A Level
A Level Paper 4: Attachment and Mental Health
Caregiver-infant interactions and attachment types, explanations of attachment and cultural variations, definitions of abnormality and phobias, depression and OCD, issues and debates in psychology, plus research methods and statistics.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Depression and OCD
State two emotional characteristics of depression.
Question 2 [2 marks]
Explanations of Attachment and Cultural Variations
State two claims made by Bowlby's monotropic theory of attachment.
Question 3 [3 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Outline the 'deviation from social norms' definition of abnormality.
Question 4 [3 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
A researcher records the number of words recalled by five participants: 12, 15, 9, 18, 16.
Calculate the mean number of words recalled.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Explanations of Attachment and Cultural Variations
Outline the continuity hypothesis in relation to attachment.
Question 6 [3 marks]
Issues and Debates in Psychology
Outline what is meant by 'soft determinism'.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Caregiver-Infant Interactions and Attachment Types
State two features of insecure-resistant attachment as identified in the Strange Situation.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Depression and OCD
A patient's brain scan shows lower than typical activity in areas linked to serotonin and noradrenaline function, and the patient is later diagnosed with depression.
Use your knowledge of the neural explanation of depression to explain this finding.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
A study records the number of hours of sleep for six participants: 5, 6, 6, 8, 9, 4.
Calculate the range of these sleep times, and state what type of measure this is.
Question 10 [4 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Explain how stimulus generalisation was shown in Watson and Rayner's Little Albert study, and outline one ethical criticism of this research.
Question 11 [4 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
A psychologist carries out a content analysis of 200 magazine adverts and finds that 45 adverts show a stereotypically 'masculine' image.
Calculate the percentage of adverts that do NOT show a stereotypically 'masculine' image, to 1 decimal place.
Question 12 [4 marks]
Explanations of Attachment and Cultural Variations
Explain two criticisms of Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis.
Question 13 [5 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
Two independent groups complete a memory test. Group A (with distraction) scores 12, 14, 10, 16, 13. Group B (without distraction) scores 18, 20, 17, 19, 21.
Calculate the mean for each group and the difference between the means.
Question 14 [5 marks]
Depression and OCD
Brain scans of a patient with severe OCD show abnormally high activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and reduced serotonin activity compared with a person without OCD.
Use your knowledge of neural explanations of OCD to explain these findings.
Question 15 [6 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
Discuss peer review and its role in the scientific process in psychology.
Question 16 [6 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Discuss the different types of phobia, specific phobia, social anxiety and agoraphobia, including their similarities and differences.
Question 17 [6 marks]
Explanations of Attachment and Cultural Variations
Discuss the influence of early attachment on later childhood and adult relationships (the continuity hypothesis).
Question 18 [6 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Discuss systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias.
Question 19 [6 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Discuss the two-process model as an explanation of the acquisition and maintenance of phobias.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying persistent low mood/sadness as an emotional characteristic | 1 |
| identifying low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, as an emotional characteristic | 1 |
| Final answer: Emotional characteristics of depression include persistent low mood and low self-esteem. | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that infants form one particularly important attachment (monotropy), usually to the mother | 1 |
| identifying that this attachment acts as a template (internal working model) for future relationships | 1 |
| Final answer: Bowlby claimed infants form one primary, especially important attachment (monotropy), which acts as an internal working model for later relationships. | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that this definition views behaviour as abnormal when it violates unstated rules about acceptable conduct | 1 |
| noting these norms are specific to a particular culture or society and can change over time | 1 |
| a suitable example of behaviour that would be judged abnormal by this definition, e.g. talking loudly to oneself in a quiet public place | 1 |
| Final answer: Deviation from social norms is behaviour judged abnormal when it breaks unwritten, culturally specific rules of acceptable conduct. | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| adding the five values, 12 + 15 + 9 + 18 + 16 = 70 | M1 |
| dividing the total by the number of participants, 70 / 5 | M1 |
| a mean of 14 words | A1 |
| Final answer: Mean = 14 words | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the continuity hypothesis as the idea that the quality of a person's early attachment predicts the quality of their later relationships | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. securely attached infants tend to go on to form more trusting, longer-lasting relationships later in life | 1 |
| reference to Hazan and Shaver's 'love quiz' as a way this idea has been investigated, linking recalled early attachment style to later romantic relationships | 1 |
| Final answer: The continuity hypothesis proposes that early attachment quality predicts later relationship quality, investigated by studies such as Hazan and Shaver's love quiz. | |
| Question 6[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying soft determinism as the view that behaviour is constrained by internal or external causes, but some conscious mental choice remains possible within those constraints | 1 |
| contrasting this with hard determinism, which allows no free choice at all | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. the cognitive approach's assumption that thinking is caused but a person can still make some active choices in how they respond | 1 |
| Final answer: Soft determinism holds that behaviour is caused but some conscious choice remains within those constraints, unlike hard determinism, which allows no free choice; e.g. the cognitive approach. | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying high stranger anxiety as a feature of insecure-resistant attachment | 1 |
| elaborating that the infant is highly distressed by the presence of a stranger | 1 |
| identifying that insecure-resistant infants both seek and resist comfort from the caregiver at reunion | 1 |
| elaborating that the infant may remain difficult to soothe/settle even once comforted | 1 |
| Final answer: Insecure-resistant attachment shows high stranger anxiety and, at reunion, the infant both seeks and resists comfort from the caregiver, often remaining difficult to settle. | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying serotonin as a neurotransmitter implicated in mood regulation, with low activity associated with depression | 1 |
| identifying noradrenaline as similarly implicated in mood, with low activity linked to low energy and motivation | 1 |
| identifying this as the monoamine hypothesis, that depression results, at least in part, from reduced activity of these neurotransmitters | 1 |
| noting this explanation underpins drug treatments, such as antidepressants, that aim to increase the levels of these neurotransmitters | 1 |
| Final answer: Low serotonin and noradrenaline activity, linked to mood, energy and motivation, fits the monoamine hypothesis of depression, which underpins antidepressant drug treatments aimed at raising their levels. | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the highest value in the data set, 9 | M1 |
| identifying the lowest value in the data set, 4 | M1 |
| calculating the range as 9 - 4 = 5 hours | A1 |
| identifying the range as a measure of dispersion/spread of the data | 1 |
| Final answer: Range = 9 - 4 = 5 hours; the range is a measure of dispersion (spread) of the data. | |
| Question 10[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying stimulus generalisation as Albert's fear spreading from the rat to similar stimuli | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. a rabbit, a fur coat, or a Santa mask beard | 1 |
| identifying an ethical criticism, e.g. Albert was deliberately conditioned to feel fear, causing him psychological harm | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. there is no clear record that his conditioned fear was ever removed, and as an infant he could not give informed consent | 1 |
| Final answer: Albert's fear generalised to similar stimuli such as a rabbit or a fur coat; a key ethical criticism is that he was deliberately caused psychological harm with no informed consent and no clear record of his fear being removed. | |
| Question 11[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the number of adverts that do not show the image, 200 - 45 = 155 | M1 |
| setting up 155 / 200 x 100 | M1 |
| correct calculator evaluation before rounding | M1 |
| 77.5% | A1 |
| Question 12[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that the 44 thieves study, Bowlby's key supporting evidence, has been criticised on methodological grounds | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. Bowlby himself carried out both the interviews and the diagnosis of affectionless psychopathy, risking researcher bias | 1 |
| identifying that later research suggests good-quality substitute/later care can prevent much of the harm Bowlby predicted | 1 |
| elaborating that this questions Bowlby's claim that early deprivation inevitably causes serious, lasting damage | 1 |
| Final answer: Criticisms include potential researcher bias in the 44 thieves study, and later evidence that good-quality substitute care can prevent much of the predicted harm, questioning the claim that damage is inevitable. | |
| Question 13[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| summing Group A's scores, 12 + 14 + 10 + 16 + 13 = 65 | M1 |
| a Group A mean of 13 (65 / 5) | A1 |
| summing Group B's scores, 18 + 20 + 17 + 19 + 21 = 95 | M1 |
| a Group B mean of 19 (95 / 5) | A1 |
| a difference between the means of 6 (19 - 13) | A1 |
| Final answer: Group A mean = 13, Group B mean = 19, difference between the means = 6. | |
| Question 14[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying serotonin as a neurotransmitter implicated in OCD, with lower activity associated with the disorder | 1 |
| explaining that reduced serotonin activity is thought to disrupt normal transmission of mood-relevant information, contributing to OCD symptoms | 1 |
| identifying the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as a brain area implicated in OCD | 1 |
| explaining that abnormally high OFC activity may convert sensory information into intrusive, worrying thoughts/obsessions | 1 |
| noting the OFC's abnormal activity is thought to be linked to impaired functioning of the basal ganglia, which normally suppresses minor worry signals | 1 |
| Final answer: Low serotonin activity is linked to OCD, potentially disrupting mood-relevant transmission, while abnormally high orbitofrontal cortex activity, linked to impaired basal ganglia functioning, is thought to convert sensory information into intrusive obsessive thoughts. | |
| Question 15[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying peer review as the evaluation of research by other qualified experts in the same field before it is published | 1 |
| outlining its purpose, e.g. checking the validity, methodology and significance of the work before it reaches the wider scientific community | 1 |
| identifying a use of peer review, e.g. an academic journal deciding whether to publish a study, or a funding body deciding whether to fund proposed research | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. it helps maintain quality control and public confidence in published psychological research | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. reviewers may be biased against research that challenges their own established theories, potentially slowing scientific progress | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the process can be slow, potentially delaying the publication of important or urgent findings | 1 |
| Final answer: Peer review is expert evaluation before publication, supporting quality control, but risking reviewer bias against challenging findings and delaying urgent publication. | |
| Question 16[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining specific phobia, an excessive fear of one particular object or situation, with a suitable example | 1 |
| outlining social anxiety, an excessive fear of social or performance situations, with a suitable example | 1 |
| outlining agoraphobia, an excessive fear of situations that would be difficult to escape, with a suitable example | 1 |
| a similarity point, e.g. all three involve excessive, disproportionate fear and avoidance of the feared situation | 1 |
| a difference point, e.g. they differ in scope, from one specific trigger to a broad range of settings, which has implications for how treatment is targeted | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the range covered by 'phobia' means a single explanation, such as the two-process model, may not equally suit every type, since some, e.g. agoraphobia, are sometimes linked to panic disorder rather than a simple conditioning event | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline specific phobia, social anxiety and agoraphobia with examples; they share excessive fear and avoidance but differ in scope and trigger, meaning a single explanation may not suit every type equally well. | |
| Question 17[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining the continuity hypothesis, that the internal working model formed from early attachment shapes expectations and behaviour in later relationships | 1 |
| outlining supporting research, e.g. Hazan and Shaver's love quiz finding an association between recalled early attachment style and later romantic relationship quality | 1 |
| identifying a further area of application, e.g. later friendships or a person's own parenting style being linked to their early attachment type | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. much supporting evidence is correlational and relies on retrospective recall of early attachment, which may be unreliable | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. not every insecurely attached child goes on to have relationship difficulties, showing the link is probabilistic rather than certain | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the hypothesis has practical value, informing early intervention programmes aimed at improving parent-infant relationships | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline the continuity hypothesis and supporting research such as the love quiz; evaluate the reliance on correlational, retrospective evidence and the probabilistic (not certain) nature of the link, against its practical value for early intervention. | |
| Question 18[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining the fear hierarchy, arranging feared situations from least to most anxiety-provoking | 1 |
| outlining relaxation training and reciprocal inhibition as the mechanism of change | 1 |
| outlining counter-conditioning, replacing a fear response with a relaxation response to the same stimulus | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. research support finding systematic desensitisation effective in reducing phobic symptoms, including in vivo studies | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. it may be less suitable for phobias with an evolutionary survival component, such as a fear of the dark or heights | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. it is generally suitable for a wider range of clients than flooding, since it is more gradual and less distressing | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline the fear hierarchy, relaxation and counter-conditioning; evaluate with research support for effectiveness, its lesser suitability for evolutionarily prepared fears, and its comparative acceptability against more intense treatments such as flooding. | |
| Question 19[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining classical conditioning as the process by which a phobia is acquired, e.g. a neutral stimulus becoming associated with a fear response | 1 |
| outlining operant conditioning (negative reinforcement) as the process by which a phobia is maintained, through avoidance reducing anxiety | 1 |
| reference to a suitable finding supporting conditioning as a route to acquiring fear responses | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the model does not explain why not everyone who has a negative experience with a stimulus develops a phobia | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the model has led to effective, evidence-based treatments such as systematic desensitisation, supporting its practical value | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. some phobias appear with no identifiable conditioning event, which the two-process model struggles to explain | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline classical conditioning (acquisition) and operant conditioning/negative reinforcement (maintenance); evaluate with treatment success as support, but note explanatory gaps for phobias with no clear conditioning event. | |