What is "detailed knowledge"?
When is enough enough?
The top band assessment criteria descriptors for Paper 1A and 1B questions ask for “detailed knowledge” and it is challenging for teachers and students to know how much detail is enough. It is tricky to know what is “too much” and what is “insufficient” when it comes to relevant knowledge and understanding for the shorter 4- and 6-mark questions. These require answers that are less detailed than those for the SAQs of the old course.
On marking the end-of-year exams, I realised that many of my stronger students had given too much irrelevant detail and unnecessary evaluation in the early 4 and 6 mark questions, and had then run out of time on their essay question. This was most noticeable on Paper 1, where - as there was no Section C this time - they were unable to finish answering the second 1B question. Conversely, those who had less knowledge had given far too little detail for 1B, even though their responses were basically correct.
On reflection, I realised that I had not paid sufficient attention to explaining the top-band descriptors for 1A and 1B, both of which require knowledge to be “detailed”. Detailed knowledge has to be everything that is totally relevant to the question and answers it directly, but examples are needed for students and teachers. Some can be found here. The example of Maguire is particularly helpful in identifying how much detail is needed.
Irrelevant detail – a common problem with Q1A
Question: Describe the role of one chemical messenger in one behaviour.
Answer: Hormones and neurotransmitters are both chemical messengers. Neurotransmitters work through neurotransmission across the synaptic gap between neurons. They carry electro-chemical signals from one neuron to another. An electrical signal travels down the neuron’s axon before reaching the terminal buttons where vesicles release the neurotransmitter into the synapse. They then cross the synapse to the post-synaptic neuron, where they are taken up and affect behaviour. One chemical messenger that influences behavior is the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which acts in the hippocampus to encode spatial memory. Its action can be blocked in the brain and body by the drug scopolamine.
An example of the role of acetylcholine in spatial memory was shown by Antonova et al.’s (2011) double-blind experiment conducted on 20 males with a mean age of 28. They randomly assigned participants to either scopolamine or a placebo before they completed a spatial memory task while in an fMRI scanner.
Before the experiment, participants were trained to use the joystick and understand the game rules. During the experiment, brain activity was measured across six trials.
Participants returned 3–4 weeks later and repeated the experiment, receiving the opposite treatment. This used a repeated measures design.
Researchers found that participants who received scopolamine showed significantly less activity in the hippocampus compared to those receiving the placebo, and made more errors in the task. This demonstrates that acetylcholine plays an important role in encoding spatial memory.
This answer is too long, at 232 words. Removing the parts in italics would reduce it to a 113-word response that answers the question directly and should gain marks in the top band. Although positive marking means they should get top band marks, even for the long answer, sometimes the relevant information gets hidden amongst irrelevancies. Moreover, even though there is no penalty for lack of focus (see below), there is definitely a time penalty for a long answer when there are only 4 marks available!
Q1A top band descriptor
Insufficient detail – a common problem with Q1B
As a teacher you have noticed that poor communication between class members is affecting how students work together. You have been asked to suggest a strategy to improve cooperation within the class.
Question: Explain how social learning theory could be used to achieve this goal.
Answer: Social learning theory is the theory that we learn behaviour by imitating role models. This is a strategy that could be used in this case. Somebody in the class who the others like and respect could model cooperation and then the others would be motivated to copy this.
This answer is basically correct but is not nearly developed enough. To get in the top band, the answer needs to do the following:
- Describe social learning theory in detail, using the relevant vocabulary, to demonstrate knowledge and understanding. Terms explained should include role model, vicarious reinforcement and motivation at a minimum. The processes of attention, retention and imitation could also be used and applied to the example.
- The example needs to show how a strategy would use the social processes of identification with the role model or models to gain attention, and vicarious reinforcement to create motivation to imitate the cooperative behaviour.
Q1B top band descriptor
Tips
It will help students if they think of a relevant everyday example or a study for their Q1A and then ensure that their description or explanation of the theory or content point includes key ideas that can be directly illustrated in the example. This prevents the situation where a good description or explanation has no example or an irrelevant example.
With Q1B, there will either be a short description of a study or a scenario, so the example is provided. The next step is to make sure that the relevant key ideas and processes of the theory are explicitly applied to the study or scenario in order to answer the question.