A Level
A Level Paper 5: Whole-Course Review
Conformity and minority influence, memory models, eyewitness testimony and forgetting, caregiver-infant interactions and attachment types, the approaches in psychology, definitions of abnormality and phobias, depression and OCD, plus research methods and statistics.
Questions
Question 1 [3 marks]
Conformity and Minority Influence
Ben joins a debate society where every member confidently argues that the school day should start later.
Ben has never thought about this issue before, but after a few meetings he starts to agree.
Using Ben's example, explain how compliance might account for his change in opinion.
Question 2 [3 marks]
Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory
Outline the role of maintenance rehearsal in the multi-store model of memory.
Question 3 [4 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
Outline the difference between a random sample and an opportunity sample.
Question 4 [4 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
In Watson and Rayner's study of Little Albert, a loud noise was paired with a white rat, and Albert came to fear the rat.
Identify the unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus and conditioned response in this study.
Question 5 [4 marks]
Depression and OCD
State two behavioural characteristics of depression.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Eyewitness Testimony and Forgetting
Outline the weapon focus effect as a factor affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Approaches in Psychology
Explain Rogers's concept of congruence and conditions of worth in the humanistic approach.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Caregiver-Infant Interactions and Attachment Types
Explain two limitations of observational research into caregiver-infant interactions such as reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Conformity and Minority Influence
Explain two differences between conformity and obedience as forms of social influence.
Question 10 [4 marks]
Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory
Explain what research using semantically similar word lists suggests about coding in long-term memory (LTM).
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 [5 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
A person becomes intensely fearful of any situation involving unfamiliar groups of people, worrying they will be humiliated or judged, and avoids parties and public speaking, though they have no particular fear of any single object or animal.
Identify the type of phobia this person is most likely experiencing and describe its key features.
Question 13 [4 marks]
Caregiver-Infant Interactions and Attachment Types
Two researchers independently watch the same video of a mother and baby interacting and give very different ratings for how much interactional synchrony took place.
Use your knowledge of research methods to explain this problem and suggest a way of reducing it.
Question 14 [4 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Explain two limitations of the 'failure to function adequately' definition of abnormality.
Question 15 [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 16 [4 marks]
Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory
While giving directions from memory, Priya both pictures the route in her head and describes it aloud at the same time, without much difficulty, but struggles if asked to picture the route while also repeating a set of digits.
Use the working memory model to explain Priya's experience.
Question 17 [6 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Discuss flooding as a treatment for phobias, comparing it briefly with systematic desensitisation.
Question 18 [6 marks]
Conformity and Minority Influence
Discuss conformity to social roles, using Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, and evaluate its methodology.
Question 19 [6 marks]
Depression and OCD
Discuss the neural explanation for OCD.
Question 20 [6 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Discuss the two-process model of phobias, evaluating it with reference to Seligman's preparedness theory.
Question 21 [6 marks]
Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory
Discuss case study evidence for the distinction between short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM), including reference to a double dissociation.
Question 22 [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[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying compliance as a public, temporary change in behaviour/opinion without private acceptance | 1 |
| applying this to Ben, who goes along with the group's view to fit in and avoid standing out | 1 |
| noting the change is likely to be superficial and may not persist once Ben leaves the group | 1 |
| Final answer: Compliance is public agreement without private belief change; Ben may just go along with the group to avoid disapproval, and could revert once away from them. | |
| Question 2[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying maintenance rehearsal as repeating information over and over | 1 |
| explaining that this keeps information active in short-term memory (STM) | 1 |
| noting that with enough rehearsal, information can be transferred to long-term memory (LTM) | 1 |
| Final answer: Maintenance rehearsal is repeating information to keep it in STM; sufficient rehearsal transfers it to LTM. | |
| Question 3[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying a random sample as one where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected | 1 |
| identifying a method of achieving this, e.g. assigning each member a number and using a random number generator to select participants | 1 |
| identifying an opportunity sample as one drawn from whoever is conveniently available at the time | 1 |
| noting an opportunity sample is quicker and easier to obtain, but is more likely to be biased/unrepresentative than a genuinely random sample | 1 |
| Final answer: A random sample gives every population member an equal chance of selection, e.g. via a random number generator; an opportunity sample uses whoever is conveniently available, which is quicker but more likely to be biased. | |
| Question 4[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the unconditioned stimulus as the loud, frightening noise | 1 |
| identifying the unconditioned response as fear/a startle response to the noise | 1 |
| identifying the conditioned stimulus as the white rat | 1 |
| identifying the conditioned response as fear of the white rat | 1 |
| Final answer: UCS = loud noise, UCR = fear/startle response, CS = white rat, CR = conditioned fear of the white rat. | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying reduced activity levels/psychomotor retardation as a behavioural characteristic | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. lacking energy for everyday tasks such as getting out of bed or going to work | 1 |
| identifying disruption to sleep or appetite as a further behavioural characteristic | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. insomnia, oversleeping, or a significant increase or decrease in appetite/weight | 1 |
| Final answer: Behavioural characteristics of depression include reduced activity/psychomotor retardation, lacking energy for everyday tasks, and disrupted sleep or appetite, e.g. insomnia or a change in weight. | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the weapon focus effect as reduced accuracy of eyewitness testimony when a weapon is present at the scene of a crime | 1 |
| explaining that attention is drawn towards the weapon itself, narrowing attention away from other details, such as the culprit's face | 1 |
| linking this to anxiety/arousal created by the presence of the weapon | 1 |
| noting this can reduce the accuracy of a witness's identification of the person holding the weapon | 1 |
| Final answer: The weapon focus effect is reduced eyewitness accuracy when a weapon is present, since anxiety narrows the witness's attention onto the weapon and away from other details, such as the culprit's face, reducing identification accuracy. | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying congruence as a close match between a person's self-image and their ideal self | 1 |
| elaborating that incongruence, a mismatch between the two, is associated with low self-worth or psychological difficulty | 1 |
| identifying conditions of worth as arising when a person only feels valued or loved when they meet another's expectations, e.g. a parent's | 1 |
| elaborating that this can prevent a person from achieving congruence or self-actualisation in adulthood | 1 |
| Final answer: Congruence is a close match between self-image and ideal self; conditions of worth, e.g. only feeling valued when meeting a parent's expectations, can produce incongruence and block later self-actualisation. | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that it is difficult to know an infant's internal mental state from observed behaviour alone | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. we cannot be certain whether hand or mouth movements are intentional, meaningful responses or simply reflexes | 1 |
| identifying that many infant behaviours occur at once, making it hard to be sure exactly what is being observed and recorded | 1 |
| elaborating that this can reduce the reliability of the observation unless very clear, well-defined behavioural categories are used | 1 |
| Final answer: Limitations include the difficulty inferring an infant's true internal state from behaviour alone, and the difficulty isolating exactly what is being observed when many behaviours occur simultaneously, which can reduce reliability. | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that conformity involves change in response to implicit group pressure, whereas obedience involves compliance with a direct order | 1 |
| elaborating with an example of each, e.g. adopting a group's fashion sense (conformity) versus following a teacher's instruction to sit down (obedience) | 1 |
| identifying that obedience typically involves an unequal power relationship with an authority figure, whereas conformity can occur between equals | 1 |
| elaborating that this power difference means obedience is generally driven more by fear of punishment or legitimate authority than by a wish to be liked | 1 |
| Final answer: Conformity is a change in response to implicit pressure from equals (e.g. adopting a group's fashion), while obedience is complying with a direct order from an unequal, authority relationship (e.g. following a teacher's instruction), typically driven more by legitimate authority/fear of punishment than by wanting to be liked. | |
| Question 10[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that participants recalling a list of semantically similar words, similar in meaning, from LTM made more errors than with a semantically dissimilar list | 1 |
| explaining that this suggests LTM relies mainly on semantic coding, storing information by its meaning | 1 |
| identifying that acoustic similarity had comparatively little effect on LTM recall in this type of research | 1 |
| contrasting this with STM, where acoustically similar words are more disruptive, since STM is thought to rely mainly on acoustic coding | 1 |
| Final answer: Semantically similar word lists produced more recall errors from LTM than acoustically similar lists, suggesting LTM relies mainly on semantic coding (by meaning), unlike STM, which is disrupted more by acoustic similarity and is thought to rely mainly on acoustic coding. | |
| 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[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying this as social anxiety (social phobia) | 1 |
| explaining that the fear centres on social or performance situations, e.g. being watched or judged by others | 1 |
| distinguishing this from a specific phobia, which centres on one particular object or situation, e.g. an animal | 1 |
| distinguishing this from agoraphobia, a fear of situations that would be difficult to escape, e.g. crowded public spaces | 1 |
| identifying avoidance of the feared social situations, e.g. avoiding parties and public speaking, as the behavioural response | 1 |
| Final answer: This is social anxiety (social phobia): fear centred on social/performance situations, distinct from a specific phobia of one object or agoraphobia's fear of hard-to-escape places, with avoidance of situations like parties and public speaking. | |
| Question 13[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying this as a problem of low inter-observer reliability | 1 |
| explaining that judging synchrony can be subjective, so different observers may interpret the same behaviour differently | 1 |
| suggesting a solution, e.g. training observers to use a standardised behavioural checklist before they begin coding | 1 |
| a further/alternative solution, e.g. filming the interaction so several observers can code it and their ratings can be compared/correlated | 1 |
| Final answer: This reflects low inter-observer reliability; it can be reduced by training observers with a standardised checklist and by filming interactions so multiple observers can code and compare ratings. | |
| Question 14[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that judgements of who is failing to function are often subjective, made by an observer rather than the individual | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. an unusual lifestyle may be judged dysfunctional by others despite the person being content | 1 |
| identifying that the definition may class atypical but not harmful behaviour as abnormal | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. an extreme sportsperson taking unusual risks could be seen as failing to function despite thriving | 1 |
| Final answer: Limitations include the subjectivity of judgements about functioning, and the risk of labelling atypical but harmless behaviour as abnormal. | |
| Question 15[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 16[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that picturing the route uses the visuo-spatial sketchpad and describing it aloud uses the phonological loop, different components that can be combined with little difficulty | 1 |
| identifying that repeating digits also uses the phonological loop | 1 |
| explaining that picturing the route while repeating digits creates competition for the same phonological/attentional resources needed to describe the route | 1 |
| concluding that this dual-task interference is why Priya finds the second combination harder | 1 |
| Final answer: Picturing the route (visuo-spatial sketchpad) and describing it aloud (phonological loop) use different components and so can be combined easily; adding a digit-repetition task, also verbal, competes for the same phonological resources needed to describe the route, producing the interference Priya experiences. | |
| Question 17[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining flooding as immediate, prolonged exposure to the feared stimulus at full intensity, rather than gradual exposure | 1 |
| outlining the theoretical basis, that without the possibility of avoidance the fear response cannot be maintained and extinguishes | 1 |
| a comparison point, e.g. flooding is typically much faster than the gradual approach of systematic desensitisation | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. flooding can be highly effective, sometimes in a single extended session | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. flooding is highly distressing for the client, raising ethical concerns and a higher drop-out rate | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. it may be less effective for complex phobias with a strong cognitive element, such as social phobia | 1 |
| Final answer: Flooding uses immediate, prolonged full-intensity exposure so the fear response cannot be maintained and extinguishes, and it can work faster than systematic desensitisation, but its highly distressing nature raises ethical concerns and drop-out risk, and it may suit simple phobias better than complex ones with a cognitive element. | |
| Question 18[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining that Zimbardo's study assigned participants to the roles of guard or prisoner in a simulated prison | 1 |
| outlining the key finding that participants conformed strongly to their assigned social roles, with guards becoming increasingly authoritarian | 1 |
| identifying a situational factor Zimbardo argued caused this, e.g. deindividuation from wearing a uniform | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the study has been criticised for a lack of realism, since participants may have been performing based on stereotypes of how guards/prisoners behave rather than genuinely conforming to a role | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. the study raises serious ethical concerns, since participants playing prisoners experienced significant psychological distress | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. Zimbardo's own dual role as researcher and prison superintendent may have caused a lack of control over the study, undermining its conclusions | 1 |
| Final answer: Zimbardo's study found participants strongly conformed to the roles of guard or prisoner, with guards becoming increasingly authoritarian, attributed partly to deindividuation from uniform; evaluation should note criticism that participants may have been enacting stereotypes rather than genuinely conforming, serious ethical concerns over participant distress, and a lack of control caused by Zimbardo's dual researcher/superintendent role. | |
| Question 19[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining the role of serotonin, with lower levels/activity associated with OCD symptoms | 1 |
| outlining the role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in converting sensory information into intrusive thoughts | 1 |
| outlining the role of the basal ganglia, which normally suppresses minor worry signals but may function abnormally in OCD | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. drug treatments that increase serotonin activity have been found to reduce OCD symptoms in some patients, supporting the explanation | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. it is unclear whether abnormal neural activity is a cause of OCD or a consequence of having the disorder | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. a purely biological account is reductionist, potentially overlooking cognitive or environmental contributions to OCD | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline lowered serotonin activity, abnormal orbitofrontal cortex activity converting sensory input into intrusive thoughts, and disrupted basal ganglia function; evaluate with support from serotonin-based drug treatments, but note the cause-versus-consequence problem and the reductionism of a purely biological account. | |
| Question 20[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| briefly restating the two-process model, acquisition by classical conditioning and maintenance by operant conditioning (negative reinforcement) | 1 |
| identifying a criticism the model struggles to explain, that phobias of evolutionarily ancient threats are far more common than phobias of more dangerous modern objects | 1 |
| outlining Seligman's preparedness theory, that humans are biologically prepared through evolution to acquire fear of ancestrally dangerous stimuli more readily | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. phobias of snakes or heights being far more common than phobias of cars or electrical sockets, despite the latter posing a greater everyday risk | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. preparedness theory helps explain a pattern the two-process model alone does not account for | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. preparedness theory is difficult to test directly and largely relies on the existing uneven pattern of phobias as its evidence, risking a circular argument | 1 |
| Final answer: Restate the two-process model and its gap explaining why ancient-threat phobias are commoner than modern-danger ones; Seligman's preparedness theory fills this gap but is hard to test directly and risks circularity. | |
| Question 21[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining that some amnesia patients show severely impaired LTM, unable to form new long-term memories, but a relatively intact STM | 1 |
| outlining that other patients, e.g. with damage specifically affecting STM, show the opposite pattern, a poor STM but a relatively intact LTM | 1 |
| identifying this pattern, where each store can be damaged independently of the other, as a double dissociation | 1 |
| explaining that a double dissociation is strong evidence that STM and LTM are separate stores, rather than one unitary system | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. such patients typically have widespread, uncontrolled brain damage, making it hard to link a deficit to one specific, precisely damaged area | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. case studies involve a single unusual individual, limiting how confidently the findings can be generalised to memory in the general population | 1 |
| Final answer: Some patients show impaired LTM but intact STM, while others show the reverse pattern; this double dissociation, each store able to be damaged independently, is strong evidence that STM and LTM are separate stores, though the widespread brain damage typical of such patients and the limited generalisability of single case studies are both limitations of this evidence. | |
| Question 22[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. | |