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| - shorter version of ‘describe’ |
| - NO description or explanation |
| detailed description with the main features of the concept break down complex concepts into essential parts and describe how these parts relate recognize underlying assumptions answer: “How does this work?”
e. g. analyse serotonin as a possible etiology of depression:
- explain neurotransmission
- explain serotonin’s effect on human behaviour
- break the answer down into three parts: what causes it, what it does in the context of the question, what the implications of the effects are |
| Sample question: how is a particular method applied in research at the cognitive level of analysis? |
| show that you understand the differences between two or more concepts or terms in psychology |
| NOTE: ‘explain’ + ‘advantages and disadvantages’ = state and outline any advantages and disadvantages AND explain why they are considered positive/negative |
| describe + explain include background info/reasons for every point give a balanced review offering evaluative comments about the issue you are discussing discuss your own opinions and evidence to support your opinions
when discussing a theory/model:
• state strengths and limitations with empirical evidence AND evaluate those empirical studies
• discuss the usefulness of a certain theory by mentioning possible applications and how effective and universal these applications are
• compare to an alternative theory
• discuss the extent to which the theory can be universally applied – are the explanations culturally- or gender-specific?
• evaluate sources: is the theory based on methodologically questionable empirical evidence? NOTE: ‘discuss’ + ‘advantages and disadvantages’ = provide clear judgment about whether the advantages or disadvantages are most significant, then explain reasons for your opinion |
| describe + explain include background info/reasons for every point give your own judgment and opinion supported by evidence while discussing strengths and limitations, make clear comments about its significance, usefulness (e.g. how applicable it is, its usefulness in explaining sth), accuracy
when evaluating a theory/model:
• discuss the extent to which the theory can be universally applied – are the explanations culturally- or gender-specific?
• evaluate strengths and limitations of methodology
• judge validity and reliability
• discuss sampling method and relate to the issue of generalizability of findings
• assess if the study has cultural, ethical, and gender considerations |
| hardcore ver of “analysis” give detailed information that reveals underlying assumptions or the interaction of various factors make judgments supported by evidence discuss the relative importance of different factors to the basic term/concept under consideration give a detailed description accompanied by a clear, thorough, and organized reflection of the matter
when examining a theory/model:
• distinguish the components of a certain theory and discuss how they relate to one another
- discuss principles underlying the theory and how specific research methods influence data collection when examining how certain factors influence human behaviour:
• describe these factors
• judge their relative importance
• discuss their interaction |
| discuss the validity of an argument give both sides of the argument give judgment by emphasizing the strengths of some arguments over others give judgment on the relative importance of factors (biological/cognitive/sociocultural), on the theory/behaviour: how important is ____? Why is it ____? Is it culture- or gender-specific? present all opinions with evidence
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| identify, describe, explain and discuss how two or more concepts, research methods or theories are similar to each other include reasons why they are similar and discuss the extent of this similarity
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| identify, describe, explain and discuss how two or more concepts, research methods or theories differ include reasons why they are different and discuss the extent of this difference
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