Buraidah
Paper 2 — Language, Thought and Communication
AQA GCSE Psychology Revision Guide
A note on this guide. This resource is an independently produced study aid based on
the publicly available AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification. It is not published,
endorsed, or affiliated with AQA. Study names, theories, and findings referenced are
factual/historical information used for teaching purposes.
7.1 Spec Content Breakdown
Sub-topic Key content
Language and thought Piaget (language depends on thought) vs the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (thought depends on
language); cross-cultural variation in
recall/recognition
Human vs animal communication Limited functions of animal communication;
properties unique to human communication
(e.g. planning, discussing the future)
Non-verbal communication Eye contact, body language (open/closed
posture, postural echo, touch), personal space
(cultural, status, gender differences)
Explanations of non-verbal behaviour Darwin’s evolutionary theory
(innate/adaptive); evidence it is innate
(neonates, sensory-deprived) vs learned
7.2 Key Studies
Von Frisch’s Bee Study
• Aim: To investigate how bees communicate the location of food sources to each other.
• Method: Observation of bees’ “waggle dance” behaviour after finding food, and the
response of other bees.
• Findings: The angle and speed of the dance communicated the direction and distance of
the food source to other bees.
• Evaluation: Demonstrates sophisticated animal communication, but crucially limited
to a fixed, instinctive function (food location) (because the dance only ever
Paper 2 — Language, Thought and Communication
AQA GCSE Psychology Revision Guide
A note on this guide. This resource is an independently produced study aid based on
the publicly available AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification. It is not published,
endorsed, or affiliated with AQA. Study names, theories, and findings referenced are
factual/historical information used for teaching purposes.
7.1 Spec Content Breakdown
Sub-topic Key content
Language and thought Piaget (language depends on thought) vs the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (thought depends on
language); cross-cultural variation in
recall/recognition
Human vs animal communication Limited functions of animal communication;
properties unique to human communication
(e.g. planning, discussing the future)
Non-verbal communication Eye contact, body language (open/closed
posture, postural echo, touch), personal space
(cultural, status, gender differences)
Explanations of non-verbal behaviour Darwin’s evolutionary theory
(innate/adaptive); evidence it is innate
(neonates, sensory-deprived) vs learned
7.2 Key Studies
Von Frisch’s Bee Study
• Aim: To investigate how bees communicate the location of food sources to each other.
• Method: Observation of bees’ “waggle dance” behaviour after finding food, and the
response of other bees.
• Findings: The angle and speed of the dance communicated the direction and distance of
the food source to other bees.
• Evaluation: Demonstrates sophisticated animal communication, but crucially limited
to a fixed, instinctive function (food location) (because the dance only ever
