1
A-level
PSYCHOLOGY
Paper 3 Issues and options in psychology combined with AQA
A-level
PSYCHOLOGY
7182/3R
Paper 3 Issues and options in psychology
Mark scheme
November 2021
Version: 1.0 Final Mark Scheme
November 2021 Morning Time allowed: 2 hours
Materials
For this paper you must have:
an AQA 16-page Answer
Book. You may use a
calculator.
Instructions
Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7182/3R.
In Section A, you should answer all questions.
In Section B, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
In Section C, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
R In Section D, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be
marked.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 96.
You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
, 2
Section A
Issues and debates in psychology
Answer all questions in this section.
0 1 Outline what is meant by cultural relativism.
[2 marks]
0 2 Suggest two ways in which researchers might reduce cultural bias in their
research.
[2 marks]
0 3 Jonny is 25 years old. He is a very anxious person. Colleagues tease him at
work because he chews his pen all the time and spends hours tidying his
desk. He finds it difficult to make friends and has never had a girlfriend.
Use your knowledge of psychic determinism to explain Jonny’s behaviour.
[4 marks]
0 4 ‘Psychologists sometimes adopt a reductionist approach to their
investigations when they want their research to be objective and empirical.’
Discuss reductionism in psychological research. Refer to the statement above in
your answer.
[16 marks]
Turn over for Section B
Turn over ►
, 3
Section B
Relationships or Gender or Cognition and development
Choose one topic from Section B. Answer all questions on the topic you
choose.
Topic: Relationships
0 5 Which one of the following best describes social exchange theory? Write
the correct letter in your answer book.
[1 mark]
A A theory that proposes individuals focus on balancing effort and gain.
B A theory that proposes individuals focus on cost rather than reward.
C A theory that proposes individuals focus on getting out more than they put
in.
A theory that proposes individuals focus on how much has been
D contributed so far.
In a study of filter theory, a psychology student used a group of female
participants. Each participant was shown two descriptions.
Description 1 described a man with a similar social background to that of
the female participants.
Description 2 described a man with a different social background to that of
the female participants.
The student asked participants to judge how much they liked each
description on a scale of 1–10.
The student decided to test for a significant difference between the
judgements made for each description. He proposed using an unrelated t-
test to analyse the data.
0 6 Suggest a more appropriate statistical test of difference for the student to
use with this data. Explain two reasons for your choice based on the
description of the study.
[5 marks]
0 7 The student who carried out the study selected the two descriptions. He decided
himself which social backgrounds were similar and which social backgrounds
were different.
Explain how the study could be improved by selecting the descriptions another
way.
[2 marks]
, 4
0 8 Discuss the filter theory of attraction. Refer to the likely outcome of the
student’s study in your answer.
[8 marks]
0 9 Outline Rusbult’s model of romantic relationships. Explain one or more
strength(s) of Rusbult’s model.
[8 marks]
Topic: Gender
1 0 Which one of the following best describes Kohlberg’s gender stability stage?
Write the correct letter in your answer book.
[1 mark]
A Knowing what gender you are now and believing that your gender
is stable in different contexts and across different situations.
B Knowing what gender you are now and understanding that you have
always been the same gender and will stay the same gender in the
future.
C Knowing what gender you are now but thinking that you were a
different gender in the past and could be a different gender in the
future.
D Knowing what gender you are now but wanting to be a different
gender at different times and in different situations.
In a study of sex-role stereotypes and the understanding of gender, a
psychology student used a group of 7-year-old children. Each child was
shown two pictures.
Picture 1 showed people carrying out sex-stereotypical activities.
Picture 2 showed people carrying out non-sex-stereotypical activities.
The student asked the children to say how much they liked each picture
on a scale of 1–10.
The student decided to test for a significant difference between the
judgements of the two pictures. He proposed using an unrelated t-test to
analyse the data.
1 1 Suggest a more appropriate statistical test of difference for the student to
use with this data. Explain two reasons for your choice based on the
description of the study.
[5 marks]
Section B continues on the next page
A-level
PSYCHOLOGY
Paper 3 Issues and options in psychology combined with AQA
A-level
PSYCHOLOGY
7182/3R
Paper 3 Issues and options in psychology
Mark scheme
November 2021
Version: 1.0 Final Mark Scheme
November 2021 Morning Time allowed: 2 hours
Materials
For this paper you must have:
an AQA 16-page Answer
Book. You may use a
calculator.
Instructions
Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7182/3R.
In Section A, you should answer all questions.
In Section B, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
In Section C, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
R In Section D, choose one topic. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be
marked.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 96.
You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
, 2
Section A
Issues and debates in psychology
Answer all questions in this section.
0 1 Outline what is meant by cultural relativism.
[2 marks]
0 2 Suggest two ways in which researchers might reduce cultural bias in their
research.
[2 marks]
0 3 Jonny is 25 years old. He is a very anxious person. Colleagues tease him at
work because he chews his pen all the time and spends hours tidying his
desk. He finds it difficult to make friends and has never had a girlfriend.
Use your knowledge of psychic determinism to explain Jonny’s behaviour.
[4 marks]
0 4 ‘Psychologists sometimes adopt a reductionist approach to their
investigations when they want their research to be objective and empirical.’
Discuss reductionism in psychological research. Refer to the statement above in
your answer.
[16 marks]
Turn over for Section B
Turn over ►
, 3
Section B
Relationships or Gender or Cognition and development
Choose one topic from Section B. Answer all questions on the topic you
choose.
Topic: Relationships
0 5 Which one of the following best describes social exchange theory? Write
the correct letter in your answer book.
[1 mark]
A A theory that proposes individuals focus on balancing effort and gain.
B A theory that proposes individuals focus on cost rather than reward.
C A theory that proposes individuals focus on getting out more than they put
in.
A theory that proposes individuals focus on how much has been
D contributed so far.
In a study of filter theory, a psychology student used a group of female
participants. Each participant was shown two descriptions.
Description 1 described a man with a similar social background to that of
the female participants.
Description 2 described a man with a different social background to that of
the female participants.
The student asked participants to judge how much they liked each
description on a scale of 1–10.
The student decided to test for a significant difference between the
judgements made for each description. He proposed using an unrelated t-
test to analyse the data.
0 6 Suggest a more appropriate statistical test of difference for the student to
use with this data. Explain two reasons for your choice based on the
description of the study.
[5 marks]
0 7 The student who carried out the study selected the two descriptions. He decided
himself which social backgrounds were similar and which social backgrounds
were different.
Explain how the study could be improved by selecting the descriptions another
way.
[2 marks]
, 4
0 8 Discuss the filter theory of attraction. Refer to the likely outcome of the
student’s study in your answer.
[8 marks]
0 9 Outline Rusbult’s model of romantic relationships. Explain one or more
strength(s) of Rusbult’s model.
[8 marks]
Topic: Gender
1 0 Which one of the following best describes Kohlberg’s gender stability stage?
Write the correct letter in your answer book.
[1 mark]
A Knowing what gender you are now and believing that your gender
is stable in different contexts and across different situations.
B Knowing what gender you are now and understanding that you have
always been the same gender and will stay the same gender in the
future.
C Knowing what gender you are now but thinking that you were a
different gender in the past and could be a different gender in the
future.
D Knowing what gender you are now but wanting to be a different
gender at different times and in different situations.
In a study of sex-role stereotypes and the understanding of gender, a
psychology student used a group of 7-year-old children. Each child was
shown two pictures.
Picture 1 showed people carrying out sex-stereotypical activities.
Picture 2 showed people carrying out non-sex-stereotypical activities.
The student asked the children to say how much they liked each picture
on a scale of 1–10.
The student decided to test for a significant difference between the
judgements of the two pictures. He proposed using an unrelated t-test to
analyse the data.
1 1 Suggest a more appropriate statistical test of difference for the student to
use with this data. Explain two reasons for your choice based on the
description of the study.
[5 marks]
Section B continues on the next page
