Psychology

1. 1.

   Explain why statistical rarity alone is insufficient to define a psychological disorder. Use a non-clinical example.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. A frequency threshold cannot distinguish valued differences from harmful difficulties. Use multiple criteria rather than labelling people from how uncommon one trait is.

   Marking points

   • Rarity describes frequency, not necessarily distress or impairment.
   • An unusual skill such as exceptional musical ability can be rare without being a disorder.
   • Context, functioning and distress require separate consideration.

   Examiner tip: Give a rare but non-disordered example to test the definition.

2. 2.

   For an educational model, distinguish a predisposing vulnerability from a precipitating stressor in a diathesis-stress account.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The account is interactive rather than a simple either-biological-or-environmental choice. Similar stress can lead to different outcomes depending on vulnerabilities and protective factors.

   Marking points

   • A diathesis is an underlying vulnerability such as a predisposition or prior experience.
   • A stressor is an event or demand that may interact with vulnerability to precipitate difficulties.
   • Neither component need be sufficient alone in the model.

   Examiner tip: Do not present vulnerability as an inevitable diagnosis.

3. 3.

   Fictional educational vignette: avoiding a harmless lift brings immediate relief but maintains fear of lifts. Analyse a behavioural maintenance account; do not diagnose the person.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The short-term consequence rewards escape while preventing corrective learning. A maintenance loop can be described from the vignette without assuming a disorder or recommending unsupervised exposure.

   Marking points

   • Avoidance is followed by reduced discomfort.
   • That relief negatively reinforces avoidance.
   • Avoidance reduces opportunities to learn that the situation may be safe.
   • This explains possible maintenance, not necessarily the origin or a clinical diagnosis.

   Examiner tip: Distinguish why behaviour persists from how it first developed.

4. 4.

   Fictional educational vignette: after one poor test result, a learner concludes 'I fail at everything' and withdraws from activities. Analyse a cognitive account and one alternative explanation to investigate.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The vignette illustrates a possible thought-behaviour loop. It does not establish whether thoughts initiated the difficulty or arose from stress; gather context and avoid diagnosis from a short description.

   Marking points

   • The conclusion overgeneralises from one event to all performance.
   • Negative interpretations may reduce motivation and participation.
   • Withdrawal can reduce positive experiences and maintain negative expectations.
   • Investigate contextual causes such as workload or peer treatment rather than assuming cognition is the sole cause.

   Examiner tip: A cognitive explanation should not become blame directed at the learner.

5. 5.

   Fictional case: a textbook calls every deviation from local social norms a disorder. Evaluate this definition in relation to culture, harm and historical change.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Local acceptance is not identical to psychological health. A responsible educational definition considers harm and functioning while recognising that social categories change; avoid using diagnosis to police dissent.

   Marking points

   • Indicative: norms provide context for understanding behaviour.
   • Norms vary across cultures and periods, so deviation is not a universal measure.
   • Nonconformity can be harmless or valuable; labelling it may reinforce prejudice.
   • A justified judgement considers distress and/or functional impairment alongside context rather than social disapproval alone.

   Examiner tip: Evaluate the definition, not whether a culture's norms are superior.

6. 6.

   Fictional case: a report explains distress entirely through genes and dismisses social support. Evaluate this explanation using interaction and evidence limitations.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Genetic contributions can coexist with modifiable environments. The report confuses population association with exclusive causation and risks fatalism; integrated models need evidence for both risk and protection.

   Marking points

   • Indicative: genetic evidence may support vulnerability, not inevitability.
   • Environmental stress and protective support can interact with vulnerability.
   • Heritability estimates describe population variation under particular conditions, not fixed percentages of an individual's distress.
   • A justified judgement retains biological evidence while rejecting dismissal of social influences.

   Examiner tip: Do not interpret heritability as immutability.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions.