studies

Question 1

Nakonz and Shik
Russel et al

Question 2

Evaluate the classic study by Brady (1958) in terms of reliability and validity. (8) marks

Answer 2

• Four pairs of rhesus monkeys were used, in each pair one was the ‘executive’ that had responsibility for decision making to prevent the electric shock happening to both monkeys in the pair.* There is low validity in the task that the monkeys were conditioned to undertake as primates would not need to make decisions about electric shocks in the wild, limiting the validity of the findings to real life stressors.
• Monkey pairs received electric shocks at 20 second intervals over a period of 6 hours for a 3-week period, they then had 6 hours ‘off’ where they had no shocks.* It would be possible to re-test on more primates to check for consistency in findings about stress as there was a very clear and standardised procedure that Brady (1958) used with the monkeys.
• Brady (1958) operationalised psychological stress levels as the decision-making process that executive monkeys had to make when pressing the lever on time to stop the shock, or not * There may be a lack of reliability in the interpretation of what caused the monkey’s ulcers, as understanding the psychological perception of stressors in primates is a subjective measure.
• Only the executive monkeys and not the yoked monkeys developed severe stomach ulcers which Brady (1958) concluded was due to the stress and not the electric shock. * The study has predictive validity as Deding et al. (2016) also found that people with high levels of perceived stress were at greater risk of developing peptic ulcers.

Question 3

In health psychology, you will have learned about the following classic study in detail:
* Brady (1958) Ulcers in executive monkeys.
Assess whether this study can be applied to the effects of stress in humans. (8)

Answer 3

• Brady (1958) tested 8 rhesus monkeys in pairs by subjecting one to a stressor.* Rhesus monkeys may not represent people as their physiology/brain functioning differs, so is not generalisable to effects of human stress.
• Each executive monkey was responsible for pressing a lever and was shocked if this was not completed on time. * Humans do not usually receive electric shocks for not completing tasks, lowering task validity to human experiences of stress.
• The creation of stress in the executive monkey was the psychological stress of decision responsibility. * Michie (2002) found human stress can result from responsibility so Brady’s findings may be generalisable to effects in the human population.
• The conditioned monkeys from all four pairs of monkeys died between 9 and 48 days of the experiment due to developing ulcers from the stress.* Selye (1951) claimed stress also results in stomach ulcers in the human population, so Brady’s (1958) study is supporting evidence
  for the effects of stress in the human population.

Question 4

15 Evaluate the classic study by Brady (1958). (8)

Answer 4

・ The monkeys were allocated according to how quickly they learned to avoid shock. ・ By not using random allocations the experimental design is biased so the conclusions are less valid.

・ The executive monkeys were not given any warning that they would be shocked so they could not avoid this. ・ Evidence from Weiss (1972) suggests a warning signal reduces the likelihood of developing stress-related stomach ulcers.

・ Brady only tested non-human animals for stress reactions.・ The generalisation from animal studies to human beings is
limited.

・ The monkeys experienced shocks at 20 second intervals for 6 hours at a time over a 3 week period. ・ The study can be considered unethical according to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 as some of the executive monkeys actually died.

Question 5

In your studies of health psychology, you will have learned about the following contemporary study in detail:
Nakonz and Shik (2009).
Evaluate the study by Nakonz and Shik (2009) in terms of reliability and validity. (8)

Question 6

In health psychology, you will have learned about the following contemporary study
in detail:
* Nakonz and Shik (2009) And all your problems are gone: religious coping
strategies among Phillipine migrant workers in Hong Kong.
Assess the credibility of the study by Nakonz and Shik (2009).(8)

Question 7

Evaluate Nakonz and Shik’s (2009) study. (8)

Question 8

In your studies of health psychology, you will have learned about one of the following
contemporary studies in detail:
* Russell et al. (2015) Adaptation of an adolescence coping assessment for
therapeutic recreation and outdoor adventure settings.
Evaluate your chosen contemporary study in terms of reliability and validity. (8)