Pearson BTEC National Applied Psychology Book 1

Content areas A and B Assessment guidance Unit 1 (Psychological approaches and applications) is externally assessed by one examination. You will be awarded a mark for the whole paper – Distinction (D), Merit (M), Pass (P), Near Pass (N) or Unclassified (U). The exam is 1 hour 30 minutes. The total number of marks for the paper is 72. The paper is divided into three sections (A, B and C), each with 24 marks. Each section contains material from all content areas A, B and C. The examination How to answer exam-style questions Type of question Example question Example structure for answer Short answer questions State what is meant by a ‘gender stereotype’. (1) A gender stereotype is a xed view about how men and women behave, based on cultural ideas about gender behaviour. Explain one assumption of the biological approach. (2) One assumption is that our behaviours and thoughts all have a physical basis. For example, the brain and central nervous system drive our behaviour and are moulded by genes and levels of different neurotransmitters. Explain how the ndings of Bartlett (1932) support the role of schema in memory. (3) Bartlett found that participants’ memories were shortened with each recall. They were rephrased in language and ideas more familiar to them. The transformations occurred because participants’ schemas in uenced what they could remember about the story. We don’t recall details, but instead remember fragments and use our schemas to reconstruct memory. Context questions Merlin was listening to the song Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. When he went into the kitchen, he immediately noticed the bananas in the fruit bowl. Explain one type of priming that he is showing. (2) Merlin is showing repetition priming. This is because the word ‘banana’ in the song primed him cognitively so that he noticed the bananas very quickly when he saw them later. Tamara and Agatha were completing words with missing letters. Tamara gave Agatha the word S_ _P and said, ‘I’m going to get some food.’ Explain why Agatha completed the word as SOUP. (3) Agatha did this because she experienced semantic priming. Because Tamara used the word ‘food’, this primed Agatha to solve the puzzle with a word that is related in meaning (semantic). This meant she was more likely to recall the word ‘soup’ rather than ‘soap’ or ‘ship’, etc. Extended open-response questions See 9-mark example at top of facing page. There are further examples on pages 47 and 79. Health warning The material on assessment advice is not from the exam board. It is our interpretation of the ‘rules of the game’. Exams are a kind of ‘game’ because there are guidelines and rules, and practice is very important to do well. But it is a serious ‘game’. ! Command terms Most questions begin with a command term. Each of these terms has a meaning. These are explained in full on page 76. AO1 Demonstrate psychological knowledge, be able to recall key assumptions, concepts and research. • Command words: describe , give , give a reason why , identify , name , state . • Marks: range from 1 to 4 marks. AO2 Demonstrate understanding by explaining the link between psychological assumptions, concepts and research to behaviour in society. • Command words: describe , explain , interpret , justify . • Marks: range from 1 to 4 marks. AO3 Apply and evaluate psychological assumptions, concepts and research to explain contemporary issues of relevance to society. • Command words: analyse , assess , compare , discuss , evaluate , explain (only assess , compare and evaluate require a conclusion). • Marks: range from 1 to 9 marks. Timing Timing is always important in exams because you have a xed amount of time. You must spend sufficient time on each answer in relation to the marks but not too much (otherwise you don’t give full enough answers to other questions). As there are 72 marks and you have 90 minutes for the Unit 1 exam that means you have 1¼ minutes per mark. We think you can write about 35 words in 1¼ minutes. So for a 9-mark question you should be able to write about 3o0–330 words. Exams are a gi because they are over and done with in one go. OK, you do have to spend time preparing (see next spread for preparation advice) but at the end of the day it is one exam rather than hours and hours and hours trying to perfect a report. Extended open-response question (essay) Context Dev and Jo are discussing memory. Dev believes that recall is like playing back a recording. But Jo argues that recall is more of a reconstruction. Jo also believes the research supports her argument. Question With reference to Dev and Jo’s discussion, assess the view that memory is reconstructive. Consider the role of schema in your answer. (9) Answer Bartlett (1932) suggested our memories are reconstructive. He used this term to say that what happens is we store fragments of information in our memories and when we try to recall an event, we actively construct the fragments into a memory for that event. That memory is not the same as the actual experience. This is not what Dev believes, he believes memory is just like a tape recording. The concept of schema is important in explaining how we reconstruct memories. A schema is a mental structure, a ‘package’ containing our stored knowledge of an aspect of the world. Schemas affect recall because when you retrieve these fragments of memory you change them according to your expectations. Jo suggests we reconstruct our memories using schemas. Such schemas might have the effect, for example, of confabulating the information in your memory – inventing new bits of information to ll in the gaps between the fragments. This is what makes the memory different from a tape recording, because new bits have been added. It’s not an exact replica. The evidence to support Jo’s view comes from Bartlett’s own research, such as the War of the Ghosts, which showed how people change their memory to something more in line with their expectations. However, a problem with this research is that it wasn’t well-controlled. For example, the instructions were not all the same for each participant which might explain differences in what they recalled. There is also evidence that supports Dev because sometimes memory can be very accurate. For example, in situations that are personally important or which stand out. In fact there are examples of this in the War of the Ghosts – participants often recalled the phrase ‘Something black came out of his mouth’ because it was quite unusual. In conclusion it is fair to say that an informed view of memory would combine both views and aim to understand when we use schemas to ll in the gaps and when we tend to be more accurate. 333 words Writing a good essay You are aiming to write about 320 words for a 9-mark ‘essay’. You will help the examiner, and yourself, if you construct an answer which follows a plan. For 320 words you could plan to write ve paragraphs of about 50–70 words (as on the le ). Identify what will go in each paragraph: • Paragraph 1 • Paragraph 2 • Paragraph 3 • Paragraph 4 • Paragraph 5 Plus a conclusion if the command word is assess , compare or evaluate . A conclusion is not a summary, i.e. you are not just brie y repeating all your key points. You are seeking to write one or two sentences that produce a synthesis of what you wrote in the essay. What is the take home message ? Other mark schemes Questions for less than 6 marks usually have mark schemes where 1 mark is awarded for each point. Broadly speaking these are the key criteria for the overall outcome: Criteria for a pass Criteria for a distinction Answer is mostly accurate but with some omissions. Accurate and thorough with a few minor omissions. Shows awareness of competing arguments. Thorough awareness of competing arguments supported by relevant evidence across unit in well- developed and logical discussion. How essays are marked The examiner has a set of criteria to look for. We have created a grid of these criteria below. Level Mark Knowledge and understanding Gaps or omissions Points are relevant to the context of the question Links made to context Discussion/analysis/ assessment/ evaluation Considers different aspects and how they interrelate 1 1–3 Isolated elements. Major. Few. Limited. Generic assertions. 2 4–6 Some accurate. Minor. Some. Not clear. Partially-developed. Some, but not always in a sustained way. 3 7–9 Mostly accurate and detailed. None Most. Clear. Well-developed. A range, in a sustained way. Note 1. Questions that begin Assess or Compare or Evaluate require a conclusion for level 3. 2. Questions that begin Analyse require the topic to be broken down into constituent parts. 3. Questions worth 6 marks use the same level descriptors but the marks are: level 1 = 1–2 marks, level 2 = 3–4 marks and level 3 = 5–6 marks. How to use the levels based mark scheme You must place a tick in one box in each column that best describes the answer being assessed. If you are not sure, then place the tick on the line between two boxes. When you have done this for all six columns decide which row best describes the answer. That determines the level. To decide on the mark consider whether you are tempted to the level above or the level below, or neither. The assessment is available in January and May/June each year. You are allowed to resit any external examination and will get the higher mark of any two attempts. However, it is unlikely you will bene t from this because it merely increases your work burden. Note, for 3 marks we have made three points. 42 43 Unit 1: Psychological approaches and applications