aqa a level psychology HELP

hey are these evaluation points good for issues and debates. i’m in year 13 aiming for an A/A*


a case for determinism is that it is scientific
a lot of determinist research is conducted in lab experiments which allow for cause and effect relationships to be established as they attempt to eliminate extraneous variables. Loftus and Palmer's research, for instance, a lab exp investigating what eyewitnesses can recall after an incident. the IV was the verb used in the critical question and the DV was mean speed estimate ppts said. they found that changing the verb (IV) caused the change in speed estimate from ppts (DV)
therefore, because of this deterministic conclusions can be drawn, crediting psychology as a science as researchers have determined the factors that influence and eliminated those that may be extraneous

a consideration for the free will determinism debate is that free will has practical value. A study involving adolescents who had strong beliefs in fatalism (fate/out of our control) were found to be at greater risk of depression, and finding those who possess an external LOC are less likely to be optimistic compared to those with internal LOC who tend to be more mentally healthy as they believe they have a higher influence over their own behaviour. Therefore suggesting that if we believe we have free will and have the ability to make our own decisions it may have a positive impact on the mind and behaviour

an argument against determinism is that determinist arguments do not work or have much value in the real world as psychologists and legal experts do not favour a deterministic view.
This is because, in a court of law, offenders are held morally responsible for their actions and possess free will in committing the crime. for example, the case of Mobley where he killed a pizza shop manager claimed he did this as he was 'born to kill' because his family had a disposition towards aggression and violence, although his argument was rejected by a US court as he tried to provide an excuse for his criminal acts.
Therefore, this hard determinist stance that behaviour is governed by forces outside our control does not pass through well in real-world situations as it could lead to legal issues regarding mens rea

In the link you've discussed the impact or consequences the example has but you need to include if the example increases/decreases reliability or the different types of validity e.g. external, internal etc. Terminology will get you to the A/A* ! Hope this helps

hiya thanks for replying! what point is that for? could you explain a bit more please

For example, for the first evaluation point you would add as part of your link that there is an increase in internal validity as extraneous variables were eliminated and that it suggested a correlation between X and Y suggesting behaviour can/is determined., It should be something along the lines of this !

ok thank you! do you think those points alongside a strong ao1 would get me good marks? how many marks would u say that’s give me for a 16 marker

With good AO1 and clear evaluation paragraphs you should get above 12 marks !