Evaluate Edexcel Psychology clinical research through reliability, validity, generalisability, credibility, objectivity, ethics and practical treatment application.
In your studies of clinical psychology you will have learned about the classic study by Rosenhan (1973) in detail.
Explain one strength and one weakness of the classic study by Rosenhan (1973). (4)
Strength
Weakness
AO1 (2 marks), AO3 (2 marks)
Credit one mark for accurate identification of strength/weakness (AO1)
Credit one mark for justification/exemplification of strength/weakness (AO3)
For example:
Strength
- Rosenhan (1973) has high ecological validity as it is in a real life context
of hospitals (1) and the pseudo patients were admitted to real
psychiatric units so results have validity (1).
Weakness
- Rosenhan (1973) can be considered unethical due to deception (1)
because the staff at the hospitals were deceived about patient
symptoms and were not told they were being studied (1).
Look for other reasonable marking points.
(4)
Explain one way Rosenhan's (1973) study could have been improved.
AO1 (1 mark), AO3 (1 mark)
Credit one mark for accurate identification of one improvement (AO1)
Credit one mark for justification/exemplification of the improvement (AO3)
For example:
- Rosenhan could have gained consent from the staff within the hospitals
not just the person in charge (1) which would have meant Rosenhan
gave the staff a choice about whether to participate as they could not
give this in the original study (1).
Look for other reasonable marking points.
(2)