Psychology 9218 | Paper 2 Mock 01 | Social context and behaviour

(a) Number of doses remembered / reported as remembered over 14 days [1] (b) Different wording could affect how memorable or clear a reminder is [1]; keeping it constant means differences are more likely due to reminder timing rather than a confounding variable [1]. [2] (c) Users may remember a dose but not take it, or take it without remembering accurately [1]; therefore self-reported remembered doses may not measure real adherence validly [1]. [2]

(a) Injunctive norm [1] (b) The team may publicly follow the expected rule [1]; they may do this to avoid disapproval or punishment without privately believing that copying is wrong [1].

(a) The donation prompt beside the jar: patient photograph, fundraising graph or no prompt [1] (b) More customers provide more opportunities to donate [1]; therefore a higher total may be due to customer numbers rather than the prompt's effect on decision-making behaviour [1]. [2]

(a) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor / SSRI. [1]
(b) It reduces/restricts serotonin reuptake so more serotonin remains in the synapse / is available to the receiving neurone. [1]
(c) Nausea is a side effect that can reduce adherence [1], so the treatment may not be effective in practice unless the person receives medical support or an alternative treatment [1].

(a) Physical proximity / leaning towards the other person / body orientation [1] (b) Any two from: sitting close or leaning in can suggest interest or involvement [1]; it can make speaking and listening easier [1]; this may encourage the conversation to continue [1].

(a) Chunking / organisation into categories [1] (b) Grouping reduces the number of separate units that must be held in short-term memory [1]; category headings provide retrieval cues for related items [1]. [2]

(a) Any one: what they will do / what data will be collected / possible risks / that participation is voluntary / how results will be used [1] (b) State clearly that they can stop without giving a reason, or provide a withdrawal procedure/contact [1] (c) The sample is self-selected and may already be interested in health, so it may not represent other people [1]

(a) Route names learned using vivid images were recalled more often after one month than names learned by copying [1]. (b) Images create a meaningful association / visual code for the route name [1]. This supplies an additional retrieval cue or produces deeper encoding into long-term memory [1]. (c) Individual differences, such as visual-imagery ability or prior route knowledge, may mean the result does not apply equally to everyone [1].

(a) Bystander effect / diffusion of responsibility [1] (b) With many bystanders, responsibility is spread across the group [1], so each person may assume somebody else will help [1].

(a) Obsessive compulsive disorder / OCD. [1]
(b) Obsession: the unwanted fear/thought that something bad will happen [1]. Compulsion: repeatedly arranging items symmetrically to reduce the anxiety [1].
(c) Arranging follows the obsession and produces short-term anxiety relief [1]. This relief is negative reinforcement because an unpleasant feeling is removed [1]. Therefore Sam is more likely to arrange items again when the fear occurs [1].

(a) Encoding [1] (b) It provides an organised cue / repeats the information / creates an acoustic pattern that is easier to retrieve [1]. (c) It may oversimplify information / be confused with a similar rhyme / not help if the order changes [1].

(a) Quiet-room condition [1] (b) 13.6 - 10.1 = 3.5 words [1] (c) Scores vary widely, from 4 to 17, showing substantial individual differences [1] (d) The mean difference suggests quiet participants recalled more words [1], but results alone do not prove causation because chance variation or uncontrolled factors could explain the difference unless the study controlled them [1].

(a) Brief answers / looking at the floor / avoiding eye contact [1] (b) A calm voice and pauses can reduce pressure or anxiety [1]; this may help the teenager feel safe enough to describe obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviour [1].

(a) Any two: immediate quiz score [1]; delayed quiz score [1]; time taken to complete a quiz [1]; attendance/completion rate [1]. Maximum [2] (b) An immediate quiz may measure short-term recall only [1]; testing after two weeks assesses whether information has been retained in long-term memory [1]. [2] (c) Interviews provide detailed accounts of concentration, motivation and social experiences [1]; this may explain patterns in quiz scores and improve understanding of student behaviour [1]; however, accounts may be subjective, affected by demand characteristics, and difficult to compare reliably [1]. [3] (d) Randomly allocate students to live or recorded conditions [1]; keep lecture content, tutor, length, quiz and testing conditions the same [1]; then a difference in results is more likely to be caused by delivery format rather than a confounding factor [1]. [3] (e) Supporting decision: the pilot compares the two formats directly using standardised quizzes [1]; delayed results address durable learning rather than immediate performance [1]; interviews add evidence about mental effort, motivation and social learning [1]; findings could identify whether recordings disadvantage a particular group [1]; a pilot is a practical, lower-risk way to test a change before wider implementation [1]. Limitations: 48 students may be unrepresentative of the university population [1]; one subject or one tutor may not represent other courses [1]; students may behave differently because they know they are in a study [1]; watching one recording is not the same as studying through a full term [1]; quiz scores may miss discussion skills, wellbeing and other educational outcomes [1]. Judgement: use the pilot as preliminary evidence, but replicate it with larger, varied groups and longer follow-up before replacing all lectures [1]. [10]

(a) SSRI antidepressant medication / selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. [1]
(b) The person is gradually/directly exposed to a feared stimulus or situation [1]. They are supported to avoid the usual compulsive response [1]. Anxiety is expected to reduce over time without completing the compulsion [1].
(c) A genetic explanation states that inherited genes can create vulnerability to OCD [1]. Higher concordance in identical than non-identical twins would support a genetic contribution [1]. A biochemical explanation proposes atypical serotonin functioning [1], which may affect mood/anxiety regulation and contribute to obsessive or compulsive characteristics [1].
(d) Indicative content, award up to 17 marks: Biological treatments can be relatively quick to prescribe and may reduce symptoms sufficiently for people to engage in work, social life or psychological therapy [1]. SSRIs have some research support because altering serotonin availability can improve symptoms for some people [1]. Medication can be accessible where trained therapists and lengthy therapy appointments are limited [1]. However, an association between serotonin and OCD does not show that low serotonin is the sole cause [1]. Medication may produce side effects such as nausea, sleep disruption or sexual difficulties [1], reducing adherence [1]. Symptoms may return when medication stops if the person has not learned new coping behaviour [1]. Biological accounts can be reductionist because they overlook traumatic experiences, learning history, cognitions and social factors [1].

ERP directly targets compulsive behaviour by exposing the person to feared cues and preventing rituals [1]. It has face validity because the person learns that anxiety can decline without washing, checking or arranging [1]. This may provide longer-lasting skills that can be used independently after therapy [1]. Cognitive behavioural therapy can also challenge catastrophic beliefs and inflated responsibility that maintain obsessions [1]. Yet ERP can initially be distressing, and some people may discontinue it or refuse exposure tasks [1]. It requires time, trained clinicians and regular attendance, so access may be unequal [1]. Therapist skill and the quality of the therapeutic relationship can affect outcomes [1]. A narrow psychological explanation may also fail to address biological vulnerability or severe depression that makes therapy participation difficult [1].

A combined approach is often most appropriate because medication may lower anxiety enough for a person to tolerate ERP [1], while ERP teaches strategies that address compulsive behaviour and beliefs [1]. Treatment should be chosen collaboratively, considering symptom severity, previous response, side effects, preference, risk and practical circumstances [1]. The service should avoid claiming that one approach works for every person because OCD is heterogeneous and research samples may not represent all cultural and age groups [1]. A justified conclusion that a flexible combined and individualised plan is preferable, with monitoring and review, gains the final evaluative credit [1].

(a) It is leading / biased because it calls the visits “wonderful” and assumes they make residents happier [1] (b) Residents may be encouraged to agree, so answers may not measure their genuine mental health response [1] (c) Remove emotive and assumptive wording [1], for example: “How, if at all, do dog visits affect your mood?” [1]