2016 VCE exam guide — Psychology: Time management and planning are essential

he 2016 VCE Units 3 and 4 Psychology exam will contribute 60 per cent towards the overall psychology study score and has three sections. Section A is multiple-choice questions, Section B is short-answer questions and Section C assesses students’ knowledge of research methods and their ability to apply this knowledge to a research scenario through some short answers and one extended response. This article gives tips to VCE Psychology students in the lead up to their end-of-year examination.

TIP 1: Clearly address the questions asked.

The 2015 VCE Psychology Examination Report, found on the VCAA website, stresses that students need to clearly answer the questions asked. It is important to learn to interpret a short-answer question and link your knowledge to it. Question 9 (Section B — 2015 Psychology examination) was related to the scenario about Josie who was diagnosed with spatial neglect syndrome after suffering a stroke. In part b. of Question 9 students were asked why an occupational therapist (OT) might place Josie’s right arm in a sling to treat her spatial neglect syndrome.

Ask yourself — do I have enough knowledge to answer this question? Practise linking what you know about spatial neglect to this specific question. Sometimes the question won’t match your knowledge directly — you may need to interpret it or reword it. You must provide clear and accurate answers to all questions. Practise this.

Look at the Examination Report for notes about this question to see the type of response required to be awarded the full two marks.

TIP 2:Be confident with the similarity and differences between concepts.

In all sections of the examination you need to be able to indicate, or apply your knowledge of, differences and/or similarities between two or more concepts or theories.

Question 64 (Section A — 2015) required students to apply their knowledge of different ways of selecting a sample from a population of interest. You need to do more than just learn the definitions of each of these. This question required you knowing the differences between convenience, random, stratified and random-stratified sampling and being able to identify which one was being used in the scenario given. The correct answer was convenience sampling because the researcher recruited people who had responded to an advertisement in a newspaper. Question 14 (Section B — 2015) required students to identify one similarity and two differences between daydreaming and dreaming.

Take the time while revising to continually make links between ideas. In this case linking and comparing your knowledge of two of the altered states of consciousness that are referred to in the study design.

Draw ideas maps to show your knowledge of how concepts can be compared to or related to each other and look for new links between ideas. The acceptable responses for this question are in the 2015 examiners report.
TIP 3:Play detective.

When answering a short-answer, or the extended-answer question, look for facts and clues that you have been given in the question itself. The scenario in Question 6 (Section B — 2015) was about a man called Ernie who had just started a new job working regular night shifts in a factory. The reader was also told in part a. of this question that “When sleeping during the day, Ernie experienced an increase in the number of memorable and vivid dreams compared to when he was sleeping at night.”

The related question, “With reference to the characteristics and patterns of sleep, explain why Ernie experienced this increase in dreams”, required careful interpretation of the facts given about Ernie and inferred that he was probably experiencing sleep deprivation due to his new job and different sleeping patterns.

Students then needed to apply their knowledge about effects of sleep deprivation on the amount of REM sleep and knowledge that most of our memorable dreams occur in REM sleep.

TIP 4: Scrutinise the language used in past questions.

Knowing what key phrases in the question mean can significantly impact the marks you will be awarded.

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 exams included phrases and words such as: cortical representation; components of …; using the language of classical conditioning; in terms of …; sampling procedure; data collection methods; structural changes in the brain; region of the brain; the type of encoding was …; ways of controlling extraneous variables; prior to; with reference to …; breaching (in relation to ethical guidelines); and scan and suggest limitations/suitable improvements in research studies. Make sure you work out what all of these mean. Check your understanding with your teacher.

TIP 5: Always refer to a scenario in a question.

If the scenario of a question names a person, make sure you directly refer to the name of the person in the answer to any questions relating to the scenario.

In the 2015 exam 12 of the 14 short answers stated the names of specific researchers such as Lazarus and Folkman or general names such as Henry, Toby and Annie. Avoid giving a generic answer to any questions like this. Use the names in your answer.

For example, Question 7 (Section B — 2015) was about a person called Dean who had a stressful job as a police officer. Your answer should have Dean in it.

For example, if Dean exercised his level of adrenaline would be reduced which in turn would reduce his experience of stress.

Year 12 Psychology students are advised to take a deep breath, visualise success, follow these tips and read all exam questions carefully.

Shirley Barker teaches VCE psychology at Reservoir High

EXAM DETAILS:

Psychology

When: October 27, 9am-11.45am

Reading: 15 minutes

Writing: 2 ½ hours

Worth: 60 per cent of study score