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EnglandPsychology

Component 2: Core studies - Individual differences (measuring differences)

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Can intelligence tests be biased and misused to make unfair claims about whole groups of people?

Classic study: Gould (1982), A nation of morons. Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and the misuse of intelligence testing.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the classic individual differences study, Gould (1982) A nation of morons. Covers the aim, the review of Yerkes' Army IQ tests, the cultural bias and flawed administration, the misuse of the data in immigration policy, evaluation, and links to Hancock and the individual differences area.
14 min answer →

Do adults with autism have a specific difficulty reading complex mental states from the eyes?

Contemporary study: Baron-Cohen et al. (1997), Another advanced test of theory of mind (the Eyes Task). Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and Freud.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the contemporary individual differences study, Baron-Cohen et al. (1997) Eyes Task. Covers the aim, the quasi-experiment comparing autism, Tourette and control groups, the theory-of-mind findings, evaluation, real-world application, and links to Freud and the individual differences area.
14 min answer →

Do psychopaths reveal their distinctive way of thinking in the language they use to describe their crimes?

Contemporary study: Hancock et al. (2011), Hungry like the wolf: a word-pattern analysis of the language of psychopaths. Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and Gould.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the contemporary individual differences study, Hancock et al. (2011) on the language of psychopaths. Covers the aim, the computerised text-analysis method with convicted murderers, the cause-and-effect language and basic-needs findings, evaluation, socially sensitive research, and links to Gould and the individual differences area.
14 min answer →

Can a childhood phobia be explained by unconscious conflicts described in psychodynamic theory?

Classic study: Freud (1909), Analysis of a phobia in a five-year-old boy (Little Hans). Aim, method, results and conclusions, evaluation, and links to the individual differences area and the psychodynamic perspective.
An OCR A-Level Psychology answer to the classic individual differences study, Freud (1909) Little Hans. Covers the aim, the case-study method, the horse phobia, the Oedipus complex interpretation, evaluation of the psychodynamic perspective, and links to Baron-Cohen and the individual differences area.
15 min answer →