AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY - ANSWER: abnormality is defined as those behaviours that
are extremely rare, i.e. Any behaviour that is found in very few people is regarded as abnormal.
E.g. IQ - statistically unusual if below 70. Diagnosed w/ intellectual disability disorder
DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS - ANSWER: behaviour that is different from the
accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
Abnormality based on social context
Example: antisocial personality disorder (formerly psychopathy) - failure to conform to lawful
and culturally normal behaviour. Psychopaths are abnormal because they deviate from social
norms/standards.
STRENGTH OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: REAL LIFE APPLICATION - ANSWER:
all assessment of patients w/ mental disorders includes comparison to statistical norms.
Thus a useful part of clinical assessment.
LIMITATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: UNUSUAL ≠ BAD - ANSWER: IQ scores
of >130 are also statistically abnormal, but people with this are not diagnosed w/ a disorder like
those who have IQ<70.
Limitation because this means it should never be used alone to make a diagnosis
LIMITATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: NOT EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM A
LABEL - ANSWER: if someone is happy and fulfilled, there is no benefit from being labelled
as abnormal - could cause a negative view of self and others.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS: CULTURALLY RELATIVE -
ANSWER: different cultures label people differently - creates problems for people from one
culture living w/i another culture
Creates cultural bias in assessment
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES -
ANSWER: too much reliance on this method of assessment and lead to systematic abuse of
human rights, for example diagnosing people with conditions for trying to escape slavery or
being attracted to working-class people - diagnoses used for control.
,AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY - ANSWER: occurs when someone is unable to
cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living.
No longer conforming to interpersonal rules, experience personal distress, behave irrationally or
dangerously.
DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH - ANSWER: occurs when someone does not
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
meet a set of criteria for good mental health. Can overlap w/ failure to function adequately
JAHODA (1958) - ANSWER: Six conditions of ideal mental health:
(1) positive self attitude
(2) self actualisation - realising your potential, being fulfilled.
(3) resistance to stress
(4) personal autonomy - making your own decisions, being in control.
(5) accurate perception of reality
(6) adaption to the environment.
STRENGTH OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: RECOGNISES PATIENT'S
PERSPECTIVE - ANSWER: allows patient to discuss how they struggle to cope w/ everyday
pressures - captures experience of those who need help
LIMITATION OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: SAME AS DEVIATION FROM
SOCIAL NORMS - ANSWER: hard to say when someone is really failing to function, or if they
just deviate from social norms. E.e people who live alternative lifestyles. Treating this as failures
of adequate functioning limits freedom.
LIMITATION OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: SUBJECTIVE - ANSWER:
someone has to judge distress - patients may feel distressed but may not be viewed as suffering.
STRENGTH OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: COMPREHENSIVE -
ANSWER: broad criteria of mental health covers most reasons why someone may seek help.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: CULTURALLY
RELATIVE - ANSWER: Johoda's classification may be specific to western norms. Emphasis on
self-actualisation may be seen as self-indulgence on collectivist cultures.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: UNREALISTICALLY
HIGH STANDARD - ANSWER: very few people actually attain all of the criteria at all times ∴
most people would be viewed as abnormal.
,AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHOBIAS - ANSWER: behavioural
- panic
- avoidance of phobic stimulus
Emotional
- anxiety/fear
- unreasonable responses
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
Cognitive
- selective attention twd phobic stimulus (difficult to focus elsewhere)
- irratoinal beliefs
CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSION - ANSWER: behavioural
- low activity levels
- disruption to sleep/eating
Emotional
- low mood
- anger
Cognitive
- poor concentration
- absolutist thinking
CHARACTERISTICS OF OCD - ANSWER: behavioural
- compulsions
- avoidance
Emotional
- anxiety/distress
- guilt/disgust
Cognitive
- obsessive thoughts
- insight into excessive anxiety (awareness that thoughts are irrational - hyper-vigilant of
obsession)
TWO-PROCESS MODEL - ANSWER: a theory that explains the two processes that lead to the
development of phobias - they begin through classical conditioning and are maintained through
operant conditioning.
, AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
ACQUISITION OF PHOBIA THRO' CLASSICAL CONDITIONING - ANSWER: e.g. Bitten
(UCS) → fear (UCR)
Dog (NS) associated w/ UCS. Dog previously elicited no response.
NS becomes CS producing fear (now the CR)
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
LITTLE ALBERT - ANSWER: subject in John Watson's experiment, proved classical
conditioning principles, especially the generalization of fear.
Whenever Albert played w/ a white rat (NS), loud bang (UCS) was heard causing fear (UCR).
When rat was paired w/ bang several times, it became associated until rat (CS) caused fear (CR).
Albert generalised the fear - was scared of other white furry objects.
MAINTENANCE OF PHOBIA THROUGH OPERANT CONDITIONING - ANSWER:
negative reinforcement: phobic avoids phobic stimulus to escape anxiety response. This
reduction in fear negatively reinforces avoidance behaviour and phobia is maintained.
STRENGTH OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: GOOD EXPLANATIONARY POWER -
ANSWER: important applications for therapy - if patient is prevented from practising avoidance
behaviour phobic behaviour decreases.
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS - ANSWER:
in conditions such as agoraphobia, avoidance is linked w/ feelings of safety. This explains why
some agoraphobics are able to leave the house with others, just not alone.
Problem for two-process model → suggests avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: INCOMPLETE EXPLANATION - ANSWER:
some aspects of phobias require further explanation - easy to acquire phobias of things which
were a danger in evolutionary past. This is biological preparedness (innate).
Shows there is more to acquiring a phobia than conditioning.
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: NOT ALL BAD EXPERIENCES LEAD TO
PHOBIAS - ANSWER: suggests conditioning alone cannot explain phobias. They may develop
only where a vulnerability exists - two-process cannot explain this vulnerability.
VERIFIED ANSWERS
STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY - ANSWER: abnormality is defined as those behaviours that
are extremely rare, i.e. Any behaviour that is found in very few people is regarded as abnormal.
E.g. IQ - statistically unusual if below 70. Diagnosed w/ intellectual disability disorder
DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS - ANSWER: behaviour that is different from the
accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
Abnormality based on social context
Example: antisocial personality disorder (formerly psychopathy) - failure to conform to lawful
and culturally normal behaviour. Psychopaths are abnormal because they deviate from social
norms/standards.
STRENGTH OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: REAL LIFE APPLICATION - ANSWER:
all assessment of patients w/ mental disorders includes comparison to statistical norms.
Thus a useful part of clinical assessment.
LIMITATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: UNUSUAL ≠ BAD - ANSWER: IQ scores
of >130 are also statistically abnormal, but people with this are not diagnosed w/ a disorder like
those who have IQ<70.
Limitation because this means it should never be used alone to make a diagnosis
LIMITATION OF STATISTICAL INFREQUENCY: NOT EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM A
LABEL - ANSWER: if someone is happy and fulfilled, there is no benefit from being labelled
as abnormal - could cause a negative view of self and others.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS: CULTURALLY RELATIVE -
ANSWER: different cultures label people differently - creates problems for people from one
culture living w/i another culture
Creates cultural bias in assessment
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM SOCIAL NORMS: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES -
ANSWER: too much reliance on this method of assessment and lead to systematic abuse of
human rights, for example diagnosing people with conditions for trying to escape slavery or
being attracted to working-class people - diagnoses used for control.
,AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY - ANSWER: occurs when someone is unable to
cope with ordinary demands of day-to-day living.
No longer conforming to interpersonal rules, experience personal distress, behave irrationally or
dangerously.
DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH - ANSWER: occurs when someone does not
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
meet a set of criteria for good mental health. Can overlap w/ failure to function adequately
JAHODA (1958) - ANSWER: Six conditions of ideal mental health:
(1) positive self attitude
(2) self actualisation - realising your potential, being fulfilled.
(3) resistance to stress
(4) personal autonomy - making your own decisions, being in control.
(5) accurate perception of reality
(6) adaption to the environment.
STRENGTH OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: RECOGNISES PATIENT'S
PERSPECTIVE - ANSWER: allows patient to discuss how they struggle to cope w/ everyday
pressures - captures experience of those who need help
LIMITATION OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: SAME AS DEVIATION FROM
SOCIAL NORMS - ANSWER: hard to say when someone is really failing to function, or if they
just deviate from social norms. E.e people who live alternative lifestyles. Treating this as failures
of adequate functioning limits freedom.
LIMITATION OF FAILURE TO FUNCTION ADEQUATELY: SUBJECTIVE - ANSWER:
someone has to judge distress - patients may feel distressed but may not be viewed as suffering.
STRENGTH OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: COMPREHENSIVE -
ANSWER: broad criteria of mental health covers most reasons why someone may seek help.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: CULTURALLY
RELATIVE - ANSWER: Johoda's classification may be specific to western norms. Emphasis on
self-actualisation may be seen as self-indulgence on collectivist cultures.
LIMITATION OF DEVIATION FROM IDEAL MENTAL HEALTH: UNREALISTICALLY
HIGH STANDARD - ANSWER: very few people actually attain all of the criteria at all times ∴
most people would be viewed as abnormal.
,AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHOBIAS - ANSWER: behavioural
- panic
- avoidance of phobic stimulus
Emotional
- anxiety/fear
- unreasonable responses
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
Cognitive
- selective attention twd phobic stimulus (difficult to focus elsewhere)
- irratoinal beliefs
CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSION - ANSWER: behavioural
- low activity levels
- disruption to sleep/eating
Emotional
- low mood
- anger
Cognitive
- poor concentration
- absolutist thinking
CHARACTERISTICS OF OCD - ANSWER: behavioural
- compulsions
- avoidance
Emotional
- anxiety/distress
- guilt/disgust
Cognitive
- obsessive thoughts
- insight into excessive anxiety (awareness that thoughts are irrational - hyper-vigilant of
obsession)
TWO-PROCESS MODEL - ANSWER: a theory that explains the two processes that lead to the
development of phobias - they begin through classical conditioning and are maintained through
operant conditioning.
, AQA PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL 2025 PAPER 1 MS :QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
VERIFIED ANSWERS
ACQUISITION OF PHOBIA THRO' CLASSICAL CONDITIONING - ANSWER: e.g. Bitten
(UCS) → fear (UCR)
Dog (NS) associated w/ UCS. Dog previously elicited no response.
NS becomes CS producing fear (now the CR)
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%
LITTLE ALBERT - ANSWER: subject in John Watson's experiment, proved classical
conditioning principles, especially the generalization of fear.
Whenever Albert played w/ a white rat (NS), loud bang (UCS) was heard causing fear (UCR).
When rat was paired w/ bang several times, it became associated until rat (CS) caused fear (CR).
Albert generalised the fear - was scared of other white furry objects.
MAINTENANCE OF PHOBIA THROUGH OPERANT CONDITIONING - ANSWER:
negative reinforcement: phobic avoids phobic stimulus to escape anxiety response. This
reduction in fear negatively reinforces avoidance behaviour and phobia is maintained.
STRENGTH OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: GOOD EXPLANATIONARY POWER -
ANSWER: important applications for therapy - if patient is prevented from practising avoidance
behaviour phobic behaviour decreases.
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS - ANSWER:
in conditions such as agoraphobia, avoidance is linked w/ feelings of safety. This explains why
some agoraphobics are able to leave the house with others, just not alone.
Problem for two-process model → suggests avoidance is motivated by anxiety reduction
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: INCOMPLETE EXPLANATION - ANSWER:
some aspects of phobias require further explanation - easy to acquire phobias of things which
were a danger in evolutionary past. This is biological preparedness (innate).
Shows there is more to acquiring a phobia than conditioning.
LIMITATION OF TWO-PROCESS MODEL: NOT ALL BAD EXPERIENCES LEAD TO
PHOBIAS - ANSWER: suggests conditioning alone cannot explain phobias. They may develop
only where a vulnerability exists - two-process cannot explain this vulnerability.
