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A-Level · Psychology

PSY.PSYP4 Characteristics of OCD: Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive

AQA 7182 · Calculators not allowed · about 40 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

At least four answers should be written in full sentences. Time guidance: 40 minutes for the whole pack.

Outline two behavioural characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as described on the AQA specification, naming each characteristic.

(Total for Question 1 is 2 marks)

Outline two emotional characteristics of OCD, giving a brief example for each in the context of a person with contamination fears.

(Total for Question 2 is 2 marks)

Outline two cognitive characteristics of OCD, describing how they affect thought processes.

(Total for Question 3 is 3 marks)

Vignette: Amelia refuses to touch doorknobs at work and asks a colleague to open doors for her. She spends at least 30 minutes each day cleaning her hands until they bleed. Identify which behavioural characteristic of OCD is shown and justify your answer using evidence from the vignette.

(Total for Question 4 is 3 marks)

Vignette: Kwame is constantly preoccupied by intrusive thoughts that his stove is on and fears he will cause a fire. Even though he knows this is unlikely, the thoughts keep returning and he mentally rehearses checking scenarios to calm himself. Which cognitive characteristic does this show and why? Give two points.

(Total for Question 5 is 4 marks)

Vignette: Priya feels overwhelming disgust when she thinks she has touched money. She reports intense shame and avoids handling cash, feeling guilty even though she knows there is no health risk. Identify the emotional characteristics shown and explain how they differ from normal worry.

(Total for Question 6 is 4 marks)

Outline one way in which someone with OCD might show poor insight into their obsessions and one way they might show good insight, referring to cognitive characteristics.

(Total for Question 7 is 3 marks)

Vignette: Yusuf checks the locks on his front door five times every evening, often returning from bed to check again. His partner calls it excessive but Yusuf feels enormous relief after checking. Which behavioural characteristic is illustrated and how does it function to reduce anxiety? Give two marks.

(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)

Explain one strength and one limitation of using vignette case studies to assess whether a behaviour reflects an OCD characteristic, with brief why-it-matters statements.

(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)

Vignette: Callum experiences intrusive thoughts that he might accidentally harm his young niece. He spends hours imagining rituals that would prevent harm and rates his distress as very high. Which two characteristics (from behavioural, emotional or cognitive) does this vignette show? Name each and justify with a phrase from the vignette.

(Total for Question 10 is 4 marks)

Outline and briefly evaluate how avoidance as a behavioural characteristic of OCD can maintain the disorder. Refer to the consequence for anxiety to support your evaluation.

(Total for Question 11 is 6 marks)

Explain how the cognitive characteristic of hypervigilance to threat can increase emotional distress in someone with OCD. Give two linked points.

(Total for Question 12 is 6 marks)

Discuss, using examples, how behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD can interact in a single case to maintain the disorder. Your answer should combine knowledge of the characteristics with application to an imagined case.

(Total for Question 13 is 10 marks)

Mark scheme · PSY.PSYP4 Characteristics of OCD: Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive

Question 1

B1 identifies compulsive, repetitive behaviours performed to reduce anxiety or prevent a feared event, e.g. repeated hand washing or checking
B1 identifies avoidance of situations that trigger obsessions, e.g. avoiding public toilets or avoiding leaving the house
Answer: Compulsive, repetitive behaviours performed to reduce anxiety; avoidance of situations that trigger obsessions.

Question 2

B1 identifies high anxiety and distress, e.g. intense fear or panic when touching perceived contaminants
B1 identifies feelings of disgust or excessive guilt, e.g. feeling dirty or morally responsible even after cleaning
Answer: High anxiety and distress when exposed to perceived contamination; feelings of disgust or excessive guilt even after cleaning.

Question 3

M1 identifies obsessive, intrusive thoughts that are recurrent and unwanted
A1 explains that these intrusions are experienced as uncontrollable and cause distress
B1 identifies hypervigilance to threat or excessive insight into the irrational nature of the obsessions
Answer: Recurrent intrusive obsessive thoughts that are unwanted and distressing; hypervigilance to perceived threat and often awareness that the thoughts are excessive or irrational.

Question 4

B1 identifies compulsive, repetitive behaviours (compulsions) such as excessive hand washing
B1 identifies avoidance behaviour, refusing to touch doorknobs and relying on others
A1 justifies with reference to time spent cleaning and physical harm (hands bleeding) and the explicit avoidance of triggers in the vignette
Answer: Compulsive repetitive behaviours and avoidance: Amelia repeatedly washes her hands for long periods (compulsion) and avoids touching doorknobs (avoidance), shown by asking a colleague to open doors and by washing until her hands bleed.

Question 5

B1 identifies intrusive, obsessive thoughts about causing a fire as the cognitive characteristic
B1 identifies cognitive coping strategies or mental rehearsal of checking as part of the response to obsessions
A1 explains that Kwame still has insight, since he knows the thoughts are unlikely yet they persist
A1 explains that the repetitive mental checking is an attempt to reduce anxiety produced by intrusive thoughts, linking cognition to behaviour
Answer: Intrusive obsessive thoughts with cognitive coping strategies: Kwame experiences recurring intrusive worries about a fire (obsessions), yet retains insight that it is unlikely, and uses mental rehearsal of checking to try to reduce anxiety.

Question 6

B1 identifies feelings of disgust and intense anxiety/distress related to touching money
B1 identifies excessive guilt or shame despite knowing there is no health risk
A1 explains that these emotions are excessive compared with normal worry because they are disproportionate to the objective danger
A1 explains that avoidance and persistent guilt impair functioning, unlike everyday fleeting worry which does not cause marked avoidance
Answer: Disgust and excessive guilt: Priya feels intense disgust and shame about touching money and avoids handling cash. These emotions are disproportionate to the actual risk and lead to avoidance and impairment, unlike normal worry which is usually brief and proportionate.

Question 7

M1 states poor insight example, e.g. believing obsessions are realistic and acting on them as if true
A1 explains consequence, e.g. leads to more extreme compulsive behaviour and distress
B1 states good insight example, e.g. recognising thoughts are irrational or excessive even though they are intrusive
Answer: Poor insight: believing obsessions are realistic and acting on them as if true, which can increase distress and compulsions. Good insight: recognising intrusive thoughts are irrational or excessive, even while they persist.

Question 8

B1 identifies repetitive checking compulsion as the behavioural characteristic
A1 explains that the checking reduces Yusuf's anxiety temporarily by providing reassurance
A1 explains that this reduction is short lived, maintaining the cycle of compulsion and obsession
Answer: Repetitive checking compulsion: Yusuf repeatedly checks locks and feels temporary relief; this relief reduces anxiety short term but maintains the compulsion cycle.

Question 9

M1 states a strength, e.g. vignettes allow precise application of diagnostic features to behaviour
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. helps students practise applying definitions and distinguishing OCD from normal behaviour
M1 states a limitation, e.g. vignettes lack richness of clinical assessment and contextual detail
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. may lead to over- or under-diagnosis since real-life impairment, duration and comorbidity are not shown
Answer: Strength: vignettes let you apply diagnostic features directly, useful for practising classification. Limitation: they lack clinical depth and context, risking misclassification because duration, severity and comorbidity are not apparent.

Question 10

B1 identifies cognitive characteristic: intrusive obsessive thoughts about harming niece
B1 identifies behavioural characteristic: ritualistic mental rehearsal or rituals to prevent harm
A1 justifies cognitive identification with phrase 'intrusive thoughts' or 'imagining' and 'distress as very high'
A1 justifies behavioural identification with phrase 'spends hours imagining rituals' linking to compulsive behaviour
Answer: Cognitive: intrusive obsessive thoughts about harming his niece. Behavioural: ritualistic mental rehearsal of rituals to prevent harm, shown by 'spends hours imagining rituals'.

Question 11

M1 outlines avoidance: avoiding situations or objects that trigger obsessions, e.g. avoiding public toilets or pets
A1 explains maintenance mechanism: avoidance prevents exposure and disconfirms feared outcomes, so anxiety is not relearned or reduced long term
M1 states an evaluative strength, e.g. avoidance explains why symptoms persist and links to behavioural theory of negative reinforcement
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. avoidance reduces immediate anxiety which reinforces the avoidance, maintaining OCD
M1 states an evaluative limitation, e.g. avoidance may reduce measurable distress but also leads to functional impairment and social withdrawal
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. treatment needs to address avoidance by exposure, so avoidance complicates clinical management
Answer: Avoidance involves staying away from triggers, which prevents disconfirmation of the feared outcome and so maintains anxiety through negative reinforcement. This explains persistence of symptoms and is consistent with behavioural theory, but avoidance also causes functional impairment and makes treatment harder because exposure is needed to break the avoidance cycle.

Question 12

M1 explains hypervigilance: heightened attention to perceived threats or potential contamination
A1 explains first link: constant scanning for threat increases perceived frequency of danger cues, raising anxiety levels
M1 explains second link: hypervigilance leads to more intrusive thoughts and triggers compulsive checking/avoidance
A1 explains consequence: increased compulsions and avoidance then increase distress and reduce functioning
M1 gives a brief real-world implication, e.g. hypervigilance may make tasks like shopping or socialising intolerably stressful
A1 explains why this matters, e.g. demonstrating clinical importance of addressing attention bias in therapy
Answer: Hypervigilance means constantly scanning for threats, which makes danger cues seem more frequent and raises anxiety; it also provokes more intrusive thoughts and compulsive checking or avoidance, increasing distress and impairing daily functioning, so addressing attention bias is clinically important.

Question 13

Level 4 (8-10): Detailed and accurate knowledge of behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics is shown. Discussion is balanced and explains how the characteristics interact with clear application to the imagined case. Evaluation is well developed, considering maintenance mechanisms and clinical implications. Specialist terms used accurately.
Level 3 (5-7): Good knowledge and some detail. Discussion explains interactions and applies to the case but may be less thorough. Evaluation is present but may be less developed. Answer is mostly clear.
Level 2 (3-4): Some knowledge of characteristics but limited detail. Interaction and application are attempted but are superficial. Little evaluative content.
Level 1 (1-2): Very limited content, simple or list-like, with little or no attempt to link characteristics or apply them.
Level 0 (0): No creditable content.
Indicative content:
- AO1: Define key characteristics briefly: behavioural (compulsions, repetitive acts, avoidance), emotional (anxiety, distress, disgust, guilt), cognitive (intrusive obsessions, insight, hypervigilance, cognitive strategies).
- AO2: Imagined case example, e.g. 'Erin believes door handles are contaminated. She feels disgust and intense anxiety when entering shops, has intrusive thoughts about becoming ill, checks her hands repeatedly and avoids public places.' Use this to illustrate interaction: intrusive thoughts lead to anxiety, which leads to compulsive hand washing and avoidance, which then prevents disconfirmation and maintains intrusive thoughts.
- AO1/AO2: Show bidirectional links: cognitive hypervigilance increases noticing of 'dirt' cues, raising emotional disgust and triggering compulsive cleaning; compulsions reduce anxiety short term reinforcing behaviour; avoidance reduces opportunities to learn the fear is unfounded.
- AO3: Evaluate maintenance mechanisms: negative reinforcement (anxiety reduction) and cognitive bias (attention to threat) explain persistence. Clinical implication: CBT with exposure and response prevention targets the behavioural and cognitive cycle, illustrating how understanding interactions informs treatment.
- AO3: Consider individual differences and limitations: not all sufferers show all characteristics or same severity; cultural and situational factors influence which triggers emerge; caution that vignettes may oversimplify real clinical assessment.

Characteristics of OCD: Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive - Worksheets, Questions and Revision