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3 Scary and nasty beasts study With animal phobias being one of the most prevalent mental health disorders researchers wanted to investigate the creatures people found most scary and revolting - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 3 - 2021 - Paper 3
Question 3
3 Scary and nasty beasts study With animal phobias being one of the most prevalent mental health disorders researchers wanted to investigate the creatures people fo... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:3 Scary and nasty beasts study With animal phobias being one of the most prevalent mental health disorders researchers wanted to investigate the creatures people found most scary and revolting - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 3 - 2021 - Paper 3
Step 1
Explain one weakness of the scary and nasty beasts study in terms of validity.
Answer
One weakness of the study related to validity is that participants had to rate their own feelings of fear and disgust. This could lack accuracy because individuals may have felt embarrassed about expressing high levels of fear, leading to underestimated ratings. Therefore, the participants' responses may not be an accurate reflection of their true feelings toward the creatures.
Step 2
Using research evidence, explain how far evolution and natural selection could account for the findings of the scary and nasty beasts study.
Answer
Evolutionarily, people may have developed fears of certain creatures as a survival mechanism. For instance, the higher fear rating for the bull (3.84) compared to the pigeon (1.48) could stem from the bull's ability to pose a greater physical threat. Additionally, some spiders, known for their poisonous nature, can elicit a stronger disgust response, as seen in the higher ratings for spiders (4.39 fear and 4.47 disgust).
Research also supports the idea that learned behaviors contribute to fear responses. For example, Chester et al. (2015) identified a genetic link to aggression that could influence fear behaviors towards aggressive animals. Moreover, past experiences with creatures can lead individuals to mimic learned fears, demonstrating how evolutionary roots and passed-down traits may still play a role in modern reactions to certain species.