PSYA4 - Psychopathology: Schizophenia

Biological and Psychological Explanations

Biological Explanations-

Genetics, Neurotransmitter and Neuroanatomy

Psychological Explanations -

Psychodynamic, Behavioural, Cognitive and Socio-Cultural (including Double-Bind, Expressed Emotion and Life Events)

Further reading:

http://alevelpsychologynotes.blogspot.com/2007/10/schizophrenia.html



Developing AO3 in A2 essay - Methodology analysis, Issues and Debates

The A2 course is largely assessed through essays.  Within the essays you will need to demonstrate all three assessment objectives.  On a very basic level these are:

AO1:  Recall and show understanding of scientific knowledge
AO2:  Analyse and evaluate scientific knowledge and processes
AO3:  Analyse, interpret, explain and evaluate the methodology, results and impact of        
           experimental and investigative activities in a variety of ways.

N.B: Don't be put off by the word 'scientific'!  Psychology is a science so all the theories and studies that we look
       at are (generally) regarded as scientific! 

AO3 is a specific type of evaluation.  One way you can show AO3 skills in your essays is by including evaluative commentary on the strengths and limitations of the methodology of any studies applied.  For example, if you think back to AS we studied Milgram's research on Obedience.  Methodological evaluation for Milgram would include points such as:
Lacks ecological validity (arguably!)
Lacks internal validity because of demand characteristics (arguably!)
Lacks population validity because it was only conducted on American men (again arguably!)

It should be fairly easy for you to use the skills developed at AS level to complete methodological evaluation of studies in your A2 essays.  However, you can also gain AO3 marks by including evaluative points relating to issues and debates.  Such issues and debates include: Reductionism, Determinism,  Nature/Nurture, Ethics, Gender Bias and Cultural Bias.  Again, you will be familiar with some of these concepts from AS.  In order to demonstrate basic evaluation using one of these points, think back to the Biological approaches explanation of mental disorders.  You could evaluate these explanations as being reductionist (reducing the complexities of humans down to a small number of factors whilst ignoring other important factors e.g. the role of the environment). 

During the first lessons of A2 you will learn more about these concepts and how to apply them in essays for effective AO3 marks!