AQA A-LEVEL
PSYCHOLOGY PAPER
2(LATEST 2025/2026)
STUDY GUIDE WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Psychology - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>the scientific
study of behaviour and mental processes
,Science - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>The means of
acquiring knowledge through systematic and
objective investigation
Introspection by Wundt - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
systematic method used to study the mind by
breaking up conscious awareness into basic
structures of thoughts, images and sensations
Emergence of psychology - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Watson questioned the subjectiveness of
introspection - variety between person to
person made it hard to establish general
principles
,Behaviourist approach - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is
observable and in terms of learning
Classical conditioning - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Learning by association
Operant conditioning - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Learning where behaviour is shaped and
maintained by consequences
Reinforcement - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
consequence of behaviour that increases the
likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
, Assumptions of behaviourist approach -
✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>- assumes everything about
human behaviour is learnt through experience
(classical or operant conditioning)
- relies on lab experiments
- animals have same basic processes that
govern learning and so can be replaced as
experimental subjects
Pavlov's research - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>Pavlov
presented a bell (NS) with food (UCS), which
caused the dog to salivate (UCR). Eventually, the
dog associated the sound of the bell and food
so the sound of the bell (CS) would cause the
dog to salivate (CR) - demonatrating the
learning of innate reflex behaviours in animals
PSYCHOLOGY PAPER
2(LATEST 2025/2026)
STUDY GUIDE WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
Psychology - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>the scientific
study of behaviour and mental processes
,Science - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>The means of
acquiring knowledge through systematic and
objective investigation
Introspection by Wundt - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
systematic method used to study the mind by
breaking up conscious awareness into basic
structures of thoughts, images and sensations
Emergence of psychology - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Watson questioned the subjectiveness of
introspection - variety between person to
person made it hard to establish general
principles
,Behaviourist approach - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is
observable and in terms of learning
Classical conditioning - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Learning by association
Operant conditioning - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔-
>>Learning where behaviour is shaped and
maintained by consequences
Reinforcement - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>A
consequence of behaviour that increases the
likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
, Assumptions of behaviourist approach -
✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>- assumes everything about
human behaviour is learnt through experience
(classical or operant conditioning)
- relies on lab experiments
- animals have same basic processes that
govern learning and so can be replaced as
experimental subjects
Pavlov's research - ✔✔ANSWER✔✔->>Pavlov
presented a bell (NS) with food (UCS), which
caused the dog to salivate (UCR). Eventually, the
dog associated the sound of the bell and food
so the sound of the bell (CS) would cause the
dog to salivate (CR) - demonatrating the
learning of innate reflex behaviours in animals
