A-LEVEL AQA PSYCHOLOGY PAPER 2 ASSESSMENT
UPDATED 2025 WITH QUESTIONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADE A+
/. Give one reason why schema's are useful? - Answer-When we're in unknown
situations schemas help us know how to behave. So when we do not know what to do
our schema fills in the gaps for us and allow us to process situations better.
/.Give one reason why schema's are not useful? - Answer-schemas may exclude
information which doesn't conform to our prior expectations. As a result, we may form
stereotypes which are difficult to shift, even if new,disputing information is presented.
This means we may not be processing the world around us accurately and may
misjudge or represent a person or situation.
/.Discuss the defense mechanism shown by Jed? - Answer-Displacement is when we
redirect our hostile feelings onto something else because it is not appropriate to express
their feeling towards the person or object in question. Jed can't take his frustration out
on his teacher, who issued the detention and he displaced his feelings by kicking the
locker.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach,
(A01 Behaviourist) - 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) - 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, (operant conditioning) - Answer-Skinner suggested behaviour resulted from
learning through the consequences of our actions. He conducted research into operant
conditioning theory using rats, and found that three types of consequences will affect
behaviour: positive reinforcement involves rewarding a behaviour, which increases it
, being repeated; negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant outcome to
increase it being repeated; punishment involves adding an unpleasant
outcome,reducing the behaviour.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach, (similarity to biological) - Answer-Both the behaviourist approach and
biological approach share a similarity in being determinist. Both ignore the influence that
the person can have and whether they have free will and can make their own choices in
these decisions.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach, (difference) - Answer-However, they differ in that the behaviourist approach
is environmentally determinist while the biological approach is biologically determinist.
Stating that behaviour is the product of internal biological factors (e.g. genes, hormones,
neurotransmitters, etc.) while behaviourists argue that behaviour is determined by the
environment and is a product of stimulus-response associations
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach (similarity) - Answer-Both approaches take a nomothetic approach when
studying human behaviour. Both investigate behaviour to try to create universal laws
that apply to all human beings. Biologists argue that this is possible because human
beings share similar physiologies, and behaviourists argue that this is possible because
all behaviour is the result of learning and stimulus-response associations. Therefore, the
aim of generating universal laws that apply to all humans is another similarity between
the behaviourist and biological approaches.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach (nature + nurture) - 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?
- 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 - Answer-A =
Sensory
B = Relay
C = Motor
UPDATED 2025 WITH QUESTIONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADE A+
/. Give one reason why schema's are useful? - Answer-When we're in unknown
situations schemas help us know how to behave. So when we do not know what to do
our schema fills in the gaps for us and allow us to process situations better.
/.Give one reason why schema's are not useful? - Answer-schemas may exclude
information which doesn't conform to our prior expectations. As a result, we may form
stereotypes which are difficult to shift, even if new,disputing information is presented.
This means we may not be processing the world around us accurately and may
misjudge or represent a person or situation.
/.Discuss the defense mechanism shown by Jed? - Answer-Displacement is when we
redirect our hostile feelings onto something else because it is not appropriate to express
their feeling towards the person or object in question. Jed can't take his frustration out
on his teacher, who issued the detention and he displaced his feelings by kicking the
locker.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach,
(A01 Behaviourist) - 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) - 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, (operant conditioning) - Answer-Skinner suggested behaviour resulted from
learning through the consequences of our actions. He conducted research into operant
conditioning theory using rats, and found that three types of consequences will affect
behaviour: positive reinforcement involves rewarding a behaviour, which increases it
, being repeated; negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant outcome to
increase it being repeated; punishment involves adding an unpleasant
outcome,reducing the behaviour.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach, (similarity to biological) - Answer-Both the behaviourist approach and
biological approach share a similarity in being determinist. Both ignore the influence that
the person can have and whether they have free will and can make their own choices in
these decisions.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach, (difference) - Answer-However, they differ in that the behaviourist approach
is environmentally determinist while the biological approach is biologically determinist.
Stating that behaviour is the product of internal biological factors (e.g. genes, hormones,
neurotransmitters, etc.) while behaviourists argue that behaviour is determined by the
environment and is a product of stimulus-response associations
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach (similarity) - Answer-Both approaches take a nomothetic approach when
studying human behaviour. Both investigate behaviour to try to create universal laws
that apply to all human beings. Biologists argue that this is possible because human
beings share similar physiologies, and behaviourists argue that this is possible because
all behaviour is the result of learning and stimulus-response associations. Therefore, the
aim of generating universal laws that apply to all humans is another similarity between
the behaviourist and biological approaches.
/.Outline the key features of the behaviourist approach. Compare to the biological
approach (nature + nurture) - 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?
- 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 - Answer-A =
Sensory
B = Relay
C = Motor
