Bilingualism & Culture (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

Here is an example of a Paper 3 source and 3-mark SAQ using culture (HL extension) in the Learning & Cognition context:

Source 1:

Q1. Explain one limitation linked to the interpretation of the data in this source.

[3 marks]

Model answer:

A histogram shows continuous data, which means that they cannot show individual data points so it is unclear as to whether the data is based on much language switching from a few participants or an even distribution of switching between participants.

or

The histogram only shows the distribution of a single variable, not the relationship between two or more variables. This means that the frequency of language switching may not simply be a product of age but of other factors such as education level, personality variables, bilingualism within the family, etc.

Guidance

• Use only the information provided by the graph/chart: do not 'invent' data or make assumptions as to what may be behind the data, e.g., why bilingualism appears to impact 50-60 year-olds the most

• Do not write too much – there are only 3 marks available for this question and you need time to complete the higher-value questions on this paper

• The question is asking for one limitation so don't provide two or more, as you will not be rewarded for this

• The question is asking for what limits interpretation of the data so don't waste time/marks by stating any advantages/strengths