Energy level scheme for Helium

[silverwhale]

The problem is number 5.10 in Griffths introduction to quantum mechanics, It goes as follows:

Discuss (qualitatively) the energy level scheme for helium if (a) electrons were identical bosons, and (b) if electrons were distinguishable particles (but with same mass and charge). Pretend these "electrons" still have spin 1/2, so the spin configurations are the singlet and the triplet.

I got very random ideas to solve this problem, the boson wave function being symmetric then the spatial wave function should be antisymmetric for the singlet configuration and symmetric for the triplet configuration, so the energy level schemes for orthohelium and parahelium are reversed.
First question, is this correct at all?
Second question, bosons are particles with integer spin should I consider this?

For distinguishable particles no symmetry requirement is made, so the particle can occupy any configuration, and the parahelium and orthohelium energy level scheme superimpose??

Thanks for your help!

 

[NateD]

Your ideas are in the right direction. Yes, if the electrons are identical bosons, then they must obey the Bose-Einstein statistics and the wavefunction must be symmetric for the triplet configuration and antisymmetric for the singlet configuration. For distinguishable particles, no symmetry requirement is necessary, so the particle can occupy any configuration. The energy level schemes for parahelium and orthohelium will not be reversed, but the same.