The Beck depression inventory (BDI) includes 21 items, all of which are assessed on a four-point scale. One of the items is 'irritation', as shown below. 0 I am no more irritated by things than I ever was. 1 I am slightly more irritated now than usual. 2 I am quite annoyed or irritated a good deal of the time. 3 I feel irritated all the time.

Mark scheme

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

1. [2] Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited): Q1 sad, Q2 future discouraged, Q3 feel like failure, Q4 no satisfaction/enjoyment, Q5 guilt, Q6 punished, Q7 disappointed, Q8 feeling worse/blame self, Q9 thoughts of killing self, Q10 crying, Q12 lost interest, Q13 decision-making, Q14 look worse/unattractive, Q15 working well/push hard, Q16 sleep, Q17 tiredness (fatigue), Q18 appetite, Q19 lost weight, Q20 health, Q21 lost interest in sex.
2. [1] Marks: 1 mark for correct identification of item. X2
3. [4] Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited): Beck (1979) believes that people react differently to aversive stimuli because of the thought patterns that they have built up throughout their lives. Schemas (core beliefs) are formed in early life, and include self-blame schema and ineptness schema. A person has negative automatic thoughts (NATs). The negative cognitive triad, comprises unrealistically negative views about the self, the world and the future.
4. [1] Marks: 1 mark basic answer (basic e.g. faulty cognition or cognitive triad.)
5. [2-4] 2-4 marks detailed answer/elaboration (e.g. what cognitive triad involves).
6. [0] 0 marks for learned helplessness or attribution theory. 0 marks for description of BDI.
7. [2] Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited):
8. [1] Reliability: test-retest (way of judging reliability by administering the same test to the same person on two different occasions and comparing the result).
9. [1] Reliability: split half (splitting a test in two halves and administering each half to the same person. The two scores should match).
10. [1] Marks: 1 mark basic answer (e.g. identification of term)
11. [2] 2 marks detailed answer/elaboration (term does not need to be identified).
12. [0] 0 marks for inter-rater reliability; 0 marks for 'comparing with other studies'; 0 marks for definition.
13. [2] Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited):
14. [1] Validity: concurrent validity – compared with an alternative measure
15. [1] Face validity – it looks like it measures depression.
16. [1] Other types of validity, but not ecological validity.
17. [1] Marks: 1 mark basic answer (e.g. identification of term), 2 marks detailed answer/elaboration.
18. [5] Most likely answer (other appropriate responses to be credited):
19. [1] Strengths: Asking people directly means that participants are given the opportunity to express their feelings and explain their behaviour rather than the researcher trying to work out reasons for their behaviour from other methods
20. [1] Relatively large numbers of participants can be done relatively easily.
21. [1] Questionnaires are easy to replicate.
22. [1] Data can be qualitative, but may also be quantitative depending on type of question
23. [1] Quantitative data (as used in this inventory) can be scored and compared to all other people completing the questionnaire.
24. [1] Weaknesses: Some participants may provide socially desirable responses; not give truthful answers; respond to demand characteristics.
25. [1] Closed/fixed choice questions may force them to choose answers that do not reflect their true opinion and therefore may lower the validity.
26. [1] Researchers have to be careful about use of leading questions; it could affect the validity of the data collected.
27. [1] Conclusion: any appropriate conclusion drawn from the discussion that has been presented. 1 mark if appropriate. A conclusion is a 'decision reached by reasoning' and so a summary of points already made scores 0 marks.
28. [1] Marks: Question requires discussion; always plural of each argument, and always requires conclusion.
29. [1] 1 mark for each advantage/disadvantage (however detailed) and related to the question up to 4 max. 2 marks max for two strengths/weaknesses unrelated to the question. 1 mark for conclusion.