Practise fear arousal and information, school or worksite programmes, unrealistic optimism and positive psychology through applied health campaigns and evidence.
Mr Sharma is a teacher in a school who is concerned that his students are not washing their hands correctly.
Suggest how Mr Sharma could use fear arousal to encourage his students to wash their hands correctly. Your answer must be ethical.
Mr Sharma is a teacher in a school who is concerned that his students are not washing their hands correctly.
Suggest how Mr Sharma could use fear arousal to encourage his students to wash their hands correctly. Your answer must be ethical.
Award 3-4 marks for a detailed answer with clear understanding of fear arousal linked to help Mr Sharma to encourage his students to wash their hands correctly.
Award 1-2 marks for a basic answer with some understanding of fear arousal with an attempt to link to help Mr Sharma to encourage his students to wash their hands correctly.
Syllabus content:
- Fear arousal: use of fear to improve health, e.g. Janis and Feshbach (1953).
Likely content:
Use minimal fear arousal - occasionally referring to the consequences of not washing hands correctly. For example, reference to how germs are passed through poor hand washing and mild illness.
Example:
Mr Sharma should demonstrate to his students how to wash their hands correctly and get them to practice with him. (1) He should use minimal fear arousal in his demonstration of hand washing. (1) He could also put up a poster in the classroom/hallways that have photographs of the procedure for hand washing as well as showing how germs can spread through poor handwashing. (1) The poster could mention that colds and the flu can be passed through poor handwashing from person to person. (1) Mr Sharma's students will feel minimal fear arousal and will be motivated to wash their hands correctly so that they do not spread germs and/or become unwell. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
4
Idea = 1 mark e.g. film, slideshow, presentation - doesn't have to be directly linked to fear arousal.
1 mark for elaboration of this idea.
Explain one practical problem that Mr Sharma might have with implementing what you have suggested in part (a).
Award 2 marks for a detailed explanation of the practical problem in the context of implementing this suggestion with students.
Award 1 mark for a basic explanation of the practical problem.
Problems may include:
- Students may not taking it seriously.
- The habit of how the student washes their hands may be difficult to change as it is unconscious and habitual.
- Students will have experienced illnesses in the past and feel they were not very serious and so will not be motivated to change how they wash their hands.
Example:
One practical problem of using this suggestion of minimal fear arousal with Mr Sharma's students is that they already have a technique for cleaning their hands that they have been using for a number of years. (1) They have a habit of washing their hands in a certain way and the poster and demonstration with minimal fear will not be enough for them to break this habit. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
No credit to ethics of what Mr Sharma does but can credit that it might lead to distress if they are unable to wash hands in the future.
Outline one example of a sample of children used in a study of healthy eating.
Outline one example of a sample of children used in a study of healthy eating.
Award 2 marks for an outline of an example of a sample of children used in a study of healthy eating.
Award 1 mark for a basic outline of an example of a sample of children used in a study of healthy eating.
Likely content:
Tapper et al. (2003):
26 two- to four-year-olds attending the university's daycare nursery OR
26 children aged 5-6 years in Bangor in North Wales OR
28 children aged 5-6 years in Bangor in North Wales OR
The entire primary age range ( 4-11 years) in three schools, in Bangor in North Wales, Harwell in Oxfordshire and Salford in Manchester OR
Two schools in Lambeth in south London - age 4-11 years
Credit can be given to other studies on healthy eating e.g. Silva et al. (2013):
122 Private Schools and 173 Public Schools in Brazil
Example:
Primary age children, 4-11 years (1) From 3 schools in the U.K. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
Need to include the specific ages of the children
No credit to primary children, young children, under age of 6.
Pre-school children (1)
Explain one reason why it is important to use children in psychological research on healthy eating.
Award 2 marks for an outline of importance of using children in psychological research on healthy eating
Award 1 mark for a basic outline of importance of using children in psychological research on healthy eating
OR
Award 1 mark for an outline of importance of using children in psychological research with no reference to healthy eating
Likely content:
- Children are less influenced by demand characteristics as they may be unaware they are in a study (or lack the understanding of what this means).
- Can investigate the effects of implementing a healthy eating strategy on children and follow them up when they are older to see if this has had an impact on their eating patterns in later life.
- Healthy eating strategy can be implemented in a school environment where all of the children attend and can be introduced in a similar way by the teachers at the school.
Example:
It is important to use children in psychological research on healthy eating so that psychologists can investigate the impact of a strategy for healthy eating implemented in schools when children are young in the long term. (1) The children can be followed-up as adults to see if the healthy eating strategy is still having an impact. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
Context = healthy eating
Zainab has two daughters who are 8 and 17 years old. Zainab wants to help her daughters to continue to experience good mental health. She reads a book on positive psychology about the pleasant life, the good life and the meaningful life.
Suggest one way Zainab could encourage her 8-year-old daughter to have a 'pleasant life'.
Suggest one way Zainab could encourage her 8-year-old daughter to have a 'pleasant life'.
For suggested way:
Award 2 marks for a suggestion of the way to encourage 'pleasant life'. Award 1 mark for a basic outline of the way to encourage 'pleasant life'.
Pleasant life - Enjoying daily pleasures in life; doing things you enjoy. For example, eating good food, doing activities you enjoy (reading, walks, sport, watching films, games, etc.). Positive emotions.
For example:
Zainab could encourage her 8 -year-old daughter to lead a 'pleasant life' by doing things which bring about pleasure every day. (1) For example, she could suggest that her daughter does a pleasurable activity every day when she gets home from school such as playing a game she enjoys. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
Credit any suggestion that involve daily pleasures.
Do not credit suggestions that imply the following:
Good life - Having gratitude, knowing strengths and weaknesses, feeling you have experienced more positive than negative things in your life. Feeling your life has been well lived. Positive connections to other people (e.g. good relationships with others), satisfying work and enjoyable activities outside of work.
Meaningful life - Having a purpose in your life that is greater than oneself. Being involved in service to others (e.g. charitable work/donations, altruistic behaviour).
Suggest one way Zainab could encourage her 17-year-old daughter to have a 'meaningful life'.
’.
For suggested way:
Award 2 marks for a suggestion of the way to encourage 'meaningful life'. Award 1 mark for a basic outline of the way to encourage 'meaningful life'.
Meaningful life - Having a purpose in your life that is greater than oneself. Being involved in service to others (e.g. charitable work/donations, altruistic behaviour). Positive institutions such as strong family and democracy (within the family). Developing positive connections with others.
For example:
Zainab could encourage her 17-year-old daughter to lead a 'meaningful life' by doing things which involve service to others/gives her life purpose. (1) For example, Zainab could help her daughter to find a charity where she could volunteer some of her time each week. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
Credit any suggestion that help to create a meaningful life.
Do not credit suggestions that imply the following:
Good life - see above.
Pleasant life - Enjoying daily pleasures in life; doing things you enjoy. For example, eating good food, doing activities you enjoy (reading, walks, sport, watching films, games, etc.).
Explain one reason why using positive psychology might not lead to an improvement in mental health for Zainab's daughters.
Award 2 marks for an explanation of why positive psychology might not lead to improvement.
Award 1 mark for a basic explanation of why positive psychology might not lead to improvement.
Reasons may include:
- Her daughters could have a mental health problem which needs medical support (such as taking anti-depressants).
- Everyone has 'bad days'/periods in our lives which are very stressful where no amount of doing things you enjoy helps.
- Trying to engage in activities you enjoy/service to others could result in feeling stressed that you should be doing something.
- Spending time on activities you enjoy/charitable work means her daughters will have less time to spend on things such as schoolwork, seeing friends, a part-time job. Having less time for these activities may cause stress and worry.
- Mental health is already very good.
- Mental health is difficult to measure so hard to know if the activities that both daughters are involved with have improved their mood.
Example:
Zainab's daughters might be experiencing stress in their lives due to having a lot of schoolwork/exams approaching. (1) Doing the meaningful/pleasant life activities could take time away from doing schoolwork and therefore Zainab's daughters would experience a decrease in mental health due to the stress this creates. (1)
Other appropriate responses should also be credited.
2
Zainab's daughters not doing positive psychology at all (e.g. because they don't want to) = 0 marks
Can credit that trying to do positive psychology but they don't believe in it, doesn't suit their personality, not taking it seriously, etc.