Feedback on
Approaches
mini mock
Question 3: Explain what is
meant by ‘inference’ in
relation to this study. [2 marks
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A lot of people did say that inferences were about drawing conclusions, but
did not give enough detail, i.e. did not explain why inference was necessary
in cognitive research(see below)

Don’t use the word ‘inference’ in your answer – this is attempting to define a
term using the term and will not receive credit
Marks for this question: AO2 = 2
1 mark for an explanation of inference: going beyond the immediate evidence
to make assumptions about mental processes that cannot be directly observed.
Plus
1 mark for a sound application to the study with clear description about what is
being inferred (problem difficulty/more difficult processing) on the basis of what is
being measured (time taken to solve the problem in the different conditions).
Award 1 mark only for answers where knowledge of inference and application
are only partially clear.
Question 4: Explain what is meant by
congruence . Explain one way in which
Dominic might achieve congruence

Congruence is not achieving self-actualisation. It is a means of achieving it

Some students did not explain what congruence was

Congruence is not ‘the way that people think about themselves’

Congruence is not being happy and content, although that is likely to be the outcome

Some students suggested that Dominic could achieve congruence by getting positive self
regard from his family. It is not a valid suggestion as the fact his self esteem is low suggests
he hasn’t had this and therefore is unlikely to start getting it now. It is the therapist who can
provide it at this stage

Some students tried to make a link to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is not relevant in a
question about congruence. You would have got a ‘4’ if you did this

The suggestion that Dominic should become better looking and more clever is not
mentioned in the mark scheme, and may not receive much credit. It is more likely that the
advice would be for Dominic to set more realistic targets and learn to appreciate the
qualities he has

You cannot suggest that Dominic would achieve congruence if other people treated him
differently. He is not in control of how other people treat him
Question 5: Briefly explain one
strength and on limitation of
the cognitive approach
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If asked for one of something, only give one
Some people used the term ‘determinist’
when they were describing ‘reductionist’
It is not correct to say that the cognitive
approach ignores situational factors. The
approach believes that the individual’s
interpretation of the situation is what informs
behaviour, and therefore situations are
involved
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Briefly explain one strength and one limitation of the cognitive
approach in psychology.[4 marks]

Marks for this question: AO3 = 4
Strength:
1 mark for identification of a strength
Plus
1 mark for explanation/elaboration eg why it is a strength of the
cognitive approach.
Limitation:
1 mark for identification of a limitation
Plus
1 mark for explanation/elaboration eg why it is a limitation of the
cognitive approach.
Likely strengths: control/objectivity in research; use of models for ease of
understanding; links to
neuroscience and consequent applications
Likely limitations: still requires inferences about cognitive processes;
mechanistic approach to
understanding human behaviour
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Question 6: Use your knowledge of
genotype and phenotype to explain
the differences between them

You must make reference to the terms ‘genotype’ and ‘phenotype’ and
apply them directly to the case of Rita and Holly. If you didn’t mention the
terms you will have got a code 4 as you were not answering the question

To get full marks you should give a specific example of why Rita is more
sociable and outgoing than Holly (e.g. she was more encouraged to socialise,
or she was brought up in a more populated area)

Students are not expressing the definition of a phenotype very clearly – it
refers to how the genes are expressed according to the environment the
person has grown up in

There is no need to mention concordance rates – this is not part of the
question

It is not correct to say that the phenotype is the physical characteristics
expressed. It is also the behaviour/personality expressed
Question 7: Outline the psychodynamic approach in
psychology. Discuss one or more differences between
the psychodynamic approach and the humanistic
approach (8 marks)

Students are not giving sufficient detail about the concepts they are outlining. Descriptions
tend to be very vague, e.g. ‘early childhood affects later life’, or ‘ the three parts of
personality conflict with each other’. You need to take two or three key concepts and
describe their role in personality.

However, it is not necessary to outline all of the psychosexual stages of development

The outline is only worth around 3 marks, so you don’t need to outline the whole of the
approach

On the other hand, some students gave no outline at all and skipped straight to the
comparison, so lost three marks

Lots of students are not giving the ‘so what’ part of the comparison between the
approaches, which is limiting them to a band 2 mark

Remember that in an 8 mark essay you should aim to give two evaluations

No one knows how much of what is contained in the human mind is in the unconscious, so
don’t make definite statements such as ‘90% of information is in the unconscious
Question 7: Outline the psychodynamic approach in
psychology. Discuss one or more differences between
the psychodynamic approach and the humanistic
approach (8 marks)

Don’t get confused between the terms ‘brain’ and ‘mind’. Freud spoke
about the mind because his theory is psychological, rather than biological

The unconscious mind does not consist of the id, ego and superego – these
are the different structures of personality and are not all in the unconscious

If you are outlining the approach, the case of Little Hans is not relevant

It is not correct to say that the psychodynamic approach believes that the
individual is not able to change. They are, through psychoanalysis

Some students outlined evaluations rather than comparisons. If those
evaluations apply to both approaches they won’t receive any credit. E.g.
‘the psychodynamic approach uses unscientific methods’
Question 7: Outline the psychodynamic approach in
psychology. Discuss one or more differences between
the psychodynamic approach and the humanistic
approach (8 marks)
 You
will not receive credit for saying that
one approach does something but the
other doesn’t – this is not a valid
comparison. For example ‘the
psychodynamic approach uses
psychoanaysis, but the humanist
approach doesn’t’