A Level
A Level Psychology Paper 2
Covers Conformity and Minority Influence, Obedience and Social Change, Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory and 9 more.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Eyewitness Testimony and Forgetting
Define 'retrieval failure' as an explanation for forgetting.
Question 2 [2 marks]
Research Methods and Statistics
State one difference between a directional and a non-directional hypothesis.
Question 3 [2 marks]
Memory Models and Multi-Store Memory
State two features of long-term memory (LTM) in the multi-store model.
Question 4 [4 marks]
Biopsychology: Nervous System and Brain
Outline the pituitary gland's role in the endocrine system.
Question 5 [4 marks]
Approaches in Psychology
Outline Maslow's hierarchy of needs as part of the humanistic approach.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Explanations of Attachment and Cultural Variations
Explain what is meant by 'disinhibited attachment' and outline one explanation for why it develops.
Question 7 [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 8 [4 marks]
Issues and Debates in Psychology
A newspaper reports a study claiming that a specific brain structure difference makes certain people 'born criminals', without discussing any environmental or social factors that might also contribute to offending.
Use your knowledge of reductionism and ethical implications to evaluate this report.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Conformity and Minority Influence
In a school council meeting, two students consistently argue for a new recycling scheme over several meetings, but are willing to adapt their proposal slightly when reasonable objections are raised. Eventually the whole council supports the scheme.
Use your knowledge of minority influence to explain why the two students were successful.
Question 10 [4 marks]
Obedience and Social Change
Explain how legitimacy of authority can account for obedience, using an example to support your answer.
Question 11 [4 marks]
Definitions of Abnormality and Phobias
Explain the emotional and cognitive characteristics of a phobia.
Question 12 [4 marks]
Biopsychology: Nervous System and Brain
Explain the difference between an excitatory and an inhibitory neurotransmitter, naming an example of each.
Question 13 [6 marks]
Depression and OCD
Discuss the neural explanation for OCD.
Question 14 [6 marks]
Issues and Debates in Psychology
Discuss socially sensitive research, including the responsibilities of psychologists when conducting and publishing such research.
Question 15 [6 marks]
Caregiver-Infant Interactions and Attachment Types
Discuss animal studies of attachment, including reference to research by Lorenz and/or Harlow.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying retrieval failure as forgetting that occurs when information is available in LTM but cannot be accessed because the right cues are not present | 1 |
| noting the information is not lost, only temporarily inaccessible, and could potentially be recalled given the right cue | 1 |
| Final answer: Retrieval failure is forgetting that occurs when information is available in LTM but cannot be accessed without the right retrieval cues, so it is temporarily inaccessible rather than actually lost. | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that a directional hypothesis predicts the direction of a difference or relationship, e.g. that one group will score higher than another | 1 |
| identifying that a non-directional hypothesis predicts only that there will be a difference or relationship, without stating the direction | 1 |
| Final answer: A directional hypothesis states the direction of the expected difference/relationship; a non-directional hypothesis states only that one exists. | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that LTM has a potentially unlimited capacity | 1 |
| identifying that the duration of LTM can be very long, potentially a lifetime | 1 |
| Final answer: LTM has a potentially unlimited capacity and can last a very long time, potentially a lifetime. | |
| Question 4[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the pituitary gland as often called the 'master gland' | 1 |
| explaining it releases hormones that regulate the activity of most of the body's other endocrine glands | 1 |
| a suitable example, e.g. it signals the adrenal cortex to release cortisol during the stress response | 1 |
| noting it is itself controlled by the hypothalamus, linking the nervous and endocrine systems | 1 |
| Final answer: The pituitary gland is the 'master gland', releasing hormones that regulate other endocrine glands (e.g. signalling the adrenal cortex to release cortisol), under the control of the hypothalamus. | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the hierarchy as a model of human motivation arranged from basic to higher-level needs | 1 |
| identifying basic/physiological needs, e.g. food and water, as the foundation of the hierarchy | 1 |
| identifying higher needs building on this, e.g. safety, belonging/love and esteem | 1 |
| identifying self-actualisation as the peak of the hierarchy, reaching one's full personal potential once lower needs are broadly met | 1 |
| Final answer: Maslow's hierarchy runs from basic physiological and safety needs, through belonging and esteem, up to self-actualisation, reaching one's full potential, once lower needs are broadly met. | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying disinhibited attachment as attention-seeking, over-friendly behaviour directed towards any adult, familiar or not | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. the child shows little or no stranger anxiety, unlike a typically attached child | 1 |
| identifying a lack of a single, stable early attachment figure in institutional care as a proposed explanation | 1 |
| elaborating that the child may learn to seek attention indiscriminately from any available adult rather than forming one preferred bond | 1 |
| Final answer: Disinhibited attachment is attention-seeking, over-friendly behaviour towards any adult, with little stranger anxiety; it is thought to develop when a child has no single, stable early attachment figure, e.g. in institutional care. | |
| Question 7[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 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying this as an example of biological reductionism, explaining a complex behaviour with reference to only one, lower level of explanation | 1 |
| noting a fuller account would also consider psychological and/or social/environmental levels of explanation | 1 |
| identifying an ethical implication, e.g. the report could stigmatise or unfairly label certain individuals as inherently dangerous based on limited evidence | 1 |
| noting that those reporting or publishing research have some responsibility to consider how findings may be used or misinterpreted by the public | 1 |
| Final answer: The report reflects biological reductionism, ignoring other levels of explanation, and risks stigmatising individuals; researchers and reporters share some responsibility for how such findings may be used or misinterpreted. | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying the students as a minority using consistency, repeating their argument over several meetings | 1 |
| explaining that this consistency draws attention to their view and makes others reconsider their own position | 1 |
| identifying flexibility as a further factor, since the students adapt their proposal in response to reasonable objections | 1 |
| explaining that this flexibility, rather than rigidly repeating the same demand, makes the minority appear more reasonable and increases their influence | 1 |
| Final answer: The students show consistency (repeating their argument over time), which draws attention to their view, and flexibility (adapting the proposal to reasonable objections), which makes them appear more reasonable; together these increase a minority's influence. | |
| Question 10[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying legitimacy of authority: some people are seen as having the right to give orders because of their position in a social hierarchy | 1 |
| elaborating that this is often linked to the perceived power to punish | 1 |
| giving a suitable example, e.g. a police officer, teacher or employer whose instructions are followed because of their role | 1 |
| linking obedience being greatest when the authority figure's legitimacy is clear and consistent with the setting | 1 |
| Final answer: Legitimacy of authority means obedience is given because a person's social position grants them the right to direct behaviour, e.g. obeying a police officer's instruction because of their institutional role. | |
| Question 11[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying an emotional characteristic, e.g. excessive, persistent fear or anxiety in response to the phobic stimulus | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. the emotional response is disproportionate to the actual danger posed | 1 |
| identifying a cognitive characteristic, e.g. selective attention towards the phobic stimulus | 1 |
| elaborating, e.g. irrational beliefs about the stimulus that the person finds difficult to challenge with rational argument | 1 |
| Final answer: Emotionally, phobias involve excessive, disproportionate fear/anxiety towards the stimulus; cognitively, they involve selective attention to the stimulus and irrational beliefs about it that resist rational argument. | |
| Question 12[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying an excitatory neurotransmitter as one that increases the likelihood of the postsynaptic neuron firing, e.g. acetylcholine | 1 |
| elaborating on the excitatory effect, e.g. depolarising the postsynaptic membrane, moving it closer to the threshold needed to fire | 1 |
| identifying an inhibitory neurotransmitter as one that decreases the likelihood of the postsynaptic neuron firing, e.g. GABA | 1 |
| elaborating on the inhibitory effect, e.g. hyperpolarising the postsynaptic membrane, making it less likely to reach the firing threshold | 1 |
| Final answer: Excitatory neurotransmitters, e.g. acetylcholine, increase firing likelihood by depolarising the membrane; inhibitory neurotransmitters, e.g. GABA, decrease it by hyperpolarising the membrane. | |
| Question 13[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 14[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying socially sensitive research as research whose findings, methods or conclusions could have direct social consequences for participants or the group they represent | 1 |
| identifying a suitable area often considered socially sensitive, e.g. research into intelligence, sexuality or criminality | 1 |
| outlining a researcher responsibility, e.g. carefully considering how findings might be used or misused before publishing | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. such research can have real-world benefits, e.g. informing policy or improving understanding and treatment of a group | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. findings can be misused, e.g. to justify discrimination against a group, even when this is not the researcher's intention | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. avoiding socially sensitive topics altogether is also a problem, since it means psychology fails to investigate questions that matter to real people's lives | 1 |
| Final answer: Outline socially sensitive research with an example and researcher responsibility; evaluate the real-world benefits against the risk of misuse, noting avoidance of such topics has its own cost. | |
| Question 15[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outlining Lorenz's research into imprinting in geese, where goslings followed the first moving object they saw after hatching | 1 |
| identifying the concept of a critical period in Lorenz's findings, imprinting only occurring within a limited early time window | 1 |
| outlining Harlow's research with rhesus monkeys, showing they preferred a soft cloth surrogate mother to a wire one that provided food | 1 |
| identifying that Harlow's findings challenged learning theory by showing comfort/contact, not just food, drives attachment | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. generalising findings from geese or monkeys to human attachment is questionable given species differences | 1 |
| an evaluation point, e.g. Harlow's monkeys later showed abnormal social and parenting behaviour as adults, raising serious ethical concerns about the research | 1 |
| Final answer: Lorenz's geese imprinted on the first moving object within a critical period; Harlow's monkeys preferred a comforting cloth surrogate over a food-providing wire one, challenging learning theory. Both studies raise generalisability concerns to humans, and Harlow's raises serious ethical concerns given the monkeys' later abnormal behaviour. | |