WJEC Psychology FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 COMPLETE QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS || 100% GUARANTEED PASS BRAND NEW VERSION

WJEC Psychology FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 COMPLETE QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS || 100% GUARANTEED PASS BRAND NEW VERSION 1. Assumption 1 (Evolutionary influences) Theory of Natural Selection : - ANSWER Any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individual's chance of survival and reproduction (the genes) will be passed on to the next generation. E.g. altruistic behaviour, where parents risk their lives to save their offspring. 2. Assumption 1 (Evolutionary influences) The environment of evolutionary adaptiveness : - ANSWER The environment to which a species is best suited to due to the selective pressures at the time. With an example being those that are better at forming relationships are more likely to survive so the genes for such behaviour are passed on. 3. Assumption 2 (Localisation of brain function) Four lobes : - ANSWER Frontal lobe - Involved in creativity, thinking and is linked to our personality. Parietal lobe - Receives sensory information such as touch. Temporal lobe - Responsible for memory and auditory processing. Occipital lobe - Responsible for visual processing as it receives information directly from the eyes. 4. Assumption 2: (Localisation of brain function) Localisation of language : - ANSWER Left temporal lobe (Carl Wernicke) - His patients could speak but were unable to understand language. 5. Assumption 3: Neurotransmitters - ANSWER Play a significant role in our mental health in relation to their levels. For example, serotonin helps to reduce stress. High levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine have been associated with symptoms of schizophrenia 6. Biological approach - relationship formation - ANSWER Evolutionary theory - Relationships form with individuals who posses certain traits Neurotransmitters - The chemicals in our brain have a powerful effect on our emotions, and in turn will influence our perceptions of others 7. Strengths of the Biological approach - ANSWER Scientific-biological explanations have clear variables that can be measured, tracked and examined. Deterministic- if we know what predetermines our behaviour, we are more able to treat people with abnormal behaviour Successful Applications- research has led to many forms of treatment for mental disorders e.g drug therapy and psychosurgery. 8. Weaknesses of Biological approach - ANSWER Reductionist- reduce complex behaviours to a set of simple explanations which may prevent us reaching a true understanding of behaviour. Nature not nurture- ignores life experiences and psychological factors like thinking and feeling. Individual Differences- nomothetic, looking to make generalisations about people, ignoring the differences. 9. Classic evidence : Watson and Rayner (1920) - Procedures - ANSWER Aim: to see if a phobia can be conditioned into someone. Sample: 1 male aged 9 months, referred to as Albert Design: controlled observation Procedure: Albert was tested to see what he did and didn't fear. Tested with a white rat, rabbit, a dog, a monkey, masks, cotton wool etc, all of which he was unafraid of. Then they stuck a hammer upon a metal bar which made Al cry and show fear. When Al was 11mths they brought he back. A white rat was presented to him and when he reached out for it, the bar was struck, creating fear. This joint stimulation occurred 7 times so that by the end Albert would cry just upon the sight of the rat. Wooden blocks were given as a control which Al happily played with. A few months after, his reaction was tested again and he still showed fear to the white rat and other white fluffy objects. 10. Strengths of the Cognitive approach - ANSWER Mediational Processes- it focuses on the important 'processes' that occur between stimulus and response. Cognitive psychologists have gone some way to explaining how important mediational processes, such as perception and memory, affect the way we respond to the world around us. Important Contributions- it has influenced many areas of psychology like CBT to treat depression and in developmental psychology like the theories on how children's thinking develops. Scientific- memory research has generally been conducted under strict laboratory conditions and more recently has involved brain scanning techniques to pinpoint specific areas of the brain involved with short-term and long-term memory. 11. Weaknesses of Cognitive approach - ANSWER Nature & Nurture- it does consider both however it fails to consider important elements of each like the role of genes in human cognition is ignored and important social and cultural factors are often overlooked. Mechanistic- it portrays human behaviour as being like that of a machine. This raises philosophical issues such as whether a computer could ever perform like a human brain. The main objection is that this explanation ignores social and emotional factors. E.g. a depressed person may have faulty thinking patterns that can be changed however the cause may lie in significant social events. Deterministic (soft) - we acquire schemas through our social interactions. We acquire stereotypes about people and situations. Such stereotypes may determine the way we interpret situations. 12. Therapy: Mindfulness - main components - ANSWER Looks at core character strengths & psychological wellbeing by enhancing positive characteristics through acceptance. Acknowledges free will and teaches to take control of our feelings for life contentment. Gaining control of thoughts: trains us to focus on present thoughts/feelings to become aware of incoming thoughts in order to accept them. The goal is to gain greater awareness of negative thoughts to gain control over them. Meditation & mindful breathing: Learned through guided & personal practice. Clients sit comfy with a straight spine and focus on breathing. They're encouraged to pay attention to their body to prevent negative thoughts. Informal practices of mindfulness: once learned it can be practised in daily life. It is the opposite of multi tasking as it is making the conscious choice to focus on one single task. 13. Therapy: Mindfulness - effectiveness - ANSWER Integration with other therapies - mindfulness-based CBT helps to change the process of thinking, not just the content of our thoughts. Application in MBCT - helped reduce recurrent depressive episodes. Teasdale (2000) - recurrently depressed patients. MBCT provided greatest help to those who had suffered the most number of previous episodes. Application in MBSR - general practice based in hospitals. Reibel (2001), MBSR decreased levels of anxiety and depression in 136 patients. Group vs individual mindfulness - mindfulness meditation is more effective in group settings. E.g. people trying to lose weight and the group lost more weight over 6 weeks than the individual. 14. Therapy: Mindfulness - ethical and social issues - ANSWER A 'positive' approach to psychology - mindfulness does not involve dragging up the past as a means of offering an explanation for current behaviour. Does not focus on helping change the process of thinking, rather it encourages an acceptance of the process of thinking . Mindfulness and morality - individuals who are high in mindfulness are less likely to cheat on a test for example. 15. Classic evidence: Myers and Diener (1995) - findings - ANSWER Researched the evidence of what makes people happy. Age: Inglehart survey of 170,000 in 16 countries = no age difference. 80% of all ages equally happy. Gender: Inglehart = no difference. 80% of males & females fairly satisfied with life. Race/ Culture: Inglehart= notable differences. 10% Portuguese happy, 40% Netherlands happy. Money: most agree money doesn't buy happiness but having more money would make them a little happier. Traits: high self esteem, sense of personal control, extroversion & optimism. Relationships: Burt- people who can name several close friends are healthier & happier. Work: those out of work are less happy but work is a causer of stress. Faith: Polma & Pendleton: In North America & Europe religious people have higher levels of happiness. 16. Classic evidence: Myers and Diener (1995) - conclusions - ANSWER Adaption: effects of positive & negative events fade over time. Cultural world view: cultural attitudes predispose people to interpret life differently. Values & goals: people with a high sense of SWB have goals & ambitions. The future: a person's happiness isn't predictable from their age, gender or wealth. 17. Classic evidence: Myers and Diener (1995) - ethical and social issues - ANSWER Psychological harm - it is possible that some people, who are unhappy, may not welcome being asked about their happiness. Socially sensitive research - e.g. 10% of people in Portugal said they were happy, compared to 40% in the Netherlands. It doesn't mean that any Portuguese person you meet will be unhappy and that you are more likely to meet a happy Dutch person. 18. Strengths of the Positive Approach - ANSWER A Shift in Focus for Psychology - it moves the focus of psychology beyond explaining and treating disorder and illness to celebrating the human character and how authentic strengths can be developed to gain greater life contentment. Successful applications - positive psychology has been applied in many fields of life to help individuals and organisations e.g. mindfulness in education , USA resilience army training. Free will approach - unlike other approaches it doesn't propose a deterministic account on behaviour, allows us to grow and develop our natural strengths & virtues. 19. Weaknesses of the Positive Approach - ANSWER Not a new idea - many celebrate the idea as new but this is false. Positive psychology was first celebrated by Maslow in the 50s with what was called humanistic psychology. Critics say Seligman ignores the work of Maslow as it is not a new or novel concept. Ignores individual differences - may be less suitable for certain individuals or cultures. Can happiness be measured? - each individual will have a different idea about what happiness means to them. Subjective state of mind. 20. Why is the biological approach scientific? - ANSWER It's methods and assumptions are based on testable, controlled and objective techniques 21. Give two pieces of evidence that make the biological approach scientific - ANSWER Raine used objective and standardised conditions to examine the brain of murderers vs control group e.g. PET scans, matched group design. Drug therapy- shows causal relationships e.g. role of neurotransmitters 22. Why does the biological approach have positive applications - ANSWER The approach can be beneficial to society/ individuals in terms of drug therapy and treatment of criminals 23. Give two examples of how it can be beneficial in society - ANSWER Evidence suggests that drug therapy is effective e.g. Soomro found SSRI used to treat 17 patients with OCD. lowered symptoms. Cherek found the use of SSRI lowered aggression and impulsiveness compared to a placebo group Beneficial safer society and helps individuals. 24. Why is the biological approach deterministic - ANSWER It ignores free will and believes that biological factors determine behaviour e.g. disorders are due to chemical imbalances/ brain abnormalities. e.g. depression caused by low levels of serotonin. 25. Is the biological approach being deterministic a strength of a weakness - ANSWER It is a strength as it shows cause and effect and therefore can be treated. e.g. depression treated with SSRI 26. Why is the approach biologically reductionist? - ANSWER It reduces behaviour purely down to biological factors such as brain abnormalities, biochemistry 27. What is the evidence you can use for biological reductionism? - ANSWER Raine's study only focused on the brains of criminals and ignored other factors such as environment. Fallon demonstrates that he had the criminal gene but did not become criminal i.e. due to the diathesis stress model. Therefore, the approach is too simplistic. 28. Is the biological approach nomothetic or idiographic - ANSWER The approach is nomothethic as it is scientific and therefore generalises individuals are being the same e.g. disorders can be treated with biological intervention. 29. Why is being nomothetic a weakness - ANSWER It ignores the complexity of human behaviour and individual differences. 30. Characteristics - ANSWER Two main elements: as a physical response and as a psychological response. There are three different types of stress: acute, episodic acute stress and chronic stress. There are three effects: physical, psychological and lifestyle. 31. Stress as a Physical Response (C) - ANSWER Selye ('36) research on rats and described a general physical response to stress that involves the activation of the nervous system to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline that make us more able to deal with the stressor. 32. Stress as a Psychological Response (C) - ANSWER Depends on how we perceive it. Lazarus & Folkman ('84) proposed a transactional model of stress. Stress is seen as an interaction between the person and the environment. When a stressor is experienced, the person makes a judgement as to whether they have resources available to cope with it. 33. Stress as a Psychological Response - The Primary Appraisal (C) - ANSWER Involves a consideration of whether the threat is significant to the individual and whether it's harmful or challenging in any way. 34. Stress as a Psychological Response - The Secondary Appraisal (C) - ANSWER A consideration of the resources available to combat the stressor. 35. Gender Differences Evaluation (ID1) - ANSWER Shepperd ('91) highlighted inconsistent findings when considering gender and how hardiness affects the response of stress. The control and commitment elements of the hardy personality predicted health outcomes for males but not for females. There may also be differences in the effects hardiness has in different age groups. Perhaps the relationship between hardiness and stress outcomes is only evident in older women and this may help to explain the inconsistent results. 36. Issues with Measuring Hardiness Evaluation (ID1) - ANSWER This relies on self report which are subject to a number of concerns such as social desirability. There are a number of scales to measure hardiness which could create confusion when comparing studies. Funk ('92) recommends a more uniform approach using DRS claiming it's better as it measures all three components equally and contains more items that are phrased positively as well as being more widely available. 37. Type A & B Personality (ID2) - ANSWER Friedman & Rosenman developed a theory of personality based on observations of people's behaviour in their waiting room. They noticed that some individuals seemed tenser and exhibited certain behaviours while others seemed more relaxed, which led to a distinction of two types of personality: A and B. 38. Type A individuals are competitive and hostile while type B are calmer and more able to express their feelings. 39. Link Between Type A & Stress-Related Illness (ID2) - ANSWER Suggested Type A are more likely to experience FOF response and thus more likely to have stress hormones such as adrenaline released on a regular basis. Which leads to high bp and heart rate, which causes wear and tear in the blood vessels, increasing the likelihood of coronary heart disease and stroke. 40. The Western Collaborative Study (ID2) - ANSWER Procedure: Rosenman ('76) a prospective longitudinal study of 3154 men aged 39 - 59 at the start on the study. They were categorised as Type A or Type B using an interview task. The interview consisted of 25 questions about how they responded to everyday pressures (e.g waiting in a long queue). The interview was conducted in such a way to provoke Type A behaviour e.g interviewed might speak slowly and hesitantly so Type As would want to interrupt. Observations were carried out of the way they answered the questions such as volume of their voice and pace of speech. Findings: After 8.5 years, the ppts were assessed: 257 had developed heart disease and 70% of these were Type A. In total, 12.8% of Type A ppts had experienced a heart attack compared to 6% of Type B. Type As also had higher bp and cholesterol levels than Type Bs. Other risk factors like smoking were controlled for. 41. Other Research (ID2) - ANSWER Framingham Heart study based at Boston uni gathered data about risk factors for CHD since it began in 1948. Haynes ('82) Type A behaviours associated with a two fold increase in the risk of CHD over the subsequent 10 years. 42. Supporting Evidence Evaluation (ID2) - ANSWER Friedman ('75) ppts asked to complete an unsolvable puzzle in a noisy environment, offering a reward if the puzzle was completed. As appeared outwardly more stressed and annoyed by the task compared with Bs. As - higher levels of adrenaline during, despite showing no difference under normal conditions. 43. Conflicting Evidence Evaluation (ID2) - ANSWER Brand ('88) 257 the the original WCG study after 22 years. Although behaviours such as smoking and cholesterol level were important predictors of CHD morality, As behaviour did not show a significant correlation with it. Although the As were more likely to suffer from heart disease, they were more likely to survive coronary events such as a heart attack. 44. Gender & Culture Bias Evaluation (ID2) - ANSWER Original study on men and Type A traits like masculinity and competitiveness could be considered to be male-centred. Women may not show the same characteristics or relationship with stress. Baker ('84) women did show similar levels of A personality traits and they show greater autonomic arousal to stressors, suggesting they would have the same negative impact to their health. Helman ('87) the concept of an A personality is culture biased. Developed from a sample from the USA and the values of being a workaholic and being competitive embody Western ideals and norms and wouldn't be found elsewhere. 45. Role of Hostility (ID2) - ANSWER Hecker ('88) re-examined cases from the WCG study assessing the relative influence of different components of the Type A personality. Hostility had the most significant relationship with subsequent CHD and suggest that the Type A personality profile contains a number of elements that don't significantly increase the risk of CHD. This may be useful in helping Type As develop a more constructive response to stress as they can focus on a particular element. 46. Life Events (SP1) - ANSWER Those that require significant adjustment or transition. Can be both positive (marriage/pregnancy) or negative (death of spouse/jail term) but both lead to significant adjustment and changes in a person's life. They're seen as a key source of stress and may lead to illness and other negative effects. 47. Measuring Life Events (SP1) - ANSWER Holmes' early research with TB patients showed that people who became ill has experienced an increase in disturbing occurrences in the two years prior to admission to a TB hospital. To conduct research on life changes they needed to develop a standard measuring tool. They drew up a list of life events that might lead to illness, they asked 394 ppts to rate each item on the list in terms of how much adjustment it would require in someone's life, taking marriage as a baseline of 50. After analysing this data, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) was developed. It consisted on 43 items with life change units. The highest score was 100 as death of a spouse. A value of stressful life events can be calculated in any study by asking ppts to tick how many events they'd experienced within a certain period of time. The higher the score, the more likely a person is to suffer from stress and thus illness. It's suggested that a score of 150 or more increased the chances of stress related illness by 30% and a score of 300 by 50%. 48. Research Evidence (SP1) - ANSWER A number of research studies have utilised the SRRS to measure life events and compare that to certain outcomes. Rahe ('70) looked at relationship between stress and illness. Procedure: Used a version of the SRRS called the Schedule of Recent Experiences (SRE) to assess 2684 naval personnel serving on three US Navy Cruisers. Ppt completed the SRE before leaving on tour and during the 6/8 months that followed, a record was kept of any illnesses the men experienced. Findings: Positive correlation of +1.118 between stressful life events and illness. As the number of life events increased, the more likely it was the individual would be ill. 49. Supporting Evidence (SP1) - ANSWER Cohen ('93) 394 ppts a variety of questionnaires to complete including a life events scale. Ppts were then exposed to the common cold virus, quarantined and monitored for signs of infection. Higher life event scores were positively correlated with an increased risk of getting a cold. Suggests there were biological changes linked to the experience of stressful life events that lead us to be more susceptible to infection. The researchers controlled for age, weight and other health factors and still found a relationship between stress and subsequent vulnerability to illness. 50. Correlation & Causation (SP1) - ANSWER Most research into life changes as a source of stress is correlational and therefore does not prove causation. Nuckolls ('72) the impact of life changes on pregnant women, in particular any complications the woman experience during pregnancy. They found a life change score alone was not related to complications; however when the score was considered alongside a measure of social support there was a clear relationship. 90% of the women with high life change but low social support scores experienced complications, compared to 33% of those with high life change but also high social support score. This suggests that social support was an important intervening variable in including how much of an impact the stressful life changes had on the individual. 51. Individual differences explanation - Psychodynamic evidence - ANSWER - Freud: "Paranoia is an attempt to deal with unacceptable homosexual impulses." - Fromm-Reichmann: Schizophrenia may stem from double-binding messages in childhood. - Some later psychoanalysts view psychosis as a result of ego disintegration due to unresolved unconscious conflicts. 52. Individual differences explanation - Psychodynamic evaluation - ANSWER - First to link mental illness with early experiences and unconscious conflicts. - Offers a holistic, humanistic approach — values subjectivity and meaning. - Little empirical support — lacks testability, falsifiability, and scientific rigor. - Treatment implications (psychoanalysis) are ineffective or harmful in SZ. - Blames families — raises ethical concerns (e.g., mother-blaming). - Outdated — largely rejected in contemporary psychology but valuable historically. 53. Methods of modifying - Biological - ANSWER Antipsychotic Medication - Typical: Chlorpromazine (dopamine antagonist) - blocks D2 receptors, reduces positive symptoms. - Atypical: Clozapine (affects dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate) - more effective for negative symptoms and treatment-resistant SZ. 54. Methods of modifying - Biological evaluation - ANSWER - Quick symptom control (especially positive symptoms). - Allows engagement in therapy. - Severe side effects: tardive dyskinesia, weight gain, sedation. - Doesn't address underlying causes or negative symptoms well. 55. Methods of modifying - Individual differences - ANSWER - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Helps patients challenge delusional thoughts and develop alternative explanations. Enhances coping strategies for hallucinations and distress. - Family Therapy Reduces expressed emotion (EE): hostility, criticism, over-involvement in families. Focuses on communication, problem-solving, and relapse prevention.