General Info
Discuss/Evaluate: What’s the difference between “discuss” and “evaluate?” In this blog post, I argue that there is no actual difference between discuss and evaluate and this can be demonstrated quite easily.
To what extent: This is most commonly asked about a variable (e.g. hormone/gene/emotion) affecting a behaviour. For example, “to what extent do pheromones influence human behaviour?”
Contrast: This is asking for an explanation of differences between two things. For example, contrasting two explanations for a psychological disorder or two models of memory.
5 concepts of ERQs:
- Behaviours and Variables impacting it
- Theories / Models
- Research methods
- Ethical Consideration
- Studies
- discuss: give a balanced argument between for and against
- to what extent: same as discuss, but you've to give more emphasis on the against section
- evaluate: do TEACUP for the theory/model and the study.
TEACUP Method (Used for Evaluating Psychological Theories)
TEACUP is a mnemonic that helps assess the quality of a psychological theory based on its scientific validity. It stands for:
- T - Testable: Can the theory be tested scientifically? Can it be falsified?
- E - Empirical Support: Is there research evidence supporting the theory? Is the evidence reliable and replicable?
- A - Applications: Can the theory be applied to real-life situations? Is it useful in understanding human behavior?
- C - Construct Validity: Are the key concepts of the theory well-defined and measurable?