Describe vs explain
Each topic for SAQs may be asked either with the “describe” or “explain” command term. Students must understand the difference between the two terms, as this is one of the common reasons that students earn only mid-range marks on their exams.
Describe vs. explain - student copy
Describe
Describe asks students to address “what” when answering the question. They may be asked to describe a concept, a theory, or a study.
When asked to describe something, they should:
Concept: Describe the characteristics of the concept, e.g. a cultural dimension
Theory: Write as much detail as possible about the mechanisms/components of the theory.
A study: What did the researcher do? Write as much detail as possible when describing the procedure of a study.
Explain
Explain asks students to address “why” when answering the question. They may be asked to explain a concept, a theory, or a study.
Explanation is also accomplished by linking the study to the concept or theory. In other words, how does this study show the theory or concept? (Or why did you choose this study?)
When asked to explain something, they should:
Concept: Address the concept's significance or why we think this behavior exists.
Theory: Address why we behave the way we do with regard to the theory.
A study: Why did the researchers make the choices that they did? For example, why did they use an experiment? Why was their procedure important in supporting the theory? Why did they choose a specific sample? Why did they have certain controls?
For each of the following questions, how would you approach the question differently based on the command term?
- Describe one cultural dimension with reference to one study.
- Explain one cultural dimension with reference to one study.
Describe: Students should write as much information describing the cultural dimension as they can. For example, when describing the I-C dimension, they may include that the individualistic cultures value achievement, uniqueness, and independence. They also value privacy while also believing that one's opinion is important. Collectivistic cultures, however, value tradition, interdependence, and social harmony/conformity. They do not value privacy and they believe that one's opinions should not be shared if they may cause tension with others.
Explain: To explain why the I-C cultural dimension exists, students may write about food accumulation systems. As we see in Berry's study, cultures based on agriculture must work together to feed the community. As a result, the values of collectivistic cultures are important. On the other hand, the Inuits were hunters where working together is not so important and independence is valued.
- Describe social identity theory with reference to one study.
- Explain social identity theory with reference to one study.
Describe: Students should describe the mechanisms of social identity. This means that they should describe social categorization, social identification, and social comparison. They may also include other aspects of the theory like in-group bias, out-group homogeneity, and salience.
Explain: To meet the explain command term, the roles of each of the mechanisms should be explained. For example, social comparison occurs to justify one's membership in a group. By comparing to the out-group, one feels better about being in their in-group, increasing one's self-esteem. Social categorization simplifies the overwhelming amount of information we encounter daily. By categorizing people into groups, we reduce cognitive load and make quick judgments about others.
- Describe one study social cognitive theory.
- Explain one study social cognitive theory.
Describe: The key to a good description is to describe the study - not to spend a lot of time describing social cognitive theory. The theory should be described in terms of its research method, aim, procedure, and findings. There should be good detail and appropriate use of terminology.
Explain: In addition to the description of the study, students must explain how this study demonstrates some aspect of the theory.