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AQA PSYCHOLOGY PAPER 2 QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT ANSWERS
"Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological approach,
(A01 Behaviourist) - CORRECT ANSWER The behaviourist approach suggests that the basic
processes that govern learning in all species are the same. We learn through two concepts: operant conditioning and classical conditioning." "Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological approach,
(classical conditioning) - CORRECT ANSWER The idea of classical conditioning was
developed by Pavlov who found that we learn through association. He found that it was possible to condition dogs to associate the sound of a bell with food. This resulted in the dogs producing a salivation response at the sound of a bell even when no food was present. Pavlov demonstrated that repeated exposure to an event leads to a learned and uncontrollable behaviour." "Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological approach
(nature + nurture) - CORRECT ANSWER the behaviourist approach and biological approach
are different in their position on the nature-nurture debate. Behaviourist views rest firmly on the nurture side of the debate, and that human beings are blank slates and that all behaviour is learned. Biological psychologists argue a nature-based view of behaviour. They posit that behaviour is the result of innate biological factors (e.g. genes, hormones, neurotransmitters. etc.) and is, therefore, the product of nature and not nurture. Therefore, despite their similarities in terms of determinism and their approach to investigation, the behaviourist and biological approaches are radically different in terms of their position on the nature-nurture debate."
"Name a difference between somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system? -
CORRECT ANSWER The somatic nervous system facilitates communication between the
central nervous system and the outside world, whereas the autonomic nervous system plays an important role in maintaining internal processes like body temperature."
"Label the picture of the diagram to show which neuron went where - CORRECT ANSWER A
= Sensory B = Relay C = Motor"
"calculate the mean hours the baby slept at night to 2 significant figures, show working -
CORRECT ANSWER 9.0 + 8.0 + 8.5 + 7.0 + 7.5 + 10.5 + 8.0 = 58.5 hours
2SF = 8.3 hours"
"why was the mean used as the appropriate measure of central tendency for this data -
CORRECT ANSWER The mean is the most appropriate in this situation as it is considered the
most sensitive of all the measures of central tendency as it will take into consideration all values in this dataset."
"What is a pilot study and one reason why do we use it? - CORRECT ANSWER Pilot studies
are smaller studies carried out before the full research to see any problems with the methodology and improve this before the actual study. Psychologists may choose to conduct a pilot study to ensure that the participants understand the standardised instructions and that they are testing what they are meant to be testing (face validity) this is so no time, money or effort is wasted if the experiment goes on." "Write a brief for consent: include an appropriate format, the aims of the study, ethical issues you
may face - CORRECT ANSWER Dear participant,
You are volunteering to take part in research. In this study you will watch a horror film or a romantic comedy film every night for one week each before going to bed. When you wake up each morning, you will receive a text message from the researcher asking you a question, to which there will be a yes/no response. The study will last for two weeks however you have the right to withdraw your participation from the research study at any time without explanation. You also have the right to ask that any data you have supplied to be withdrawn. You may ask any questions about the procedures before the study begins. The data we collect from you will be treated confidentially. Please sign below to consent that you agree to participate in this study."
"Create a directional hypothesis for the experiment - CORRECT ANSWER Participants who
watch a horror movie before bed are more likely to report 'yes' that they have had a nightmare when asked the following morning via text message, compared to participants who watched a romantic comedy film before bed."
"Explain why repeated measures was used for this experiment? - CORRECT ANSWER A
repeated measures design was used in this case so that the same participants took part in each condition (horror/romantic comedy). This way, there is less chance of individual differences, such as personality style or film preferences, affecting whether the participants reported a nightmare or not, and any differences found are thought to be the result of the IV affecting that person."
"Why has the researcher chose to counterbalance? - CORRECT ANSWER As the same
participants took part in both conditions of the experiment, order effects can occur. To address this issue, the researcher can use counterbalancing which offsets any order effects as half the participants take part in 'Condition A' followed by 'Condition B' while the other half complete the 'Condition B' followed by 'Condition A'. Any order effects experienced by those who started in Condition A should be offset by those who started in Condition B."
"(June 2022) 3. Whether or not students learn to be more active box could depend on mediational processes. Explain how mediational processes might be involved in the students becoming more
active. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- attention - students will notice their teachers demonstrating a more active lifestyle, eg competing in staff netball matches during breaktime/Miss Honey receiving the medal for the step count challenge in assembly/Mrs Wilson falling over, etc
- retention - students' memories will be strengthened through seeing repetition of the activities, eg daily netball matches and/or emotional/funny event, eg Mrs Wilson tripping over in netball
- reproduction - the active behaviours being modelled can be reproduced by the students, eg step count challenge is a simple activity that does not require inaccessible equipment/fitness to be able to perform
- motivation - students are more likely to adopt the demonstrated active lifestyle if the perceived rewards (eg winning the st"
"(June 2022) 7. Describe the divisions of the nervous system box. [6 marks] - CORRECT
ANSWER Possible content:
- the nervous system is divided into the central and peripheral nervous systems
- the CNS comprises the brain and spinal cord
- the peripheral nervous system is further divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
- the somatic nervous system consists of sensory and motor neurons to carry sensory and motor information to and from the CNS and also enables reflex actions
- the ANS acts largely unconsciously/involuntary
- the ANS is divided into the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)
- the SNS prepares us for flight or fight
- the PNS balances the sympathetic nervous system providing 'rest and digest' functions." "(June 2022) RM STEM: A controlled observation was designed to compare the social behaviours of pre-school children of working parents and pre-school children of stay-at-home parents. The sample consisted of 100 children aged three, who were observed separately. Half of the children had working parents and the other half had stay-at-home parents. The observation took place in a room which looked like a nursery, with a variety of toys available. In the room, there were four children and one supervising adult. Their behaviour was not recorded. Each child participant was brought into the room and settled by their parent. The parent then left to sit outside. Each child participant's behaviour was observed covertly for five minutes while they played in the room. The observation was conducted in a controlled environment and a standardised script was used
when the children and their parents arrived. - CORRECT ANSWER Use the stem to answer
the Questions!"
"(June 2022) 9. Explain why the researcher used a controlled observation and a standardised
script in this study. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- a standardised script would ensure the same greeting was given to the children and their parents when they arrived, providing a high level of control
- without using a standardised script, the researcher's welcome may vary causing unintentional bias, eg may use more child-friendly vocabulary which may make the child less anxious and thus more sociable, etc
- using a controlled observation helps to reduce extraneous variables which may have an impact on the social behaviour of the children, affecting the validity of the study." "(June 2022) 11. The researcher used two trained observers to record the social behaviours of each child box during the observation. Give TWO behavioural categories that the observers could have used in the observation to assess the pre-school children's social behaviour. Explain why your chosen categories are appropriate.
[4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible behavioural categories:
- child smiles at another child
- child shares toys
- child talks to another child
- child snatches a toy from another child. Possible points:
- behavioural categories are appropriate because they focus on social behaviours/are objective/visible/mutually exclusive/not ambiguous/not overlapping"
"(June 2022) 10. Identify ONE limitation of controlled observations [1 marks] - CORRECT
ANSWER Possible content:
- they lack ecological validity/cannot be applied to everyday life/less natural behaviour
- effects of demand characteristics are more likely (Hawthorne effect)." "(June 2022) 12. Describe how the observers could use time sampling to record the social
behaviour of each child during the five-minute period. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER
Possible content:
- record the child's behaviour at set time intervals during the five-minute period, eg every 20 seconds
- at the specified time intervals, tick/mark one or more categories from the behavioural checklist according to the behaviour exhibited by the observed child, eg if the child is smiling and chatting to another child the observer should tick 'smiling at another child' and 'talking to another child' from the list of behaviours
- behaviours observed in between the time sampling frames should be ignored and should not be recorded, eg even if a child is sharing their toy after time sampling snap shot, this behaviour should not be recorded."
elaborated or a combination of these. Likely points: safe way of measuring brain activity; there is no surgery or invasive process; helps to identify activity in various regions of brain; its use as a diagnostic tool eg epilepsy; lacks precision in measuring individual action potential of neurons / electrodes not sensitive enough, etc." "(Sutton Academy Doc) 11. The electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) both involve recording the electrical activity of the brain. Outline one difference between the EEG
and ERPs. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 2 marks for clear outline of the key difference: EEG
is a recording of general brain activity usually linked to states such as sleep and arousal, whilst ERPs are elicited by specific stimuli presented to the participant. 1 mark for a muddled / vague answer that shows some understanding of general state vs specific response." "(June 2018) 2. We use schema when we process information from the world around us. Explain one reason why using schema might be useful when processing information from the world around us, and explain one reason why using schema might not be useful when processing
information from the world around us. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Useful Possible
content:
- schema help us predict what will happen in our world based on our experiences
- schema enable us to process vast amounts of information rapidly
- schema prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by environmental stimuli. Not Useful Possible content:
- schema can distort our interpretation of sensory information
- schema lead to perceptual errors or inaccurate EWT/memories
- schema can cause biased recall/see what we expect
- negative/faulty schema may have a negative impact on mental health" "(June 2018) 13. What is meant by a pilot study? Explain one possible reason why the psychologist
decided to conduct a pilot study for this investigation. [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER
Possible reasons:
- to identify whether there needed to be any modifications in the design, eg whether the interview questions were sufficiently relevant to dream content
- to identify whether it would be feasible to conduct a study on the differences in dream themes across gender." "(June 2018) 15. What are investigator effects? Suggest one way in which they could have been
minimised during the dream interviews. [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 1 Mark:
Any (unintentional) influence of the researcher's behaviour/characteristics on participants/data/outcome 2 Marks - Possible ways:
- provide a standardised script for the interviewers to use so that they all asked the same questions in the same way to avoid any bias in the students' responses
- the interviewers could have been trained to greet the students in the same way and ask questions with a neutral tone • ensure all interviewers were female or all interviewers were male
- ensure that the students were interviewed by someone of the same gender as themselves." "(June 2018) 16. Another researcher, who did not know the purpose of the study, carried out a content analysis of the interview data. Explain how this content analysis could have been
conducted. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Award 1 mark for each of the following points:
- identify/devise important categories/themes (from the interviews)
- example of possible category/theme (eg references to aggressive interactions)
- work through transcribed conversations / repeatedly listen to segments of the recording
- count/tally the number of occurrences of each of the categories/themes." "(June 2018) 17. The psychologist wanted to assess the reliability of the content analysis. Explain
how the reliability of the content analysis could be assessed. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER
Test-retest reliability - Award 1 mark for each of the following points:
- content analysis repeated on a second occasion using the same interview data
- compare the results of the two separate analysis (number of occurrences of each)
- researchers could calculate the correlation between the two ratings • researchers generally accept 0.8 correlation (accept 0.7-0.9) between the test and the re-test. Inter-rater reliability - Award 1 mark for each of the following points (up to 4 marks):
- use a second person to work with the original researcher
- they could read the interviews (separately) and devise a set of categories (and agree operational definitions)
- they could tally the occurrences of each of the categories of the interviews (separately)
- they could compare their tally charts looking for agreement
- researchers could calculate the correlation between the two ratings
- researchers generally accept 0.8 correlation (accept 0.7-0.9) between the test and the re-test." "(June 2018) 23. The psychologist used counterbalancing in this experiment. Explain why it was
appropriate to use counterbalancing in this experiment. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 1
mark for each of the following points:
- order effects are likely to occur
- if you saw the horror films in the first week you may still be thinking about them/have higher levels of fear in the second week, resulting in more nightmares." "(June 2021) 4. Lily & Jemima have a pet rat, which usually hides in a corner when they try to take it out of its cage. They have tried different ways to stop the rat hiding, but so far without success. Use your knowledge of two types of reinforcement to suggest how Lily and Jemima could train
their rat to come to the cage door when they open it. [6 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible
content (Banded Q):
"(June 2019) 4. Explain how the Tiger advert might influence viewers' mediational processes. [
marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Attention:
- recognition of a celebrity/'England rugby player' captures our attention
- the advert is funny/unusual, capturing our attention, eg 'rugby player draws tiger stripes on his face, roars'
- television is intrinsically interesting and therefore captures our attention. Retention:
- the advert is humorous/unusual, eg 'rugby player draws tiger stripes on his face, roars', strengthening the memory and making it more likely to be stored in long-term memory (LTM)
- the advert is simple, making it easy to encode/remember
- simple catchphrase at the end ('anyone can battle stains with a Tiger on their side') is easy to store/encode. Motor reproduction:
- squirting a bottle of spray on a stain and wiping it clean is easy to replicate
- viewers can easily perform the behaviour shown in the advert, 'sprays Tiger onto the stain and then easily wipes off the stain'. Motivation:
- the viewer will want to perform the behaviour as it leads to the successful removal of difficult stains with little effort, 'easily wipes off the stain'
- the behaviour is rewarded - the little 'boy claps' providing positive vicarious reinforcement." "(June 2019) 5. The company paid the rugby player a lot of money to be in the advert. Use your knowledge of social learning theory to explain why the company wanted to use a famous rugby
player in the advert. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 1 mark for each of the following points:
- people are more likely to identify with high status/highly attractive/celebrity role models
- sales should increase/people are more likely to imitate the rugby player." "(June 2019) 9. Which method of studying the brain would most accurately identify specific brain
areas activated during a cognitive task? [1 mark] - CORRECT ANSWER fMRI"
"(June 2019) 10.1 Which neuron is only found in the brain/visual system/spinal cord? [1 mark] -
CORRECT ANSWER (A) Relay Neurons"
"(June 2019) 10.3 Which neuron carries nerve impulses between neurons? [1 mark] - CORRECT
ANSWER (A) Relay Neurons"
"(June 2019) 11. Using an example of a gland and hormone, outline the function of the endocrine
system. Do not use the adrenal gland/adrenaline as your example. [4 marks] - CORRECT
ANSWER Possible content:
- the endocrine system helps to regulate the activity of cells and organs in the body
- the endocrine system communicates chemical messages to the organs of the body
- the thyroid gland produces thyroxine, which increases heart rate and metabolic rates
- the pineal gland produces melatonin, which may help regulate the wake-sleep cycle
- the anterior pituitary gland secretes Luteinizing hormone (LH) & Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which stimulate ovaries to produce oestrogen & progesterone the anterior pituitary gland secretes LH & FSH, which stimulate the testes to produce testosterone & sperm
- the posterior pituitary releases oxytocin, which stimulates the uterus to contract during labour and also plays a role in bonding
- the pancreas secretes insulin and glucagon, which help regulate blood sugar levels." "(June 2019) 14. Which of the following is not a role of peer review in the scientific process? [ mark] A To determine whether to award research funding B To ensure only significant results are published C To make sure research has high validity and reliability
D To retain the integrity of psychological research - CORRECT ANSWER (B) To ensure only
significant results are published" "(June 2019) 19. Identify the type of sampling method used in this experiment. Explain one
limitation of using this sampling method in this study [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER
Opportunity Sampling Limitation Possible content:
- bias/unrepresentative of the target population, eg the type of students who happen to be in the student café may be more confident/outgoing and therefore may be more likely to enjoy team sports, providing a greater effect of team sports on happiness than if more introverted shy participants took part." "(June 2019) 21. Explain one strength of using a matched-pairs design rather than a repeated
measures design. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- in a matched pairs design participants only take part in a single condition so order effects are less of a problem than in a repeated measures design, improving the validity of the results • in a matched pairs design participants only take part in a single condition so demand characteristics are less of a problem than in a repeated measures design as they are less likely to guess the aims of the study."
"(June 2019) 24. Explain what it means for a test to have high concurrent validity. [2 marks] -
CORRECT ANSWER Content:
- high concurrent validity is where there is close agreement between the data produced by the new test compared to the established test. Close agreement is indicated if the correlation between the two sets of data produced by the two tests exceeds +0.8. Note - award 1 mark only for a definition of concurrent validity (the extent to which a psychological test/scale/measure relates to an established psychological test/scale/measure)."
- endogenous pacemakers - internal biological rhythms • exogenous zeitgebers - external factors, eg light
- moving to night shift means pacemakers try to impose inbuilt rhythm of sleep, but are now out of synchrony with the zeitgeber of light
- disruption of biological rhythms has been shown to lead to disrupted sleep patterns, increased anxiety and decreased alertness and vigilance." "(Spec Paper 1) 10. Split brain patients show unusual behaviour when tested in experiments. Briefly explain how unusual behaviour in split brain patients could be tested in an experiment. [
marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 2 marks for a clear, brief explanation including detail of an
appropriate experimental procedure and what patients would be required to do. 1 mark for a vague explanation which has some detail about an appropriate experimental procedure and what patients would be required to do. Possible suggestions:
- plausible experimental situation/set-up - eg split visual field, dichotic listening
- plausible stimulus - visual, faces, words, auditory, digits, music etc
- plausible task for patient - verbal or visuospatial response, eg drawing, matching etc." "(Spec Paper 1) RM Stem - A psychologist wanted to see if verbal fluency is affected by whether people think they are presenting information to a small group of people or to a large group of people. The psychologist needed a stratified sample of 20 people. She obtained the sample from a company employing 60 men and 40 women. The participants were told that they would be placed in a booth where they would read out an article about the life of a famous author to an audience. Participants were also told that the audience would not be present, but would only be able to hear them and would not be able to interact with them. There were two conditions in the study, Condition A and Condition B. Condition A: 10 participants were told the audience consisted of 5 listeners. Condition B: the other 10 participants were told the audience consisted of 100 listeners.
Each participant completed the study individually. The psychologist - CORRECT ANSWER
use the stem to answer the Q" "(Spec Paper 1) 14. Identify one extraneous variable that the psychologist should have controlled
in the study and explain why it should have been controlled. [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER
1 mark for identification of one appropriate extraneous variable. Plus 2 marks for explanation of why the variable should have been controlled 1 mark only for muddled or incomplete explanations, eg unelaborated reference to 'avoiding confounding'. Appropriate variables: can be controlled and need to stay constant to avoid affecting the dependent variable, eg same article/conditions/instructions for each participant. Do not credit gender (this is controlled) or time to complete task (cannot be controlled)." "(Spec Paper 1) 15. Explain one advantage of using a stratified sample of participants in this study.
[2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible advantage: ensures that this sample is truly
representative because different types of people (males/females) working in this company are represented in the sample in the correct proportions." "(Spec Paper 1) 16. Explain how the psychologist would have obtained the male participants for
her stratified sample. Show your calculations. [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Manual
method:
- put all 60 male names in a hat (or similar)
- determine the proportion of males needed to mirror the number of males in the target population as follows: 60%
- calculate 60% of 20 = 12 and draw out 12 names. Random number table or computer method:
- assign each of the 60 men a number between 1 and 60
- determine the proportion of males needed to mirror the number of males in the target population as follows: 60% • calculate 60% of 20 = 12 and moving horizontally or vertically through random number tables find 12 numbers between 1 and 60 for the sample OR generate 12 numbers between 1 and 60 using random number generation function on computer." "(Spec Paper 1) 17. The psychologist wanted to randomly allocate the 20 people in her stratified sample to the two conditions. She needed an equal number of males in each condition and an
equal number of females in each condition. Explain how she would have done this. [4 marks] -
CORRECT ANSWER Marks for a clear description of a practical way of randomly allocating
the 12 men and 8 women to the two conditions as follows:
- give each man a number 1-12 (1 mark)
- put 12 numbers in a hat (1 mark)
- assign first six numbers drawn to Condition A with the remainder for Condition B (1 mark)
- repeat process for women - eight numbers in the hat and draw four for Condition A and remaining four go to Condition B (1 mark)." "(Spec Paper 1) 18. What conclusions might the psychologist draw from the data in Table 1? Refer to the means and the standard deviations in your answer. [6 marks] Table 1: Condition A I Condition B Mean: 11.1 I 17. Standard I
Deviation: 1.30 I 3.54 - CORRECT ANSWER Means
- Conclusion: when people believe they are presenting to a large audience they are less fluent in their spoken communication than when they believe the audience is small (or vice versa).
- Justification/Application: this is supported by the difference in the mean fluency scores which show more verbal mistakes (on average 6 more mistakes) when the audience is believed to be large (or vice versa). Standard deviations
"(Spec Paper 2) 2. Bradley has just started to play snooker and is keen to play well. He watches carefully when his partner takes a difficult shot then tries to copy the same shot. He thinks about how his partner was holding the snooker cue and whether he can do the same. Social learning theorists refer to the role of mediational processes in learning. Referring to Bradley's experiences, explain the role of mediational processes in learning. [
marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content (Banded Q):
Credit mediational processes relevant to Bradley's situation eg x mental/cognitive processes occur between stimulus (Bradley's observation) and response (Bradley's copying the behaviour) x specific examples here are: attention, motivation, retention/memory, assessment of own ability x Bradley is motivated to attend to the relevant information (is keen to play well) x Bradley pays attention to the actions of the person he wants to copy (watches carefully) x Bradley tries to remember the action so he can do the same (thinks about how he was holding the cue) x Bradley considers his own ability to perform (thinks...whether he can do the same.)" "(Spec Paper 2) 4. Briefly explain one strength and one limitation of the cognitive approach in
psychology. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Likely strengths: control/objectivity in
research; use of models for ease of understanding; links to neuroscience and consequent applications Likely limitations: still requires inferences about cognitive processes; mechanistic approach to understanding human behaviour"
"(Spec Paper 2) 6. Outline the role of adrenaline in the fight or flight response. [4 marks] -
CORRECT ANSWER Possible content
x Adrenaline is released from the adrenal medulla in response to activation of the sympathomedullary pathway. x Adrenaline has a range of effects on the body x Direct effects of adrenaline - increase heart rate - constricts blood vessels, increasing rate of blood flow and raising blood pressure - diverts blood away from the skin, kidneys and digestive system - increases blood to brain and skeletal muscle - increases respiration and sweating x The general effects of adrenaline - prepare the body for action, fight or flight,
- increase blood supply/oxygen, to skeletal muscle for physical action
- increase oxygen to brain for rapid response planning Up to 2 marks for accurate detail of the effects of adrenaline on the body eg outline of two different effects, or detailed account of one effect. 2 further marks for an account of the role of adrenaline in the fight or flight response ie providing a context for the various effects of adrenaline on the body (eg last two bullets)." "(Spec Paper 2) 8. A psychologist wanted to test the effects of biological rhythms on the ability to solve maths problems. She used random sampling to form two groups each of 20 students. She tested one group on one set of maths problems at 3 am in the morning. The other group were
tested on another set of maths problems at 3 pm in the afternoon. She found that performance of the group tested at 3 pm was significantly better than the group tested at 3 am. When submitted for peer review the paper was rejected because of serious design problems. Explain one problem with the design of this study and suggest ways of dealing with this problem.
[4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content
x Problem - random sampling; the 3 pm group might simply have been better at maths than the 3 am group. The solution would be a matched pairs (matched on maths ability) or repeated measures design. x Problem - use of different maths tests, with no evidence that they were matched for difficulty. The solution would be to use the same set of maths problems if a matched pairs design was used. x Individual differences due to independent groups design so use repeated measures but would need different but equivalent tests and counterbalancing. x Other issues, such as individual differences in biological rhythms ('owls' versus 'larks') confounding results. Such answers should be marked on their merits - is the problem plausible and is the solution sensible?" "(Spec Paper 2) RM Stem - Researchers were interested in the spatial awareness skills of motorists. They decided to investigate a possible relationship between different aspects of spatial awareness. Motorists who had between ten and twelve years of driving experience and held a clean driving licence with no penalty points were asked to complete two sets of tasks. Set 1: To follow a series of instructions and using a map, to identify various locations correctly. This provided a map reading score for each motorist with a maximum score of 20. Set 2: To complete a series of practical driving tasks accurately. This involved tasks such as driving between cones, driving within lines and parking inside designated spaces. Each motorist was observed completing the Set 2 tasks by a single trained observer who rated each performance by giving the
driver a rating out of 10. - CORRECT ANSWER Use this to answer the RM Qs!"
"(Spec Paper 2) 10. Write a suitable hypothesis for this investigation. [3 marks] - CORRECT
ANSWER 3 marks for an appropriate non-directional operationalised hypothesis: 'There is a
relationship between the map reading scores and the driving error ratings of motorists'. 2 marks for a non-directional statement with both key variables that lacks clarity or has only one variable operationalised. 1 mark for a muddled statement with some reference to variables. 0 marks for expressions of aim/questions/causal statements or statements with only one condition." "(Spec Paper 2) 13. Briefly outline one problem of using a single trained observer to rate the participants' driving skills in the practical task. Briefly discuss how this data collection method
could be modified to improve the reliability of the data collected. [6 marks] - CORRECT
ANSWER Possible problems (Banded Q):
x Researcher bias - using one observer means objectivity/reliability/validity cannot be checked
Female Mean: 5.25 Female SD: 2.22 - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content Means:
the mean score for males is almost 3 times larger than that of the females which suggests they are very much better at map reading than the females Standard deviations: sds are quite similar to each other suggesting the spread of performances of the male participants and the female participants is similar within each group." "(June 2020) 3. Describe the role of defence mechanisms according to the psychodynamic
approach. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- help the ego manage the conflict between the id and the superego
- provide compromise solutions (usually unconscious) to deal with unresolvable conflict
- provide a strategy to reduce anxiety (which weakens the ego's influence)
- use of examples, eg through the use of denial/displacement/repression, to describe the role of defence mechanisms." "(June 2020) 4. Briefly explain one strength and one limitation of the psychodynamic approach.
[4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- psychotherapy as a treatment for mental health issues
- explanatory power to many psychological topics
- socially sensitive, eg mental health issues may be blamed on parents • testing of unconscious concepts is unfalsifiable
- lack of scientific rigour
- subjectivity - unconscious thoughts can only be inferred from behaviour or reported thoughts/experiences
- use of evidence to support or contradict the psychodynamic approach, eg studies into the effectiveness of psychotherapy, eg De Maat, et al. (2009), case studies of people who are unable to recall upsetting events, eg Gagnepain, et al. (2014) on suppression, Little Hans." "(June 2020) 8. Explain one limitation of asking hospital patients to self-report the effectiveness
of Zapurpain. [2 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible limitations:
- social desirability, patients may feel obliged to say the drug is effective at reducing their pain
- pain is subjective, a participant who has a higher pain threshold may report Zapurpain to be more effective for example." "(June 2020) 9. Explain how Zapurpain might affect the process of synaptic transmission through
inhibition. [4 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Possible content:
- Zapurpain mimics the effect of inhibitory neurotransmitters, stimulation of postsynaptic receptors by an inhibitory neurotransmitter result in inhibition (hyperpolarisation) of the postsynaptic membrane
- when an inhibitory neurotransmitter binds to the post-synaptic receptors it makes the post- synaptic cell less likely to fire (IPSP)
- Summation - if inhibitory inputs are higher than excitatory they can cancel out excitation and inhibit an action potential occurring/Zapurpain would decrease the overall activity
- Zapurpain would make the post-synaptic cell less likely to fire • reducing brain activity may lead to reduced pain." "(June 2020) 10. Explain one difference and one similarity between Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) as ways of studying the brain. [
marks] - CORRECT ANSWER Difference:
Possible content:
- fMRIs have poor temporal resolution whereas ERPs have good temporal resolution
- fMRIs have good spatial resolution whereas ERPs have poor spatial resolution
- fMRIs provide indirect measure of neural activity whereas ERPs offer a direct measure of neural activity
- different methodology - fMRIs work by measuring changes in blood oxygenation as a measure of neural activity whereas ERPs measure electrical activity via electrodes to detect brainwaves triggered by certain events
- fMRIs are more expensive than ERPs. Similarity: Possible content:
- fMRIs and ERPs are both non-invasive and do not use radiation (risk free)
- fMRIs and ERPs both measure brain activity linked to events/tasks." "(June 2020) 12. In which section(s) of a scientific report would you expect to find reference to the results/findings of the investigation? [1 mark] A The abstract and the results sections only B The abstract, the discussion and the results sections only C The results and the discussion sections only
D The results section only - CORRECT ANSWER (B) The abstract, the discussion and the
results sections only" "(June 2020) 14. Identify the type of graph shown in Figure 2 (Scatter Graph) and explain why this
is an appropriate graph to use for the data collected. [3 marks] - CORRECT ANSWER 1 mark
for scattergram/scattergraph. Plus 2 marks for a clear and coherent explanation linked to this study. 1 mark for a limited or muddled explanation. Possible content:
- the study is correlational/looking at the relationship between recreational screen time and academic performance
- scattergrams display relationships between co-variables, academic performance and recreational screen time are co-variables."
