A-LevelPsychologyHealth psychology9990/41 · May/June 2018 · Q315 Marks

'Please don't make me sit in the middle!' Evans and Wener (2007) claim that sitting in the middle seat of a row of three and having their personal space invaded is the reason why people experience crowding and stress on public transport.

(a)Explain how salivary cortisol can be used to measure stress.[2]
(b)Give two advantages of measuring salivary cortisol.[4]
(c)Suggest two alternative physiological measures of stress and explain why each of these was not used in the Evans and Wener study.[4]
(d)Different ways to investigate stress can be more or less reductionist. Discuss the evidence that the approach taken by Evans and Wener is reductionist. You should consider both sides of the argument and include a conclusion.[5]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[1] salivary cortisol is a hormone produced in stressful situations (as is adrenaline)
[1] saliva sample, collected in a salivette, can record levels of saliva giving an accurate measure of the extent of a stress response.
[2] salivary cortisol is reliable: all people produce salivary cortisol in stressful situations.
[2] Salivary cortisol is 'objective'; more difficult to be manipulated by a person.
[2] Salivary cortisol is easily collected (in a salivette) unlike previous studies where urine samples were collected.
[2] Participants are much more likely to participate than if a urine sample was needed.
[2] Urine sample – can measure the amount of adrenaline present in urine; not easy to take a sample on a train. People are less likely to agree to this than a saliva sample.
[2] Blood sample – can measure the amount of adrenaline present in blood; not easy to take a sample on a train. Taking blood is invasive and people may opt out; taking blood needs a sterile environment - not a train.
[2] GSR – can measure changes in skin conductance in stressful situations, but is unreliable.
[1] physiological measures are reliable.
[1] physiological measures are relatively more objective than subjective psychological responses.
[1] physiological measures provide quantitative data that can be analysed and compared.
[1] physiological measures may not be valid – they may measure stress before the measure is taken or anticipated stress to happen in the future, not the stressful event under investigation.
[1] physiological measures do not provide an explanation for the stress response.
[1] physiological measures isolate the response at that time and place; other factors may be responsible that are not considered in this study. Sitting in the middle may not be the only stressor for a person.
[1] Conclusion: any appropriate conclusion drawn from the discussion that has been presented.