To what extent do sociocultural factors influence the etiology of abnormal psychology?

Refer to the paper 2 assessment criteria when awarding marks. These can be found under the “Your tests” tab > supplemental materials.

The command term “to what extent” requires candidates to consider the contribution of sociocultural factors to the etiology of psychological disorders.

Examples of sociocultural factors include, but are not limited to:

• poverty and social stress
• social norms
• influences of international media
• processes of enculturation and acculturation.

Sociocultural factors” is a generic term so only one can be discussed (candidates do not have to address two different sociocultural factors).

Relevant research may include, but is not limited to:

• Becker et al.’s (2002) study investigating the influence of television on the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms, using questionnaire data and semi-structured interviews
• Brown and Harris’s (1986) study investigating the relationship between life events and depression in socially-disadvantaged females
• Noh and Kaspar’s (2002) study on the moderating effects of coping, acculturation and ethnic support relating to perceived discrimination and depression among Korean immigrants in Canada
• Chiao and Blizinsky’s (2010) study suggesting that cultural norms protect biologically vulnerable groups.

It is appropriate and useful for candidates to address biological and cognitive factors in order to respond to the command term “to what extent”.

Candidates may address one sociocultural factor in order to demonstrate depth of knowledge or may address a larger number of sociocultural factors in order to demonstrate breadth of knowledge. Both approaches are equally acceptable.

Candidates may discuss the extent to which sociocultural factors influence the etiology of one psychological disorder or may provide a more general response on the extent to which sociocultural factors influence the etiology of several psychological disorders. Both approaches are equally acceptable.

Question 2 may have been the most popular on the exam, and was, for the most part, answered well. Most candidates knew what sociocultural factors were, and used research that illustrated their effect within abnormal psychology. Popular examples of sociocultural factors were: poverty and social stress, cultural norms and processes of enculturation and acculturation.

However, some candidates failed to address the question fully since they attempted to discuss biological factors as their focus.