surname names
Number Number
May 2025 Edexcel: AS Psychology 8PS0/02
Paper 2 – Biological Psychology and
Learning Theories – Merged Question
Paper & Mark Scheme
Paper
Psychology 🟐 🟐
Advanced Subsidiary
PAPER 2: Biological Psychology and Learning Theories
Instructions
•• Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
centre number and candidate number.
•• Answer all questions.
Answer the questions in the spaces provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Information
•• The total mark for this paper is 70.
The marks for each question are shown in brackets
– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.
• The list of formulae and statistical tables are printed at the start of this paper.
Exam Resource Summary
• Candidates may use a calculator.
The May 2025 Edexcel AS Psychology 8PS0/02 – Paper 2: Biological Psychology and Learning
Theories – Merged Question Paper & Mark Scheme document integrates the official
Advice
examination paper with its complete mark scheme. This paper assesses students’
•
understanding of biological bases of behavior, including the nervous and endocrine
Read eachbrain
systems, question carefully
structures, andbefore you start
genetics, to answer
as well it.
as key learning theories such as classical
• and operant conditioning and
Try to answer every question. social learning theory. The merged format presents each
• question alongside its marking criteria, providing
Check your answers if you have time at the end. clear guidance on examiner expectations,
mark allocation, and question structure. This resource supports focused revision,
development of analytical and evaluative skills, and practice in applying psychological
theory to practical and experimental contexts, making it essential for preparation for the
May 2025 Edexcel AS Psychology Paper 2 examination.
Turn over
P78776A
©2025 Pearson Education Ltd.
Y:1/1/1/1/1/1
, FORMULAE AND STATISTICAL TABLES
Standard deviation (sample estimate)
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
x x 2
n 1
Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient
6d2
n n2 1
1
Critical values for Spearman’s rank
Level of significance for a one-tailed test
0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005 0.0025
Level of significance for a two-tailed test
N 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005
5 0.900 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
6 0.829 0.886 0.943 1.000 1.000
7 0.714 0.786 0.893 0.929 0.964
8 0.643 0.738 0.833 0.881 0.905
9 0.600 0.700 0.783 0.833 0.867
10 0.564 0.648 0.745 0.794 0.830
11 0.536 0.618 0.709 0.755 0.800
12 0.503 0.587 0.678 0.727 0.769
13 0.484 0.560 0.648 0.703 0.747
14 0.464 0.538 0.626 0.679 0.723
15 0.446 0.521 0.604 0.654 0.700
16 0.429 0.503 0.582 0.635 0.679
17 0.414 0.485 0.566 0.615 0.662
18 0.401 0.472 0.550 0.600 0.643
19 0.391 0.460 0.535 0.584 0.628
20 0.380 0.447 0.520 0.570 0.612
21 0.370 0.435 0.508 0.556 0.599
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
22 0.361 0.425 0.496 0.544 0.586
23 0.353 0.415 0.486 0.532 0.573
24 0.344 0.406 0.476 0.521 0.562
25 0.337 0.398 0.466 0.511 0.551
26 0.331 0.390 0.457 0.501 0.541
27 0.324 0.382 0.448 0.491 0.531
28 0.317 0.375 0.440 0.483 0.522
29 0.312 0.368 0.433 0.475 0.513
30 0.306 0.362 0.425 0.467 0.504
The calculated value must be equal to or exceed the critical value in this table for
significance to be shown.
2
■■■■
, Chi-squared distribution formula
O E
2
X2 df r 1c 1
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
E
Critical values for chi-squared distribution
Level of significance for a one-tailed test
0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005 0.0005
Level of significance for a two-tailed test
df 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.001
1 1.64 2.71 3.84 5.02 6.64 10.83
2 3.22 4.61 5.99 7.38 9.21 13.82
3 4.64 6.25 7.82 9.35 11.35 16.27
4 5.99 7.78 9.49 11.14 13.28 18.47
5 7.29 9.24 11.07 12.83 15.09 20.52
6 8.56 10.65 12.59 14.45 16.81 22.46
7 9.80 12.02 14.07 16.01 18.48 24.32
8 11.03 13.36 15.51 17.54 20.09 26.12
9 12.24 14.68 16.92 19.02 21.67 27.88
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
10 13.44 15.99 18.31 20.48 23.21 29.59
11 14.63 17.28 19.68 21.92 24.73 31.26
12 15.81 18.55 21.03 23.34 26.22 32.91
13 16.99 19.81 22.36 24.74 27.69 34.53
14 18.15 21.06 23.69 26.12 29.14 36.12
15 19.31 22.31 25.00 27.49 30.58 37.70
16 20.47 23.54 26.30 28.85 32.00 39.25
17 21.62 24.77 27.59 30.19 33.41 40.79
18 22.76 25.99 28.87 31.53 34.81 42.31
19 23.90 27.20 30.14 32.85 36.19 43.82
20 25.04 28.41 31.41 34.17 37.57 45.32
21 26.17 29.62 32.67 35.48 38.93 46.80
22 27.30 30.81 33.92 36.78 40.29 48.27
23 28.43 32.01 35.17 38.08 41.64 49.73
24 29.55 33.20 36.42 39.36 42.98 51.18
25 30.68 34.38 37.65 40.65 44.31 52.62
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
26 31.80 35.56 38.89 41.92 45.64 54.05
27 32.91 36.74 40.11 43.20 46.96 55.48
28 34.03 37.92 41.34 44.46 48.28 56.89
29 35.14 39.09 42.56 45.72 49.59 58.30
30 36.25 40.26 43.77 46.98 50.89 59.70
40 47.27 51.81 55.76 59.34 63.69 73.40
50 58.16 63.17 67.51 71.42 76.15 86.66
60 68.97 74.40 79.08 83.30 88.38 99.61
70 79.72 85.53 90.53 95.02 100.43 112.32
The calculated value must be equal to or exceed the critical value in this table for
significance to be shown.
3
■■■■ Turn over
, Mann-Whitney U test formulae
U n n na na 1 R
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
a a b
2
a
U n n nb nb 1 R
b a b
2
b
(U is the smaller of Ua and Ub)
Critical values for the Mann-Whitney U test
Nb
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Na
p ≤ 0.05 (one-tailed), p ≤ 0.10 (two-tailed)
5 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13 15 16 18 19 20 22 23 25
6 5 7 8 10 12 14 16 17 19 21 23 25 26 28 30 32
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
7 6 8 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 26 28 30 33 35 37 39
8 8 10 13 15 18 20 23 26 28 31 33 36 39 41 44 47
9 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54
10 11 14 17 20 24 27 31 34 37 41 44 48 51 55 58 62
11 12 16 19 23 27 31 34 38 42 46 50 54 57 61 65 69
12 13 17 21 26 30 34 38 42 47 51 55 60 64 68 72 77
13 15 19 24 28 33 37 42 47 51 56 61 65 70 75 80 84
14 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 77 82 87 92
15 18 23 28 33 39 44 50 55 61 66 72 77 83 88 94 100
16 19 25 30 36 42 48 54 60 65 71 77 83 89 95 101 107
17 20 26 33 39 45 51 57 64 70 77 83 89 96 102 109 115
18 22 28 35 41 48 55 61 68 75 82 88 95 102 109 116 123 DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
19 23 30 37 44 51 58 65 72 80 87 94 101 109 116 123 130
20 25 32 39 47 54 62 69 77 84 92 100 107 115 123 130 138
4
■■■■
Number Number
May 2025 Edexcel: AS Psychology 8PS0/02
Paper 2 – Biological Psychology and
Learning Theories – Merged Question
Paper & Mark Scheme
Paper
Psychology 🟐 🟐
Advanced Subsidiary
PAPER 2: Biological Psychology and Learning Theories
Instructions
•• Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
centre number and candidate number.
•• Answer all questions.
Answer the questions in the spaces provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Information
•• The total mark for this paper is 70.
The marks for each question are shown in brackets
– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.
• The list of formulae and statistical tables are printed at the start of this paper.
Exam Resource Summary
• Candidates may use a calculator.
The May 2025 Edexcel AS Psychology 8PS0/02 – Paper 2: Biological Psychology and Learning
Theories – Merged Question Paper & Mark Scheme document integrates the official
Advice
examination paper with its complete mark scheme. This paper assesses students’
•
understanding of biological bases of behavior, including the nervous and endocrine
Read eachbrain
systems, question carefully
structures, andbefore you start
genetics, to answer
as well it.
as key learning theories such as classical
• and operant conditioning and
Try to answer every question. social learning theory. The merged format presents each
• question alongside its marking criteria, providing
Check your answers if you have time at the end. clear guidance on examiner expectations,
mark allocation, and question structure. This resource supports focused revision,
development of analytical and evaluative skills, and practice in applying psychological
theory to practical and experimental contexts, making it essential for preparation for the
May 2025 Edexcel AS Psychology Paper 2 examination.
Turn over
P78776A
©2025 Pearson Education Ltd.
Y:1/1/1/1/1/1
, FORMULAE AND STATISTICAL TABLES
Standard deviation (sample estimate)
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
x x 2
n 1
Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient
6d2
n n2 1
1
Critical values for Spearman’s rank
Level of significance for a one-tailed test
0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005 0.0025
Level of significance for a two-tailed test
N 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005
5 0.900 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
6 0.829 0.886 0.943 1.000 1.000
7 0.714 0.786 0.893 0.929 0.964
8 0.643 0.738 0.833 0.881 0.905
9 0.600 0.700 0.783 0.833 0.867
10 0.564 0.648 0.745 0.794 0.830
11 0.536 0.618 0.709 0.755 0.800
12 0.503 0.587 0.678 0.727 0.769
13 0.484 0.560 0.648 0.703 0.747
14 0.464 0.538 0.626 0.679 0.723
15 0.446 0.521 0.604 0.654 0.700
16 0.429 0.503 0.582 0.635 0.679
17 0.414 0.485 0.566 0.615 0.662
18 0.401 0.472 0.550 0.600 0.643
19 0.391 0.460 0.535 0.584 0.628
20 0.380 0.447 0.520 0.570 0.612
21 0.370 0.435 0.508 0.556 0.599
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
22 0.361 0.425 0.496 0.544 0.586
23 0.353 0.415 0.486 0.532 0.573
24 0.344 0.406 0.476 0.521 0.562
25 0.337 0.398 0.466 0.511 0.551
26 0.331 0.390 0.457 0.501 0.541
27 0.324 0.382 0.448 0.491 0.531
28 0.317 0.375 0.440 0.483 0.522
29 0.312 0.368 0.433 0.475 0.513
30 0.306 0.362 0.425 0.467 0.504
The calculated value must be equal to or exceed the critical value in this table for
significance to be shown.
2
■■■■
, Chi-squared distribution formula
O E
2
X2 df r 1c 1
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
E
Critical values for chi-squared distribution
Level of significance for a one-tailed test
0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005 0.0005
Level of significance for a two-tailed test
df 0.20 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.001
1 1.64 2.71 3.84 5.02 6.64 10.83
2 3.22 4.61 5.99 7.38 9.21 13.82
3 4.64 6.25 7.82 9.35 11.35 16.27
4 5.99 7.78 9.49 11.14 13.28 18.47
5 7.29 9.24 11.07 12.83 15.09 20.52
6 8.56 10.65 12.59 14.45 16.81 22.46
7 9.80 12.02 14.07 16.01 18.48 24.32
8 11.03 13.36 15.51 17.54 20.09 26.12
9 12.24 14.68 16.92 19.02 21.67 27.88
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
10 13.44 15.99 18.31 20.48 23.21 29.59
11 14.63 17.28 19.68 21.92 24.73 31.26
12 15.81 18.55 21.03 23.34 26.22 32.91
13 16.99 19.81 22.36 24.74 27.69 34.53
14 18.15 21.06 23.69 26.12 29.14 36.12
15 19.31 22.31 25.00 27.49 30.58 37.70
16 20.47 23.54 26.30 28.85 32.00 39.25
17 21.62 24.77 27.59 30.19 33.41 40.79
18 22.76 25.99 28.87 31.53 34.81 42.31
19 23.90 27.20 30.14 32.85 36.19 43.82
20 25.04 28.41 31.41 34.17 37.57 45.32
21 26.17 29.62 32.67 35.48 38.93 46.80
22 27.30 30.81 33.92 36.78 40.29 48.27
23 28.43 32.01 35.17 38.08 41.64 49.73
24 29.55 33.20 36.42 39.36 42.98 51.18
25 30.68 34.38 37.65 40.65 44.31 52.62
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
26 31.80 35.56 38.89 41.92 45.64 54.05
27 32.91 36.74 40.11 43.20 46.96 55.48
28 34.03 37.92 41.34 44.46 48.28 56.89
29 35.14 39.09 42.56 45.72 49.59 58.30
30 36.25 40.26 43.77 46.98 50.89 59.70
40 47.27 51.81 55.76 59.34 63.69 73.40
50 58.16 63.17 67.51 71.42 76.15 86.66
60 68.97 74.40 79.08 83.30 88.38 99.61
70 79.72 85.53 90.53 95.02 100.43 112.32
The calculated value must be equal to or exceed the critical value in this table for
significance to be shown.
3
■■■■ Turn over
, Mann-Whitney U test formulae
U n n na na 1 R
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
a a b
2
a
U n n nb nb 1 R
b a b
2
b
(U is the smaller of Ua and Ub)
Critical values for the Mann-Whitney U test
Nb
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Na
p ≤ 0.05 (one-tailed), p ≤ 0.10 (two-tailed)
5 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13 15 16 18 19 20 22 23 25
6 5 7 8 10 12 14 16 17 19 21 23 25 26 28 30 32
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
7 6 8 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 26 28 30 33 35 37 39
8 8 10 13 15 18 20 23 26 28 31 33 36 39 41 44 47
9 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54
10 11 14 17 20 24 27 31 34 37 41 44 48 51 55 58 62
11 12 16 19 23 27 31 34 38 42 46 50 54 57 61 65 69
12 13 17 21 26 30 34 38 42 47 51 55 60 64 68 72 77
13 15 19 24 28 33 37 42 47 51 56 61 65 70 75 80 84
14 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 77 82 87 92
15 18 23 28 33 39 44 50 55 61 66 72 77 83 88 94 100
16 19 25 30 36 42 48 54 60 65 71 77 83 89 95 101 107
17 20 26 33 39 45 51 57 64 70 77 83 89 96 102 109 115
18 22 28 35 41 48 55 61 68 75 82 88 95 102 109 116 123 DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
19 23 30 37 44 51 58 65 72 80 87 94 101 109 116 123 130
20 25 32 39 47 54 62 69 77 84 92 100 107 115 123 130 138
4
■■■■
