After a review of what each of the command terms means, try to determine what it would mean for each of the IB exam questions below.
Clicking on the "hidden box," you will be able to see what examiners are expecting for each of the questions.
The command terms
It is important to understand the official IB definitions of the command terms, but here is a shortcut to help you interpret the rather complex ideas behind the terms.
Outline - Demonstrate brief, general understanding.
Describe - Tell what you know about the topic in as much detail as possible. Always be careful to understand what you are being asked to describe.
Explain - For this command term, always ask the question “why?” Show why something works. Show understanding of cause and effect relationships.
Discuss - Present an argument using evidence. Think globally. In other words, do not just evaluate research, but have a more holistic discussion relevant to the question. Pretend that you are answering the question without evidence!
Evaluate - Strengths and limitations! For theories - remember TEACUP!
Contrast - Discuss the differences between two theories, approaches, or methods.
To what extent - You always need to present another side of the argument or an alternative explanation.
The Task
For each of the following questions, what exactly is expected in the response with regard to the command term?
1. Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies in the biological approach.
The important thing about what to discuss in this question is ethical considerations. So, deception. Why is deception done in biological research - for example, a placebo? What is meant by "undue" in undue stress or harm? How does the use of animals complicate ethical considerations? You should not simply choose 2 to 3 studies and discuss the ethical issues with those studies, but need to take a holistic look at ethical considerations at this level of analysis.
2. Explain the effect of one hormone on human behaviour.
First, you need to identify a hormone - for example, cortisol. Then you need to explain how it affects a behaviour, which could include a cognitive process. So, if you are talking about cortisol, you would explain the role of cortisol and how it is released during the stress response. You would also explain how cortisol affects the hippocampus, leading to atrophication or hippocampal cell death. This eventually leads to lower levels of acetylcholine receptor sites which are responsible for the transfer of information from STM to LTM. Simply stating that cortisol impedes the transfer of STM to LTM is not an explanation. You need to explain the actual reason why this happens.
3. Outline social identity theory with reference to one study.
Outline means that you need to demonstrate brief and general understanding. You do not need to go into a lot of detail of the theory, but you do need to link it to an appropriate study.
4. Discuss one or more effects of globalization on human behaviour.
With this question, you need to create a holistic argument about how globalization make affect behaviour. That means that you should not simply describe studies of globalization, although that may be part of your response. The question is bigger than that. What are the general issues with studying globalization? For example, the difficulty of operationalizing one's global vs. local identity. Globalization is difficult to measure. You might also want to explore the question of the assumptions that are made - and the difficulty of carrying out empirical research that can be replicated.
5. Describe the use of one research method in the cognitive approach to studying human behaviour.
The important thing is that you have to describe the research method - not just the study. This means that you should describe in quite a bit of detail what an experiment (or interview, observation, or case study) actually is before you give your example.
6. To what extent does one evolutionary argument explain one human behaviour?
To what extent means that you have to discuss both sides of the argument. In this case, it would mean that you should provide evidence of an evolutionary explanation of a behaviour - e.g. mating behaviour and MHC - and then show other evidence that either appears to contradict the theory or provide an argument from a different approach.
7. Discuss the use of one technique in investigating the brain and behaviour in the biological approach.
Once again, discuss requires a general discussion and not simply an evaluation of studies. Why is brain imaging used to study behaviour? What are the advantages and disadvantages overall? Are we too dependent on brain imaging technology?
8. Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process.
Evaluate means that you have to outline the strengths and the limitations of one theory. Notice, you are supposed to evaluate the theory, not research. If we look at a theory like Flashbulb memory, what can we say about the theory? Think about TEACUP. Is the theory testable? Is there evidence to support it? (In this case, biological support?) Are there applications of the theory? Is the construct of flashbulb memories measurable? Is the theory culturally biased? Does the theory help us to predict human behaviour? Evaluating research may be part of your response, but a strong response takes a more holistic approach to discussing the theory.
9. With reference to relevant research studies, to what extent is one cognitive process reliable?
To what extent means that you have to discuss both sides of the argument. In this case, you have to give examples that show that the memory is reliable and that it is not. If you only choose research that shows that memory is not reliable, the command term has not been met.
10. Contrast two explanations of abnormal psychology.
Contrast asks you to look at the differences. For example, if you are looking at a biological vs a sociocultural approach to depression, you might write about that one is reductionist and the other holistic; one is more deterministic than the other; one is based on experimental research whereas the other is based on case studies and interviews, taking a more qualitative approach; one assumes the universality of the disorder whereas the other can explain changes in prevalence, as well as cultural and gender manifestations of the disorder.
IB Docs (2) Team
The following task asks you to think more carefully about command terms.
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