Cambridge International AS & A Level
PSYCHOLOGY 9990/42
Paper 4 Specialist Options: Application May/June 2023
1 hour 30 minutes
You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet.
* 6 6 6 2 2 3 5 3 2 3 *
You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed)
INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer four questions in total:
Answer questions from two options.
Section A: answer two questions.
Section B: answer one question.
Section C: answer one question.
● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper,
ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet.
INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 60.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
This document has 8 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
DC (CE/SG) 314775/3
© UCLES 2023 [Turn over
, 2
Section A
You must answer two questions from this section.
Answer all the parts for the two questions you choose.
Psychology and abnormality
1 Paul and Lentz (1977) conducted a study with 84 patients with schizophrenia, allocating each
patient to one of three types of treatment, including token economy. After more than four years,
the effectiveness of each treatment was compared. Alternatively, schizophrenia can be treated
using biochemical techniques.
(a) Outline how operant conditioning explains token economy. [2]
(b) Outline the findings about the effectiveness of token economy from this study. [4]
(c) Suggest two reasons why an independent measures design was a better choice for this study
than any other experimental design. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using biochemical techniques to treat schizophrenia.
You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
Psychology and consumer behaviour
2 Gil et al. (2009) used closed-circuit television (CCTV) to record shopper movement patterns in
a supermarket. Fig. 2.1 shows the movement pattern for a ‘short trip’ shopper. Shoppers were
interviewed twice, with the second being an extensive interview when the shoppers left the
supermarket.
Fig. 2.1
(a) Suggest how one ethical guideline could have been followed in this study. [2]
(b) Explain two types of movement pattern identified by the CCTV recordings, other than ‘short
trip’. [4]
(c) (i) Explain one feature of the interviews conducted with shoppers in this study. [2]
(ii) Give one strength of using the feature you explained in (c)(i) in this study. [2]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using CCTV to investigate shopper behaviour. You
should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23
, 3
Psychology and health
3 Using a sample of 3000 healthy men aged 39–59, Friedman and Rosenman (1974) found that
those men with a Type A personality experienced more stress-related ill-health over a period of
nine years than men with a Type B personality.
(a) Explain one physiological effect that stress may have on health. [2]
(b) Explain two characteristics of a Type A personality. [4]
(c) Suggest two causes of stress, other than personality. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of conducting longitudinal studies to measure stress.
You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
Psychology and organisations
4 Blau and Boal (1987) proposed a model to explain how job involvement and organisational
commitment could interact to affect turnover and absenteeism in workers. Each interaction of
job involvement and organisational commitment produces different worker behaviours. Each
interaction is represented by a letter (W, X, Y, Z) in Fig. 4.1.
Job involvement
High Low
Organisational High W X
commitment Low Y Z
Fig. 4.1
(a) Explain what is meant by the term ‘job involvement’. [2]
(b) (i) Explain what Blau and Boal’s model predicts about workers’ behaviour in ‘Z’.
Do not refer to absenteeism in your answer. [2]
(ii) Explain what Blau and Boal’s model predicts about workers’ behaviour in ‘X’.
Do not refer to absenteeism in your answer. [2]
(c) Outline two of the four categories of absence identified by Blau and Boal. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using absenteeism to measure organisational
commitment. You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23 [Turn over
, 4
Section B
You must answer one question from this section.
Psychology and abnormality
5 (a) Design a study using observation to investigate the frequency of the characteristics of
schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorders. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and consumer behaviour
6 Advertising can be made more effective using a slogan. Two kinds of slogans are ‘jingle slogans’
(slogans with music) and ‘non-jingle slogans’ (slogans without music).
(a) Design a study to investigate whether jingle slogans are recalled significantly more than
non-jingle slogans. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and health
7 (a) Design a study to investigate whether a stress-prevention technique is more effective for
women than men. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and organisations
8 (a) Design an experiment to investigate which is the more effective way to motivate workers in
your organisation, bonuses or performance-related pay. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your experiment is based.
[8]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23
PSYCHOLOGY 9990/42
Paper 4 Specialist Options: Application May/June 2023
1 hour 30 minutes
You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet.
* 6 6 6 2 2 3 5 3 2 3 *
You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed)
INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer four questions in total:
Answer questions from two options.
Section A: answer two questions.
Section B: answer one question.
Section C: answer one question.
● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper,
ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet.
INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 60.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
This document has 8 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.
DC (CE/SG) 314775/3
© UCLES 2023 [Turn over
, 2
Section A
You must answer two questions from this section.
Answer all the parts for the two questions you choose.
Psychology and abnormality
1 Paul and Lentz (1977) conducted a study with 84 patients with schizophrenia, allocating each
patient to one of three types of treatment, including token economy. After more than four years,
the effectiveness of each treatment was compared. Alternatively, schizophrenia can be treated
using biochemical techniques.
(a) Outline how operant conditioning explains token economy. [2]
(b) Outline the findings about the effectiveness of token economy from this study. [4]
(c) Suggest two reasons why an independent measures design was a better choice for this study
than any other experimental design. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using biochemical techniques to treat schizophrenia.
You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
Psychology and consumer behaviour
2 Gil et al. (2009) used closed-circuit television (CCTV) to record shopper movement patterns in
a supermarket. Fig. 2.1 shows the movement pattern for a ‘short trip’ shopper. Shoppers were
interviewed twice, with the second being an extensive interview when the shoppers left the
supermarket.
Fig. 2.1
(a) Suggest how one ethical guideline could have been followed in this study. [2]
(b) Explain two types of movement pattern identified by the CCTV recordings, other than ‘short
trip’. [4]
(c) (i) Explain one feature of the interviews conducted with shoppers in this study. [2]
(ii) Give one strength of using the feature you explained in (c)(i) in this study. [2]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using CCTV to investigate shopper behaviour. You
should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23
, 3
Psychology and health
3 Using a sample of 3000 healthy men aged 39–59, Friedman and Rosenman (1974) found that
those men with a Type A personality experienced more stress-related ill-health over a period of
nine years than men with a Type B personality.
(a) Explain one physiological effect that stress may have on health. [2]
(b) Explain two characteristics of a Type A personality. [4]
(c) Suggest two causes of stress, other than personality. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of conducting longitudinal studies to measure stress.
You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
Psychology and organisations
4 Blau and Boal (1987) proposed a model to explain how job involvement and organisational
commitment could interact to affect turnover and absenteeism in workers. Each interaction of
job involvement and organisational commitment produces different worker behaviours. Each
interaction is represented by a letter (W, X, Y, Z) in Fig. 4.1.
Job involvement
High Low
Organisational High W X
commitment Low Y Z
Fig. 4.1
(a) Explain what is meant by the term ‘job involvement’. [2]
(b) (i) Explain what Blau and Boal’s model predicts about workers’ behaviour in ‘Z’.
Do not refer to absenteeism in your answer. [2]
(ii) Explain what Blau and Boal’s model predicts about workers’ behaviour in ‘X’.
Do not refer to absenteeism in your answer. [2]
(c) Outline two of the four categories of absence identified by Blau and Boal. [4]
(d) Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using absenteeism to measure organisational
commitment. You should include a conclusion in your answer. [5]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23 [Turn over
, 4
Section B
You must answer one question from this section.
Psychology and abnormality
5 (a) Design a study using observation to investigate the frequency of the characteristics of
schizophrenia spectrum and psychotic disorders. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and consumer behaviour
6 Advertising can be made more effective using a slogan. Two kinds of slogans are ‘jingle slogans’
(slogans with music) and ‘non-jingle slogans’ (slogans without music).
(a) Design a study to investigate whether jingle slogans are recalled significantly more than
non-jingle slogans. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and health
7 (a) Design a study to investigate whether a stress-prevention technique is more effective for
women than men. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your study is based. [8]
Psychology and organisations
8 (a) Design an experiment to investigate which is the more effective way to motivate workers in
your organisation, bonuses or performance-related pay. [10]
(b) Explain the psychological and methodological evidence on which your experiment is based.
[8]
© UCLES 2023 9990/42/M/J/23
