AQA A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY PAPER 2 QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 100% VERIFIED
When did psychology emerge?
What 3 things had happened by the end of the 19th Century? - (answer)- The 19th
Century when philosophers, physiologists and physicians applied the scientific method
to study the mind.
1) Psychology became defined as 'the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and
their conditions'.
2) Introspection was developed to expose the mind to scientific research.
3) First experimental psychology labs appeared in universities.
Who is classed as the father of experimental psychology? - (answer)- Wundt, opened
the first psychology lab in Germany and developed introspection as a method of
studying the mind.
- First person to be called a psychologist.
Define 'introspection'. - (answer)- The first systematic experimental attempt to study the
mind by breaking up awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and
sensations.
- This isolation is called structuralism.
What is Wundt's contribution to psychology? - (answer)1) Wrote the first psychology
textbook.
2) Set up the first experimental psychology lab.
3) Used the scientific method to study the structure of sensation and perception.
4) Showed that introspection could be used to study mental states.
What is a strength and a limitation of Wundt's methods? - (answer)- Strength: Some of
his methods are scientific, recorded the introspections in a controlled lab environment,
also used standardised procedures.
- Limitation: Some aspects of his research are not scientific, relied on participants self-
reporting their 'private' mental processes, subjective data and cannot establish general
principles.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1900s?
- (answer)- Early behaviourists (e.g. Watson;1913) rejected introspection as it is
subjective, they also argued that psychology should only study phenomena that can be
observed and measured.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1930s?
- (answer)- Behaviourist scientific approach dominated psychology.
- Skinner (1953) brought natural sciences' ideologies to psychology.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1950s?
- (answer)- Cognitive approach used scientific procedures to study mental processes.
- Psychologists started to use inference to study mental processes.
, In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1990s?
- (answer)- Biological approach introduced technological advances into their research.
- e.g. fMRI, EEG and advanced genetic research.
Evaluate the view that psychology can be scientific. - (answer)- Modern psychology can
claim to be scientific, has the same aims as the natural sciences, most approaches rely
on scientific methodology.
- Not all approaches use scientific methods, humanistic approach is anti-scientific and
focuses on subjective experience, psychodynamic approach uses case studies.
Outline the Behaviourist approach. - (answer)- One of the 2 learning approaches.
- Focuses on behaviour that can be observed and measured.
- Should establish laws of behaviour.
- Focus on highly controlled lab studies and the use of non-human animals as
experimental subjects.
What is classical conditioning? - (answer)- Learning through association.
- Pavlov: conditioning dogs to salivate.
- He showed how a neutral stimulus (bell) can come to elicit a new learned response
through association.
What is operant conditioning? - (answer)- Learning is an active process whereby
humans and animals operate on their environment.
- Behaviour is maintained and shaped by its consequences.
- Skinner boxes research: When a rat/pigeon activated a lever it was rewarded with a
food pellet, if the animal pressed the lever and got an electric shock the behaviour was
not repeated.
What are the three types of consequences of behaviour according to the behaviourist
approach? - (answer)1) Positive reinforcement- receiving a reward when behaviour is
performed (press level= food).
2) Negative reinforcement- when an animal or human produces behaviour that avoids
something unpleasant (avoids pressing the lever to avoid shock).
3) Punishment- an unpleasant consequence of behaviour (getting shock for pressing
lever).
- 1 and 2 increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
- Punishment decreases it.
Give two strengths of the behaviourist approach. - (answer)- It gave psychology
scientific credibility, focused on careful measurement of observable behaviour in
controlled lab settings, behaviourists emphasised the importance of scientific processes
e.g objectivity, brough the methodology of natural sciences to psychology.
- Laws developed have real-life applications, principles of conditioning brought about
token economy systems which are successful in prisons and psychiatric wards.
ANSWERS 100% VERIFIED
When did psychology emerge?
What 3 things had happened by the end of the 19th Century? - (answer)- The 19th
Century when philosophers, physiologists and physicians applied the scientific method
to study the mind.
1) Psychology became defined as 'the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and
their conditions'.
2) Introspection was developed to expose the mind to scientific research.
3) First experimental psychology labs appeared in universities.
Who is classed as the father of experimental psychology? - (answer)- Wundt, opened
the first psychology lab in Germany and developed introspection as a method of
studying the mind.
- First person to be called a psychologist.
Define 'introspection'. - (answer)- The first systematic experimental attempt to study the
mind by breaking up awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and
sensations.
- This isolation is called structuralism.
What is Wundt's contribution to psychology? - (answer)1) Wrote the first psychology
textbook.
2) Set up the first experimental psychology lab.
3) Used the scientific method to study the structure of sensation and perception.
4) Showed that introspection could be used to study mental states.
What is a strength and a limitation of Wundt's methods? - (answer)- Strength: Some of
his methods are scientific, recorded the introspections in a controlled lab environment,
also used standardised procedures.
- Limitation: Some aspects of his research are not scientific, relied on participants self-
reporting their 'private' mental processes, subjective data and cannot establish general
principles.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1900s?
- (answer)- Early behaviourists (e.g. Watson;1913) rejected introspection as it is
subjective, they also argued that psychology should only study phenomena that can be
observed and measured.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1930s?
- (answer)- Behaviourist scientific approach dominated psychology.
- Skinner (1953) brought natural sciences' ideologies to psychology.
In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1950s?
- (answer)- Cognitive approach used scientific procedures to study mental processes.
- Psychologists started to use inference to study mental processes.
, In terms of psychology emerging as a science, what key things happened in the 1990s?
- (answer)- Biological approach introduced technological advances into their research.
- e.g. fMRI, EEG and advanced genetic research.
Evaluate the view that psychology can be scientific. - (answer)- Modern psychology can
claim to be scientific, has the same aims as the natural sciences, most approaches rely
on scientific methodology.
- Not all approaches use scientific methods, humanistic approach is anti-scientific and
focuses on subjective experience, psychodynamic approach uses case studies.
Outline the Behaviourist approach. - (answer)- One of the 2 learning approaches.
- Focuses on behaviour that can be observed and measured.
- Should establish laws of behaviour.
- Focus on highly controlled lab studies and the use of non-human animals as
experimental subjects.
What is classical conditioning? - (answer)- Learning through association.
- Pavlov: conditioning dogs to salivate.
- He showed how a neutral stimulus (bell) can come to elicit a new learned response
through association.
What is operant conditioning? - (answer)- Learning is an active process whereby
humans and animals operate on their environment.
- Behaviour is maintained and shaped by its consequences.
- Skinner boxes research: When a rat/pigeon activated a lever it was rewarded with a
food pellet, if the animal pressed the lever and got an electric shock the behaviour was
not repeated.
What are the three types of consequences of behaviour according to the behaviourist
approach? - (answer)1) Positive reinforcement- receiving a reward when behaviour is
performed (press level= food).
2) Negative reinforcement- when an animal or human produces behaviour that avoids
something unpleasant (avoids pressing the lever to avoid shock).
3) Punishment- an unpleasant consequence of behaviour (getting shock for pressing
lever).
- 1 and 2 increase the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated.
- Punishment decreases it.
Give two strengths of the behaviourist approach. - (answer)- It gave psychology
scientific credibility, focused on careful measurement of observable behaviour in
controlled lab settings, behaviourists emphasised the importance of scientific processes
e.g objectivity, brough the methodology of natural sciences to psychology.
- Laws developed have real-life applications, principles of conditioning brought about
token economy systems which are successful in prisons and psychiatric wards.
