PSYCHOLOGY WIZARD
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EVALUATION ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY

The Edexcel Specification expects you to be able to (AO1) know and understand, (AO2) apply, (AO3) analyse and evaluate all the material in the course.
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Evaluation means looking at the strengths and weaknesses of research: what features are done well and what features can be improved. It also means making comparisons: looking at how research is similar to or different from other research into the same area.
Notice the reference to "conclusions" in the AO3 definition. Evaluation isn't about making a bunch of unconnected points. It's about building to a conclusion. This is particularly important in the essay questions in the exam, where top band will not be awarded to evaluation that doesn't build to a conclusion.

EVALUATING STUDIES: GRAVE

Edexcel encourages you to use an easy mmemonic when evaluating studies:
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GENERALISABILITY means whether the study's sample is truly representative of the target population

RELIABILITY means whether the procedures are consistent enough to be replicated and get the same results again

APPLICATIONS means whether the study is useful in the real world

VALIDITY is whether to the study really tells you about what it is supposed to tell you about

ETHICS means whether the study ensures the wellbeing of its participants and the wider community

The crucial questions you should be asking and answering when evaluating are:
  1. What has been done to make this study successful?
  2. What should be done to make this study more successful?

EVALUATING THEORIES: CODA

I find this mnemonic valuable for evaluating theories:
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CREDIBILITY means the strengths of a theory: what makes it believable?

OBJECTIONS refers to criticisms of a theory: what counts against it?

DIFFERENCES are how the theory differs from other theoriesd that try to explain the same thing

APPLICATIONS means whether the theory is useful in the real world

The crucial questions you should be asking and answering when evakuating are:
  1. What parts of this theory are valuabe and why?
  2. What research could be done to strengthen this theory?

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PSYCHOLOGYWIZARD.NET
  • Home
  • Unit 1 FOUNDATIONS
    • Biological >
      • Adoption & Twin Studies AO1 AO2 AO3 >
        • Gottesman & Shields AO1 AO3
        • Kety AO1 AO3
      • Aggression AO1 AO2 AO3 >
        • Evolutionary Psychology AO1 AO2 AO3
      • The Brain AO1 AO2 >
        • Drugs & the Brain AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Brendgen AO1 AO3
      • Development (Maturation) AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Freud's Psychodynamic Theory AO1 AO3 >
        • Aggression & Freud AO1 AO2 AO3
        • Development & Freud AO1 AO2 AO3
        • Individual Differences & Freud AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Raine AO1 AO3
      • Biological Key Question AO1 AO2
    • Cognitive >
      • Baddeley AO1 AO3
      • Multi Store Model AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Reconstructive Memory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Schmolck AO1 AO3
      • Tulving's Long Term Memory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Working Memory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Cognitive Key Question AO1 AO2
    • Learning >
      • Bandura AO1 >
        • Bandura AO3
      • Becker AO1 AO3
      • Classical Conditioning AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Operant Conditioning AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Pavlov AO1 AO3
      • Social Learning AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Therapies for Phobias >
        • Flooding
        • Systematic Desensitisation
      • Watson & Rayner AO1 AO3
      • Learning Key Question AO1 AO2
    • Social >
      • Agency Theory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Burger AO1 AO3
      • Situational Factors AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Milgram AO1 >
        • Milgram AO3
      • Realistic Conflict Theory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Sherif AO1 >
        • Sherif AO3
      • Social Impact Theory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Social Identity Theory AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Social Key Question AO1 AO2
  • Unit 2 APPLICATIONS
    • Clinical >
      • Depression AO1 AO2 >
        • Biological Explanation AO1 AO2
        • Non-Biological Explanation AO1 AO2
        • Biological Treatment AO1 AO2
        • Psychological Treatment AO1 AO2
      • Diagnosing Abnormality AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Diagnostic Manuals AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Carlsson AO1 AO3
      • Kroenke AO1 AO3
      • HCPC Guidelines AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Rosenhan AO1 AO3
      • Schizophrenia AO1 AO2 >
        • Biological Explanation AO1 AO2
        • Non-biological Explanation AO1 AO2
        • Biological Treatments AO1 AO2
        • Psychological Treatment AO1 AO2
      • Clinical Key Question AO1 AO2
      • Issues & Debates >
        • Social Control AO2 AO3
  • Evaluation
    • Ethics AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Individual Differences AO1 AO2 AO3 >
      • Brain Differences AO1 AO2 AO3 >
        • Personality AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Mental Health Differences AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Differences in Obedience & Prejudice AO1 AO2 AO3
      • Memory Differences AO1 AO2 AO3 >
        • Loftus study AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Nature vs Nurture AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Scientific Status AO1 AO2
  • Methods
    • Animal Studies AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Case Studies AO1 AO2 AO3 >
      • Bradshaw AO1 AO3
      • Scoville & Milner AO1 AO3
    • Content Analyses AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Experimental Method AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Experimental Variables AO1 AO2
    • Hypotheses AO1 AO2
    • Inferential Statistics AO1 AO2 >
      • Chi-Squared Test AO1 AO2
      • Mann-Whitney U Test AO1 AO2
      • Spearman's Rho AO1 AO2
      • Wilcoxon Test AO1 AO2
    • Longitudinal Design AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Quantitative Data & Analysis AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Research Design AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Sampling AO1 AO2 AO3
    • Self Report Method AO1 AO2 AO3 >
      • Brown et al. AO1 AO3
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Resources