AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY APPROACHES REVIEWED
QUESTIONS WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Evaluate |conditioning |as |a |theory |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-Classical
:) |- |Research |into |classical |conditioning |has |lead |to |the |development |of |treatment |of
|phobias, |systematic |desensitisation |works |by |eliminating |the |learned |anxious
|response |(CR) |that |is |associated |with |the |feared |object |(CS). |This |process |has |been
|proven |to |work |on |many |different |phobias |such |as |arachnophobia
:( |- |It |is |difficult |to |say |that |conditioning |works |the |same |for |every |animal |as |some
|animals |find |it |harder |to |form |associations |with |certain |stimuli. |Thus |Seligman
|proposed |preparedness, |this |means |that |animals |are |prepared |to |associate |aspects
|that |will |help |their |survival |such |as |the |smell |of |meat |with |food, |but |are |less |ready |to
|associate |random |items |such |as |a |bell |with |a |tree.
Operant
:) |- |Skinner |used |a |strong |experimental |method |which |allowed |him |to |control |the
|conditions |in |which |it |was |setup |in. |The |'Skinners |Box' |in |particular |is |a |good |example |of
|this |in |practice |where |the |consequence |was |manipulated |to |see |the |effects |on |the |rats
|behaviour. |All |of |this |allowed |him |to |draw |a |strong |cause |and |effect |relationship.
:( |- |Critics |have |pointed |out |that |he |has |relied |strongly |on |the |fact |he |can |extrapolate |his
|findings |from |rats |onto |humans. |We |are |very |different |to |rats |and |specifically |we |have
|free |will, |it |can |be |argued |that |we |do |not |have |our |behaviour |determined |by |positive
|and |negative |reinforcement
Evaluate |SLT |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |There |are |many |real |world |applications |that
|research |into |SLT |has |bought |for |example |Akers |suggested |that |the |probability |of
|someone |engaging |in |criminal |activity |increases |when |they |are |exposed |to |models |that
|do |this |around |them. |This |is |an |application |that |can |benefit |society |as |we |now |know |to
|keep |children |away |from |parents |with |criminal |records |or |general |antisocial |behaviour.
:) |- |There |has |been |research |done |which |supports |identification. |Greater |identification
|results |in |a |learner |learning |more |as |it |is |easier |for |them |to |visualise |them |self |in |the
|place |of |the |model. |Fox |found |evidence |for |this |using |computer |generated |virtual
|humans |engaging |in |exercise |and |had |participants |watch |these |CGI |humans, |some |of
|which |looked |similar |to |participants |and |some |didn't. |The |participants |were |then
, observed |for |the |next |24 |hours |and |found |that |the |participants |who's |models |looked
|similar |tended |to |do |exercise |them |self.
:( |- |Social |learning |theory |is |too |reductionist |as |it |only |states |that |it |only |looks |at |the
|nurture |side |of |the |nature |nurture |debate. |We |know |now |that |we |must |take |a |wholistic
|approach |and |take |parts |from |both |side |of |the |argument |as |there |is |strong |evidence
|that |proves |genes |play |a |significant |part |in |our |behaviour |and |thus |SLT |needs |to |take |a
|more |wholistic |approach |in |explaining |human |behaviour.
Evaluate |the |biological |approach |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |The |biological |approach
|implies |clearly |that |our |genes |can |be |adapted |to |fix |unwanted |behaviours. |This |has
|been |fully |taken |advantage |of |and |many |real |life |applications |are |now |used |because |of
|it, |drugs |in |particular |are |used |world |wide |because |of |a |biological |approach |to
|explaining |psychological |behaviours. |SSRI |for |example |has |been |proven |to |reduce
|symptoms |for |depression
:) |- |It |takes |a |very |scientific |approach |to |prove |theories, |particularly |making |use |of |the
|experimental |method. |These |take |place |in |highly |controlled |environments |so |that
|other |researchers |can |then |easily |repeat |the |experiments |to |check |for |consistent
|findings, |increasing |the |validity |of |the |results.
:( |- |It |is |a |reductionist |approach, |it |reduces |our |complex |human |behaviour |down |to |a
|few |separate |components |that |work |together |such |as |genes, |hormones |and
|neurotransmitters. |For |example |someone |with |depression |it |would |explain |it |only |via |a
|fault |in |one |of |these |factors |whereas |it |should |really |take |a |wholistic |approach |by
|looking |at |both |that |and |also |environmental |factors.
:( |- |There |is |a |danger |of |genetic |explanations |for |going |too |far |in |the |sense |that |in |the
|future |there |may |be |worldwide |genetic |screening |for |genes |that |may |increase
|likelihood |of |criminal |activity |or |anti |social |behaviour |this |would |then |lead |to |a
|discrimination |against |certain |types |of |people. |However |on |the |contrary |genes |are |not
|this |simple |and |it |is |impossible |to |say |this |gene |will |cause |this |as |other |factors |must |be
|looked |at |as |well.
Evaluate |the |cognitive |approach |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |Research |done |into |the
|cognitive |approach |has |allowed |for |real |life |applications |to |surface |because |of |it. |The
|cognitive |approach |so |psychopathology |has |been |used |to |explain |how |much |of |a
|dysfunctional |brain |is |due |to |faulty |thinking |processes |and |thus |this |lead |to |the |therapy
|known |as |cognitive |behavioural |therapy |which |helps |patients |with |OCD |and
|depression.
QUESTIONS WITH 100% CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Evaluate |conditioning |as |a |theory |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-Classical
:) |- |Research |into |classical |conditioning |has |lead |to |the |development |of |treatment |of
|phobias, |systematic |desensitisation |works |by |eliminating |the |learned |anxious
|response |(CR) |that |is |associated |with |the |feared |object |(CS). |This |process |has |been
|proven |to |work |on |many |different |phobias |such |as |arachnophobia
:( |- |It |is |difficult |to |say |that |conditioning |works |the |same |for |every |animal |as |some
|animals |find |it |harder |to |form |associations |with |certain |stimuli. |Thus |Seligman
|proposed |preparedness, |this |means |that |animals |are |prepared |to |associate |aspects
|that |will |help |their |survival |such |as |the |smell |of |meat |with |food, |but |are |less |ready |to
|associate |random |items |such |as |a |bell |with |a |tree.
Operant
:) |- |Skinner |used |a |strong |experimental |method |which |allowed |him |to |control |the
|conditions |in |which |it |was |setup |in. |The |'Skinners |Box' |in |particular |is |a |good |example |of
|this |in |practice |where |the |consequence |was |manipulated |to |see |the |effects |on |the |rats
|behaviour. |All |of |this |allowed |him |to |draw |a |strong |cause |and |effect |relationship.
:( |- |Critics |have |pointed |out |that |he |has |relied |strongly |on |the |fact |he |can |extrapolate |his
|findings |from |rats |onto |humans. |We |are |very |different |to |rats |and |specifically |we |have
|free |will, |it |can |be |argued |that |we |do |not |have |our |behaviour |determined |by |positive
|and |negative |reinforcement
Evaluate |SLT |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |There |are |many |real |world |applications |that
|research |into |SLT |has |bought |for |example |Akers |suggested |that |the |probability |of
|someone |engaging |in |criminal |activity |increases |when |they |are |exposed |to |models |that
|do |this |around |them. |This |is |an |application |that |can |benefit |society |as |we |now |know |to
|keep |children |away |from |parents |with |criminal |records |or |general |antisocial |behaviour.
:) |- |There |has |been |research |done |which |supports |identification. |Greater |identification
|results |in |a |learner |learning |more |as |it |is |easier |for |them |to |visualise |them |self |in |the
|place |of |the |model. |Fox |found |evidence |for |this |using |computer |generated |virtual
|humans |engaging |in |exercise |and |had |participants |watch |these |CGI |humans, |some |of
|which |looked |similar |to |participants |and |some |didn't. |The |participants |were |then
, observed |for |the |next |24 |hours |and |found |that |the |participants |who's |models |looked
|similar |tended |to |do |exercise |them |self.
:( |- |Social |learning |theory |is |too |reductionist |as |it |only |states |that |it |only |looks |at |the
|nurture |side |of |the |nature |nurture |debate. |We |know |now |that |we |must |take |a |wholistic
|approach |and |take |parts |from |both |side |of |the |argument |as |there |is |strong |evidence
|that |proves |genes |play |a |significant |part |in |our |behaviour |and |thus |SLT |needs |to |take |a
|more |wholistic |approach |in |explaining |human |behaviour.
Evaluate |the |biological |approach |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |The |biological |approach
|implies |clearly |that |our |genes |can |be |adapted |to |fix |unwanted |behaviours. |This |has
|been |fully |taken |advantage |of |and |many |real |life |applications |are |now |used |because |of
|it, |drugs |in |particular |are |used |world |wide |because |of |a |biological |approach |to
|explaining |psychological |behaviours. |SSRI |for |example |has |been |proven |to |reduce
|symptoms |for |depression
:) |- |It |takes |a |very |scientific |approach |to |prove |theories, |particularly |making |use |of |the
|experimental |method. |These |take |place |in |highly |controlled |environments |so |that
|other |researchers |can |then |easily |repeat |the |experiments |to |check |for |consistent
|findings, |increasing |the |validity |of |the |results.
:( |- |It |is |a |reductionist |approach, |it |reduces |our |complex |human |behaviour |down |to |a
|few |separate |components |that |work |together |such |as |genes, |hormones |and
|neurotransmitters. |For |example |someone |with |depression |it |would |explain |it |only |via |a
|fault |in |one |of |these |factors |whereas |it |should |really |take |a |wholistic |approach |by
|looking |at |both |that |and |also |environmental |factors.
:( |- |There |is |a |danger |of |genetic |explanations |for |going |too |far |in |the |sense |that |in |the
|future |there |may |be |worldwide |genetic |screening |for |genes |that |may |increase
|likelihood |of |criminal |activity |or |anti |social |behaviour |this |would |then |lead |to |a
|discrimination |against |certain |types |of |people. |However |on |the |contrary |genes |are |not
|this |simple |and |it |is |impossible |to |say |this |gene |will |cause |this |as |other |factors |must |be
|looked |at |as |well.
Evaluate |the |cognitive |approach |- |CORRECT |ANSWER |-:) |- |Research |done |into |the
|cognitive |approach |has |allowed |for |real |life |applications |to |surface |because |of |it. |The
|cognitive |approach |so |psychopathology |has |been |used |to |explain |how |much |of |a
|dysfunctional |brain |is |due |to |faulty |thinking |processes |and |thus |this |lead |to |the |therapy
|known |as |cognitive |behavioural |therapy |which |helps |patients |with |OCD |and
|depression.
