Revision answers for papers

http://web.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/science/psychology_a_materials.php?id=03&prev=#?id=03&prev=03

All the answers to the exam questions we were given are here!

Revision sites

http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174259/FrontPage
http://www.revisionworld.co.uk/a2-level/psychology/research-methods
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Psychology_Revison_Noted
http://www.holah.karoo.net/links.htm

Here are some revision links. Some may be more useful than others. I found the first one to be the most useful but it depends on which bits you are struggling on.

Abnoramility RE: Explaining Abnormaility - Biological Approach

Explaining Abnormality:

Biological Approach

Abnormal behaviour has physical causes.

(1) Brain Damage (Neurodevelopmental influence)

Possible causes:
- Viral infections or other influences during foetal development
- Birth trauma
- Post natal influences (e.g. drugs, bacteria, viruses, etc.)

(2)  Faulty regulation of brain biochemistry

-         There are higher concentrations of dopamine in the brains of schizophrenics (Iverson, 1979)

-         Cocaine and amphetamine indirectly stimulate dopamine receptors and (a) induce a schizophrenics-like disorder or (b) exacerbate symptoms in schizophrenics.

(3) Genetic factors

-         Studying identical twins

-         Key measure in these studies is the concordance rate (CR)

-         CR – The probability that a second twin will develop a disorder given that the first twin already has.

Concordance = 3/5 x100 = 60%

-         Studies of children whose parents have a mental disorder, but who have been adopted by ‘normal’ parents

Biological approaches:

-         Brain damage – Psychosurgery

-         Faulty regulation of brain biochemistry – Psychotherapeutic drugs

-         Gene factors – ‘Gene therapy’ (not YET for mental disorders)

-         ECT – Faulty regulation of brain biochemistry

Evaluating Psychosurgery

-         Was very rarely effective in reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia

-         Any operation was (and is) irreversible

-         Survivors experienced many side effects

-         Now mainly used as a last resort therapy in cases of depression and OCD

-         Psychosurgery raises fundamental ethical issues (e.g. informed consent, use as an agent of social control, human rights, dignity, etc.)

Individual Differences RE: Failure to Function Adequately

Failure to Function Adequately

Abnormality is failing to achieve some sense of personal well-being and failing to make some contribution to a larger group.

(1) Personal distress or discomfort as a ‘failure to function adequately’
e.g. hearing voices telling you to do things you don’t want to

(2) Distressing/discomforting others as a ‘failure to function adequately’
e.g. A family member who is abusing alcohol or some other substance

(3) Maladaptive behaviour as a ‘failure to function adequately’
e.g. Being unable to leave home to go to work

(4) Behaving bizarrely as a ‘failure to function adequately’
e.g. A man dressing up as a woman

Limitations:

-         Some states that cause us personal distress are actually appropriate responses in certain circumstances (e.g. depression is not abnormal unless it persists)

-         Some behaviours that are classified as mental disorders do not cause personal distress

-         It is impossible to measure ‘personal distress’ and ‘maladaptiveness’ in an objective way

-         Whether a behaviour is an example of failing to function adequately depends on the context in which that behaviour occurs

-         A behaviour which might be considered a failure to function adequately in one culture might be viewed as functioning adequately in another culture

Individual Differences RE: Deviation from Social Norms

Deviation from Social Norms

Abnormality is doing things that society says should not be done or not doing things that society says should be done (i.e. violating a society’s implicit or explicit social norms)

·        Explicit norms = Society’s norm

·        Implicit norms = Society’s unwritten rules, or, residual rules

-         If society says X should be done and anybody who does X is normal and anybody who does not do X is abnormal

-         If society says X should not be done and anybody who does not do X is normal and anybody who does X is abnormal

Limitations:

-         Some behaviours which deviate from social norms are actually statistically frequent

-         Different cultures have different social norms, so what is ‘normal’ in one culture may be ‘abnormal’ in another

-         Era dependent

Individual Differences RE: Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Deviation from Ideal Mental Health

Abnormality is defined as possessing characteristics the mentally healthy should not possess, and/or not possessing characteristics the mentally healthy should possess

*Jahoba’s Checklist for Mental Health*

-         Being able to make your own decisions

-         Being able to resist stress

-         Being able to perceive reality accurately

-         Being able to ‘self – actualise’

-         Being able to adapt to the environment

Limitations:

-         Most people do not satisfy all, many or any of the ideals.

-         Claims about ‘ideal mental health’ are value judgements

-         Different cultures have different ideals (bound by culture)

-         Even within a culture ‘healthiness’ is determined by the context in which the behaviour occurs

-         Era dependent

-         A persons stage of development

Individual Differences RE: Statistical Infrequency

Statistical Infrequency

Based on how frequently a behaviour occurs.
Abnormality is defined as behaving in ways the majority do not behave in, or not behaving in ways the majority do behave in.

Abnormal if:

-         Most people do not behave in a certain way but you do behave in that way. (your behaviour is the minority)

e.g.  Homosexual behaviour
        Cannibalistic behaviour

-  Most people behave in a certain way but you do not behave in that way (your behaviour is the minority)

e.g. Wearing clothes to go shopping
        Washing on a regular basis

Limitations:

-         It fails to take into account the social desirability of minority behaviours or characteristics (There are many statistically infrequent behaviours which we value)

-         There are some behaviours which are statistically frequent, but are either socially undesirable, and/or are actually classified as mental disorders

-         The cut-off point for deciding when a behaviour is infrequent enough for us to call it ‘abnormal’ are purely arbitrary (not determined)

-         The statistical frequency of a behaviour can differ between cultures, so this definition is ‘bound by culture’

-         Cultural Relativism – No one culture has the right to tell another culture how they should behave, or what abnormality is

-         The statistical frequency of a behaviour can also differ within cultures, as well as between cultures.