psya3 - psychology aqa - studies

hey,

i'm taking psya3 in june and i'm having trouble writing adequate essays in the time given.

i was wondering how important studies were to the essay. i know they are useful particularly for evaluating if you need more, but are they necessary for top marks.

i have written a few practice questions and i am well over the number of words i would have time to write. i often do a the explanation of the issue (eg. vicarious learning role in aggression), then a key research study (eg. Bowlby et al) showing it, then evaluate the study, and then the evaluation of the explanation.

should studies be used for padding rather than explanation? and should studies only be included if you have time? is it ok to omit studies? and what about the small studies like just saying a line of what someone found, like 'we learn from observing others. Bowlby et al found that by watching adult models children can learn aggressive behaviour.' and that's it. will you be marked down for not mentioning any researchers names or bits of research?

thank you, Sarah

Reply 1

Dillio

I think the research is a key aspect, showing that you understand the way it applies to real life situations, rather than just theory. I usually write my essays like you have stated in your second paragraph.

I think the best bet is to talk about 3 or 4 studies, relating it to your explanation of theory, and then evaluate these.

If you have revised well, you won't have the time to talk about everything, its just impossible, and your hand will most likely drop off anyway.

Reply 2

Ren_ren

The most important thing is to outline the findings of the studies. I always spend too much time on the actual process of the studies and this isn't necessary as, more than likely, the examiner already knows the studies you're evaluating.

Just focus on the key aspects and then you're not wasting time.

If you start a sentence with 'Research has found that...', like you have demonstrated, then you've already skipped out the unecessary bit and are on to the marks.

You cannot afford to miss out research, but you don't have to worry about names or figures, just the gist of results.

Good luck with your exam : )