. Insecure avoidant infants take little interest when the caregiver leaves and continue with what they were doing. Securely attached infants seek close bodily contact whereas anxious insecure infants seek and reject intimacy. Securely attached infants also explore from a safe base whereas insecure avoidant infants are more clingy.

Max 1 mark for two separate descriptions Max 2 marks for implicit comparison Can focus on one difference in detail or more than one more briefly.

How does the behaviour of securely attached infants differ from that of insecurely attached infants? (4 marks)  Securely attached infants

protest when the caregiver leaves, use their mother as a secure base, have pleasure on reunion and can explore the environment and play alone, whereas insecurely attached infants are stress when their mother leaves, do not use their mother as a secure base, are anxious when she returns and can’t play alone and explore the environment.

Max 1 mark for two separate descriptions Max 2 marks for implicit comparison Can focus on one difference in detail or more than one more briefly.

THE ESSAY QUESTIONS Description (AO1) Marks Detail Knowledge and understanding 6 Accurate and Sound reasonably detailed 5-4 Generally Relevant accurate, less detailed

Selection of appropriate material Appropriate

Presentation of information

Some evidence

Appropriate

Appropriate

Clear and coherent

3-2

Basic

Some relevant

Little evidence

1

Very brief/flawed

Very little

Largely or wholly inappropriate

THE ESSAY QUESTIONS Evaluation (AO2) Marks

Use of material

Range of issues and/or evidence

6

Effective

Broad range in reasonable depth or narrower range in greater depth

5-4

Not always effective

range in limited depth or narrower range in greater depth

Reasonable, some errors

3-2

Basic

1

Rudimentary

Superficial consideration of restricted range Just discernible

Lacks clarity, some specialist terms, errors Poor, few specialist terms

Expression of ideas , specialist terms, spelling etc Clear and good range, few errors

Outline and evaluate research into the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. (12 marks) Anxiety has effects on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony because high levels of anxiety can lead to lack of attention. For example there was a study when someone committed a crime with a knife. Because of anxiety the victim was only able to remember that the source of anxiety was the knife. This shows that the anxiety affected the victim’s memory. The effects of anxiety can also cause repression and this could affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony because repression means that memories are forgotten. This happens because repression is a form of ego defense which deals with anxiety. This probably would affect the accuracy of EWT. Another research study looked at the effects of an incident where some children who were raped were interviewed 20 years later to see what they remembered. The study found that people couldn’t remember that much detail which suggested that the memories were repressed. This study shows how anxiety can affect memory. [158 words]

Outline and evaluate research into the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. (12 marks) The Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that for the best recall, a person needs to have a reasonably high level of anxiety. However if they are anxious this may mean their arousal is extremely high and this would affect their memory. One of the key researchers on memory is Loftus. In one study Loftus and Burns showed videos to participants of a bank robbery. In the first video the car with the thieves was able to escape. In the second video there was a scene where a boy was shot in the face. Afterwards when they interviewed participants, the participants couldn’t remember anything that had occurred just before the boy was shot. This suggests that when people see a distressing scene it affects their memory for events just before that. This would obviously affect the accuracy of their testimony. Loftus carried out another study where participants were in a waiting room, waiting for a study to begin. They heard an argument in an adjacent room and then a man ran through the room with a pen and his hands covered in grease, or he was holding a knife and his hands were covered in blood.

Outline and evaluate research into the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. (12 marks) Later, when participants were asked to identify the man who ran through the room, those participants in the blood condition were less accurate in their testimony. This suggests that the anxiety they felt might have affected the accuracy of their memory. One of the criticisms of this research is that the studies aren’t like real life and watching a video isn’t like real life. Also the participants may not have been taking the task seriously. They might have been affected by demand characteristics and tried to guess what the study was about. In real life participants may be more accurate as shown in studies of real life EWT like the study by Christiansen and Hubinette. On the other hand it might be argued that people in a lab study will be more attention to detail and therefore would remember more. [333 words]