AQA A Level Psychology Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology June 2024 question paper 7182/3

Read the examples in Table 1 then answer Questions 01 and 02.

Which psychologist believes in interactionism? Write the correct name in your answer book.

Which psychologist believes in environmental reductionism? Write the correct name in your answer book.

What is meant by ethnocentrism in psychology?

Outline two limitations of ethnocentrism.

Maria is a successful gymnast. Her mother was also an athlete and encouraged Maria throughout her childhood, taking her to practice sessions before school from the age of 5 years.

Maria is being interviewed about her success as a gymnast. In the interview she says, ‘I don’t know if I am like my mum or not. Wherever it came from, I always had a strong motivation to succeed. Maybe I didn’t really have much choice. I was destined to be a gymnast.’

Discuss determinism in psychology. Refer to Maria in your answer.

A psychologist studied the effects of using different social media platforms. There were 60 participants. The psychologist assigned the first 30 people on the alphabetical list of participants to Group 1 and assigned the remaining 30 people to Group 2.

The psychologist asked participants in Group 1 to use a new social media platform over the course of a month. This platform promotes greater self-disclosure.

The psychologist asked participants in Group 2, the control group, to use a different new social media platform over the course of a month. This platform does not promote self-disclosure.

One way of improving this study would be to use random allocation. Explain how random allocation could have been carried out.

At the end of the month, the psychologist calculated the median number of ‘social media friends’ for participants in each group. The results are shown in the following table.

Table 2 Median number of ‘social media friends’ for Group 1 and Group 2

What conclusion could the psychologist make from the results in Table 2 ? Justify your answer.

After conducting the study, the psychologist wrote up a psychological report.

Which section of the psychological report should include information about how the participants were allocated to the two groups?

Suggest two examples of self-disclosure that might have occurred in the social media communications of the participants in the study.

Discuss the matching hypothesis.

Outline and evaluate the role of sexual selection in human reproductive behaviour.

A psychologist studied the effects of sex-role stereotyping in the media. There were 60 participants. The psychologist assigned the first 30 people on the alphabetical list of participants to Group 1 and assigned the remaining 30 people to Group 2.

The psychologist asked participants in Group 1 to watch a list of sex-role stereotyped TV programmes over the course of a month.

The psychologist asked participants in Group 2, the control group, to watch a list of TV programmes which did not show sex-role stereotyping over the course of a month.

One way of improving this study would be to use random allocation. Explain how random allocation could have been carried out.

To analyse the results, the psychologist calculated the median sex-role stereotyping score in a questionnaire for participants in each group at the end of the month. A high score in the questionnaire means a participant shows higher sex-role stereotyped attitudes. The results are shown in the following table.

Table 3 Median sex-role stereotyping score in a questionnaire for

What conclusion could the psychologist make from the results in Table 3 ? Justify your answer.

After conducting the study, the psychologist wrote up a psychological report.

Which section of the psychological report should include information about how the participants were allocated to the two groups?

Suggest two examples of sex-role stereotyped behaviour that might have occurred in the TV programmes watched by Group 1.

Discuss the role of identification in the development of gender.

Outline and evaluate psychological research into androgyny.

A psychologist studied the effects of using familiar play materials in a conservation experiment. There were 60 participants, all six years old. The psychologist assigned the first 30 children on the alphabetical list of participants to Group 1 and assigned the remaining 30 children to Group 2.

Participants in Group 1 carried out 10 conservation tasks using familiar play materials.

Participants in Group 2, the control group, carried out 10 conservation tasks using unfamiliar play materials.

For each participant, the psychologist recorded the number of conservation tasks solved correctly.

One way of improving this study would be to use random allocation. Explain how random allocation could have been carried out.

To analyse the results, the psychologist calculated the median conservation score for the participants in each group. The results are shown in the following table.

Table 4 Median conservation scores for Group 1 and Group 2

What conclusion could the psychologist make from the results in Table 4 ? Justify your answer.

After conducting the study, the psychologist wrote up a psychological report.

Which section of the psychological report should include information about how the participants were allocated to the two groups?

Briefly suggest two examples of a conservation task that the psychologist might have used in the study.

Discuss the role of the mirror neuron system in social cognition.

Outline and evaluate Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development.

Studies into the effectiveness of drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Which one of the following explains how typical antipsychotics work in the treatment of schizophrenia?

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A They block dopamine receptor sites.

B They block dopamine receptor sites and prevent the re-uptake of dopamine.

C They increase the number of dopamine receptor sites.

D They prevent the re-uptake of dopamine.

Outline one limitation of the use of drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Using an example of each, explain the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Jade has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her parents tell her they care about her but also complain that she is too dependent. They watch Jade closely, criticising her behaviour, and often argue about how they should treat her. Jade says her mother makes her feel uncomfortable and unloved, almost as if she was a stranger.

Discuss family dysfunction as an explanation for schizophrenia. Refer to Jade in your answer.

Studies into the effectiveness of drugs in the treatment of conditions such as eating disorders sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Which one of the following statements is TRUE ?

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Ghrelin is released from fat cells.

B Ghrelin travels to the hypothalamus before eating.

C Leptin is secreted from the wall of the stomach.

D Leptin levels increase before eating.

Outline one limitation of neural explanations for anorexia nervosa.

Using an example of each, explain the difference between neophobia and taste aversion.

Zack has been diagnosed with an eating disorder. His parents tell him constantly how much they care about him and how they will always be together. Zack rarely goes out, except for going to school, and his mother watches him very closely. The family have a strict routine which Zack resents, but he does not complain or argue. Zack sometimes wishes he could have fun like other boys at school.

Discuss family systems theory as an explanation for anorexia nervosa. Refer to Zack in your answer.

Studies into the effectiveness of drug therapy in the treatment of stress sometimes combine the results of a number of different studies.

Suggest one of the following techniques as an appropriate way to combine the results of different studies.

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Content analysis

B Correlational analysis

C Meta-analysis

D Thematic analysis

Which one of the following is TRUE of the sympathomedullary pathway?

Write the correct letter in your answer book.

A Action of the pathway involves the release of adrenaline only.

B Action of the pathway involves the release of both adrenaline and noradrenaline.

C Action of the pathway involves the release of neither adrenaline nor noradrenaline.

D Action of the pathway involves the release of noradrenaline only.

Outline one limitation of the use of drug therapy in the treatment of stress.

Using an example of each, explain the difference between instrumental support and emotional support.

Keira goes to Dr Bib because she feels anxious, cries a lot and has not slept properly for weeks. Sometimes she feels her heart pounding and thinks she will faint. She always seems to have a sore throat. Keira tells the doctor about all the problems in her life; she is a long-term carer for an elderly relative and has recently been upset by difficulties at work. Dr Bib thinks Keira is suffering from stress. He takes her blood pressure and also takes a blood sample.

Discuss the role of stress in illness. Refer to Keira in your answer.

In psychological reporting it is usual to present book references in an accepted format.

The reference below includes some, but not all, of the necessary pieces of information. The pieces of information included here are the author’s surname and initial, and the title of the book.

Reference: Lorenz, K. On Aggression.

Three further pieces of information are missing from the reference. What are they?

A prison officer investigating institutional aggression has devised a questionnaire for prisoners to complete. The questionnaire consists of a series of statements about prison life and the prisoners have to indicate how much they agree with each statement.

One statement in the questionnaire is ‘The noise in the prison is unpleasant’. The response options in the questionnaire are ‘Agree’ and ‘Disagree’.

Suggest how the response options in the questionnaire could be modified to better assess how much prisoners agree with the statement.

What is meant by an innate releasing mechanism?

Angel is often aggressive at school. At playtime, she pushes other children off the play equipment and snatches toys away from them. In the dinner queue, she pushes other children out of the way. At home, she sees her two older sisters fighting and listens to her mum yelling at the neighbours. When the sisters all play outside, they race around with their hoods up, hitting other children and shouting at them.

Discuss one or more social psychological explanations for aggression. Refer to Angel in your answer.

In psychological reporting it is usual to present book references in an accepted format.

The reference below includes some, but not all, of the necessary pieces of information. The pieces of information included here are the author’s surname and initials, and the title of the book.

Reference: Eysenck, H.J. The Measurement of Personality.

Three further pieces of information are missing from the reference. What are they?

A police trainer investigating offender profiling has devised a questionnaire for police officers to complete. The questionnaire consists of a series of statements about offender profiling and the police officers have to indicate how much they agree with each statement.

One statement in the questionnaire is ‘Offender profiling can be helpful in solving crime’. The response options in the questionnaire are ‘Agree’ and ‘Disagree’.

Suggest how the response options in the questionnaire could be modified to better assess how much the police officers agree with the statement.

Outline Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality.

Vera has a bad temper and has been in and out of prison many times. She is currently in prison for assault. The prison governor is keen to rehabilitate prisoners like Vera. Prison officers manage Vera’s temper through a system of rewards for good behaviour. To help with long-term reform, they try to give her strategies for managing her own behaviour in the outside world; Vera attends regular therapy classes and writes about situations when she has lost her temper.

Discuss one or more ways of dealing with offending. Refer to Vera in your answer.

In psychological reporting it is usual to present book references in an accepted format.

The reference below includes some, but not all, of the necessary pieces of information. The pieces of information included here are the author’s surname and initials, and the title of the book.

Reference: Eysenck, H.J. The Measurement of Personality.

Three further pieces of information are missing from the reference. What are they?

A social worker investigating nicotine addiction has devised a questionnaire for smokers to complete. The questionnaire consists of a series of statements about smoking, and smokers have to indicate how much they agree with each statement.

One statement in the questionnaire is ‘Holding a cigarette makes me feel calm’. The response options in the questionnaire are ‘Agree’ and ‘Disagree’.

Suggest how the response options in the questionnaire could be modified to better assess how much smokers agree with the statement.

Outline Prochaska’s model of behaviour change.

Asa plays internet poker when he is alone in the evening, losing large sums of money. Sometimes he goes to casinos for the extra thrill of being around other gamblers. He talks about all the times he has won and how skilled he is at placing bets. If people point out that he could lose, Asa just ignores them.

Asa goes to a therapist for help with problem gambling. The therapist focuses on changing how Asa thinks about gambling and making the casino much less attractive.

Discuss one or more ways of reducing addiction. Refer to Asa in your answer.