Explain what is meant by 'unrealistic optimism' (Weinstein, 1980) in relation to individual factors in changing health beliefs.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2020). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [2] Unrealistic optimism is an error of judgment where individuals perceive others to be of greater risk of illness and harm than themselves. Individuals see themselves as invulnerable to disease.
2. [4] This was an independent groups design experiment using 200 High School students (mean age 15 years), exposed to a lecture and administered questionnaires three times to record emotional reactions. Group 1 (50 students) was the High Fear Arousal Group, receiving a lecture on dental hygiene including slides of diseased mouths and explanations of diseases like cancer. Group 2 (50 students) was the Moderate Fear Arousal Group, receiving a similar lecture but with less disturbing pictures. Group 3 (50 students) was the Minimal Fear Arousal Group, given a lecture about teeth and cavities without pictures or consequences. A Control group (50 students) was given a lecture on the structure of the human eye. Questionnaires were administered one week before, immediately after, and one week after the lecture to gauge emotional reaction and level of conformity.
3. [varies] Protection from harm – those in high or moderate fear arousal condition may have been distressed seeing pictures and hearing explanations of serious illnesses. Furthermore, those in the high arousal group may be so affected that they could be less likely to visit the dentist as a result.
4. [varies] Lack of informed consent – students only around 15 years old. It is not clear if students gave consent or if consent was given for them. This may raise further issues of deception and protection if they or their parents were not given all the information about what they were going to be experiencing.
5. [varies] Confidentiality – participants' names and other identifiers protected by researchers.
6. [varies] Deception - it could be argued that the extreme descriptions in the high fear arousal group were due to other factors other than simply hygiene (smoking, for example) so misleading.
7. [varies] Right of withdrawal as the participants are high school students and attending a lecture they may feel that they have to continue with the study.
8. [varies] Debrief - candidates may discuss the value of a debrief in relation to the study despite not being evidenced in the paper.