AS psychology Exam guide and revision

workbook
Work through the exercises in this booklet to help
you with your revision.

You still need to learn it.

This booklet will help you to structure your answers

to maximise your marks in the exam.

Past exam papers and mark schemes

Go to www.aqa.org.uk and find the past papers and mark schemes for Psychology B.
Look through the papers, have a go at the questions then mark them yourself with the
mark scheme. You could even swap with someone else and get them to mark your
work.
This will help you understand what the examiner is looking for in each style of
question.

Unit 1: key approaches and biopsychology

10 mark question answer framework.
Use this framework to help you structure your answer. Fill out one sheet for each
approach, put the AO1 (description) in one colour and the AO2 (evaluation) in another.

The biological approach

The first basic assumption - genes

The second basic assumption biological structures

The third basic assumption evolution of behaviour

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The biological approach is deterministic because

This contrasts with the humanistic approach which

Evaluation point 2 - The biological approach is highly scientific because

This contrasts with the psychodynamic approach which uses

Evaluation point 3 - The biological approach is reductionist because

The behaviourist approach is also reductionist because

The behaviourist approach

The first basic assumption born a blank slate

The second basic assumption classical conditioning

The third basic assumption operant conditioning

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The behaviourist approach is deterministic because

This contrasts with the humanistic approach which

Evaluation point 2 - The behaviourist approach is highly scientific because

This contrasts with the psychodynamic approach which

Evaluation point 3 - The behaviourist approach is reductionist because

The biological approach is also reductionist because

The social learning theory approach

The first basic assumption learning through observation

The second basic assumption modelling

The third basic assumption mediating cognitive factors

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The SLT approach is reductionist because

This contrasts with the humanistic approach which

Evaluation point 2 - The SLT approach is highly scientific because

This contrasts with the psychodynamic approach which

Evaluation point 3 - The SLT approach uses lab experiments which are artificial
because

The behaviourist approach is also uses lab studies

The cognitive approach

The first basic assumption internal mental processes

The second basic assumption use of models

The third basic assumption computer analogy

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The cognitive approach is mechanistic because

This contrasts with the humanistic approach which

Evaluation point 2 The cognitive approach is highly scientific because

This contrasts with the psychodynamic approach which

Evaluation point 3 - The cognitive approach is reductionist because

The biological approach is also reductionist because

The Psychodynamic approach

The first basic assumption role of the unconscious

The second basic assumption psychosexual stages

The third basic assumption The structure of the personality

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The psychodynamic approach is deterministic because

This contrasts with the humanistic approach which

Evaluation point 2 - The psychodynamic approach is not scientific because

This contrasts with the behaviourist approach which

Evaluation point 3 - The psychodynamic approach is NOT reductionist because

This contrasts with the biological approach which is reductionist because

The humanistic approach

The first basic assumption free will

The second basic assumption self and self actualisation

The third basic assumption conditions of worth

Briefly describe 1 study (elaboration)

Evaluation point 1 - The humanistic approach is NOT deterministic because

This contrasts with the biological approach which

Evaluation point 2 - The humanistic approach is not scientific because

This compares to the psychodynamic approach which also is not scientific

Evaluation point 3 - The humanistic approach is ethnocentric because

The psychodynamic approach is also ethnocentric because

Biopsychology
Fill out the table, writing out a brief definition of the key terms that you need to learn for
biopsychology.
Key term
Neuron
Dendrite
Nucleus
Axon
Terminal button
Collateral
branches
Action potential
Synapse
Sensory neuron
Motor neuron
Interneuron
Dopamine
Serotonin
Endorphins
Nervous system
PNS
CNS

Definition

Somatic nervous
system
Autonomic
nervous system
Sympathetic
nervous system
Parasympathetic
nervous system
Localisation of
function
Aphasia
Motor cortex
Sensory cortex
Visual cortex
Auditory cortex
Lateralisation of
function
Neurosurgery
Post mortem
examination
EEG
Electrical
stimulation
PET scan

10 mark questions on biopsychology

These questions could ask you to describe and evaluate
Twin studies and adoption studies
Methods used to identify cortical specialisation
The split in AO1 and AO2 is the same here as in the approaches essays AO1 = 5
marks, and AO2 = 5 marks. Your answer needs to be about 4 paragraphs long.
Describe and evaluate the following methods used by psychologists to
investigate the genetic basis of behaviour:

twin studies

adoption studies

Describe how twin studies are used in biopsychology:

Give an example of a study

Evaluate the use of twin studies

Describe how adoption studies are used:

Give an example of a study (e.g. Kety)

Evaluate the use of adoption studies

Discuss two of the following methods that have been used to investigate areas of
cortical specialisation in the brain:
neurosurgery
post-mortem examinations
scanning techniques
Describe how the first method is used in biopsychology:

Give an example

Evaluate the method

Describe how the second method is used:

Give an example

Evaluate the second method

Gender development
Complete the mind map for gender development. Help your revision by doing different
sections in different colours. Next, write a list of key words on one side of a page, and
their definitions on the other. Get someone to test you by giving you a key word and
then checking you know what it means.

Sex and
gender

Androgyny

Biological
Sexrole/stereoty
pes
Cultural variations

Gender Development
Nature and nurture

SLT
Cognitive

psychodyna
mic

Research methods
Practice exam questions:
Below are TWO practice exam questions based on actual exams. Complete the
questions, trying to do so without using your notes or textbook. Check your answers
afterwards with your notes.
1 A psychologist conducted an experiment to investigate whether sleep deprivation disrupts
participants problem solving.
A stratified sample of twenty participants was selected to take part in the study. In the
experiment, participants were presented with six different mathematical problems. In one
condition, ten participants were each required to solve six problems, having been deprived of
sleep for twenty-four hours prior to the study.
In the control condition, the remaining ten participants, who had not been deprived of sleep,
were each required to solve the same problems. Participants were allowed five minutes to
solve each problem. The total number of mathematical problems solved by each participant is
given in Table 1.
Table 1 The total number of mathematical problems solved by each participant in the
sleep-deprivation condition and control condition
Participant
Sleep deprivation
condition

Number of
mathematical
problems
solved

Participant
Control
condition

Number of
mathematical
problems
solved

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total

2
1
3
4
3
2
2
1
1
1

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Total

4
5
3
6
5
3
4
6
6
6

20

48

(a) Using the values given in Table 1,

(i) calculate the mean score for the sleep-deprivation condition and for the control condition;

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(ii) give the mode for the sleep-deprivation condition and for the control condition.
Label your answers clearly. (4 marks)

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(b) What do the total scores indicate about the effects of sleep deprivation? Justify your
answer. (2 marks)

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(c) Prior to the experiment, the psychologist conducted a pilot study. Outline why the
psychologist chose to do this. (2 marks)

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(d) Explain one problem that might have arisen if the psychologist had chosen to use a
repeated measures design in this study. (3 marks)

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(e) (i) The psychologist used stratified sampling to select the twenty participants. Outline what
is meant by stratified sampling. (2 marks)

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(ii) Identify one strength and one limitation of stratified sampling.

(2 marks)

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(f) Identify and explain one ethical issue that the psychologist should have taken into account
in this study. (3 marks)

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(g) Identify one strength and one limitation of the experimental method in psychology. (2
marks)

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3. Two psychologists observed a sample of 3-year-old children. To save time, the

sample was obtained from a nearby nursery. The aim was to investigate differences in
play behaviour between same-sex pairs and boy-girl pairs.
The children were observed playing together in a laboratory playroom containing a
selection of toys. The psychologists assigned the children to pairs. There were ten
boy-boy pairs, ten girl-girl pairs and ten boy-girl pairs.
As the children played, both psychologists recorded the frequency of friendly
behaviours for each pair. Friendly behaviours included sharing a toy, a positive verbal
response to the other child and a positive behaviour to the other child, such as smiling.
The frequency of friendly behaviours in same-sex and boy-girl pairs is shown in the
table below (Table 1).

Table 1: The frequency of friendly behaviours in same-sex and boy-girl pairs

Type of pair

Frequency of friendly behaviours

Girl-Girl

85

Boy-Boy

56

Boy-Girl

32

3 (a) What might the psychologists conclude from the results shown in Table 1?
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(3 marks)
3 (b) Draw an appropriate graphical display of the data presented in Table 1. Correctly
label your display.

(3 marks)
3 (c) Identify the dependent variable in this study.
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(1 mark)
3 (d) State an appropriate hypothesis for this study.
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(2 marks)

3 (e) (i) Identify the sampling method used by the psychologists in this study.
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(1 mark)
(ii) Explain one limitation of the sampling method that you have identified in your
answer to 3(e)(i).
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(2 marks)
3 (f) Explain one methodological reason why it was important for both psychologists to
observe the children in this study.

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(3 marks)
3 (g) (i) Identify one ethical issue raised by this study.
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(1 mark)

(ii) Explain how the issue which you have identified in your answer to 3(g)(i) could
have been addressed.
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(2 marks)
3 (h) The psychologists conducted follow-up interviews with the children.s nursery
school teachers.
(i) Write one closed question that might be used to obtain information about a child.s
play behaviour.
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(1 mark)

(ii) Write one open question that might be used to obtain information about a child.s
play behaviour.
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(1 mark)