Essay plans

• Outline and evaluate ethical implications of psychological research. (16)

  AO1

  • Define ethical implications
  • Define social sensitivity
  • How research questions can be made to avoid sensitivity
  • How to deal with issues like informed consent, confidentiality, harm
  • Using findings widely and media attention

  AO3

  • Benefits for groups studied (homosexuality, DSM-1)
  • Negative consequences for groups (criminal gene)
  • Real-world application (Office for National Statistics)
  • Poor research design (Burt, 11+ exam)
• Outline and evaluate idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychology. (16)

  AO1

  • Detailed definition of idiographic research, qualitative data, which approaches it is associated with
  • Detailed definition of nomothetic research, quantitative data and the approaches it is associated with
  • Objectivity and subjectivity with approaches

  AO3

  • ✔ Idiographic provides a complete account, helps nomothetic
  • ✘ Idiographic research is narrow and strict, no general laws
  • ✔ Nomothetic is scientifically credible
  • ✘ Nomothetic has lost the understanding of the individual
• Outline and evaluate holism and reductionism in psychology. (16 marks)

  AO1

  • Define holism
  • Define reductionism and types of reductionism
  • Levels of explanation
  • ✔ Holism has high ecological validity and application
  • ✔ Reductionism has scientific credibility
  • ✘ Holism lacks practical value
  • ✘ Reductionism has oversimplified complex behaviour
• Outline and evaluate the nature v. nurture debate in psychology. (16)

  AO1

  • Define nature
  • Define nurture
  • Define diathesis-stress model
  • Define epigenetics

  AO3

  • ✔ Adoption studies (Rhee and Waldman 2002)
  • ✔ Support for epigenetics (Susser and Lin 1992 Dutch Hunger Winter)
  • ✔ Real-world application in OCD genetic counselling
  • ✘ Interactionist approach (Maguire et al. 2000)
• Outline and evaluate free will and determinism in psychology. (16)

  AO1

  • Define free will
  • Define determinism
  • Define types of determinism

  AO3

  • ✔ Free will has practical value (Roberts et al 2000, fatalism and depression)
  • ✔ Determinism has research support from brain scans (Libet et al. 1983, wrist flick)
  • ✘ Free will is difficult to test
  • ✘ Determinism incompatible with Western legal system
• Outline and evaluate culture bias in psychological research. (16)

  AO1

  • Define culture bias and universality (Henrich et al 2010)
  • Define ethnocentrism
  • Define cultural relativism
  • Define etic and emic approaches
  • Define imposed etic

  AO3

  • ✔ Emergence of cultural psychology (Cohen 2017)
  • ✘ Classic studies are culturally biased (Asch and Milgram)
  • ✘ Ethnic stereotyping (Gould 1981 and ethnocentric IQ test)
  • ✘ Relativism vs. universality (Ekman 1989 facial expressions)
• Outline and evaluate gender bias in psychological research. (16)

  AO1

  • Define gender bias and universality
  • Define alpha bias with examples
  • Define beta bias with examples
  • Define androcentrism and pathology with examples

  AO3

  • ✘ Biological vs social explanations (Maccoby and Jacklin 1974, Joel et al 2015 in boys and girls brain abilities)
  • ✘ Sexism in research (Murphy et al 2014, Nicolson 1995 university departments)
  • ✔ Useful gender differences (Ingalhalikar et al 2014 women multitasking)
  • ✘ Research challenging gender bias not published (Formanowicz et al 2018)