Two friends, Himmat and Urvi, are discussing the individual and situational explanations for behaviour in relation to the study by Canli et al. (brain scans and emotions). Himmat thinks the study supports the individual explanation but Urvi thinks the study supports the situational explanation. Explain one reason why Himmat is correct and one reason why Urvi is correct, using evidence from this study. Himmat (individual explanation) Urvi (situational explanation)

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Feb/Mar 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] The individual explanation states that we behave because of our personality.
2. [1] Different personalities will perceive images in different ways / have different responses.
3. [1] There were individual differences in how each scene was rated by participants.
4. [1] The situational explanation states that we behave because of the environment we find ourselves in / our surroundings / other people around us.
5. [1] The situation of experiencing similar scenes prior to the study may have affected the results.
6. [1] It may have been easier for some participants to remember / be familiar with scenes that they had already experienced.
7. [1] The situation of viewing slides whilst having an fMRI can may have affected recall.
8. [1] Participants may have been more anxious/stressed/emotional than usual.