Below we have a list of all the bigger essay style past questions that have come up for AQA A level psychology in the 2023 exams.
These are questions ranging from 6 marks plus which we have included but if you want the full set, you can find them in our packs (link just below).
It is common for schools to use the most recent exam paper that is yet to be released for mock exams and predicted grades as it means its a better test for students. Fortunately, we have compiled the questions from the 2023 exams for you below so they may help you in your preperation for your mock exams.
This is not to say they will definitely be used, but it is very common.
To answer these, you will need to have model essay answers drafted and tested to score in the top band and then memorised. Fortunately, we've created packs that cover them all for every topic - you can download our AQA psychology model essay answers here.
We've covered all these questions and more across our packs. These are perfect for students for cramming revision, teachers to give as handouts as oven-baked resources and parents to support their children in their studies.
If you need help with any other part of AQA AS or A level psychology, you can check out our revision guides here.
Students Natasha and Tanya are buying food in the supermarket on their way home from school. As they are paying, they notice their psychology teacher, Mr Boat, at the far end of the queue. They both smile and wave.
Mr Boat shouts, “Hey, you two! I think you owe me homework. Wait there so we can have a quick chat.”
Natasha and Tanya finish paying, glance at each other giggling and hurry out of the supermarket.
Ryan is a 14-year-old boy who spent the first five years of his life in care.
Ryan has a difficult relationship with his adoptive parents and has few friends. His recent school report described him as achieving below average in most subjects. Ryan has also recently been in trouble with the police for antisocial behaviour.
Xavier was cycling to school when he fell off his bike into the road. A teacher saw a car swerve, narrowly missing Xavier. The teacher checked Xavier was safe and asked him what had happened.
Xavier could hardly speak; his heart was pounding, and his mouth was dry. He felt sick and his hands were shaking. It took Xavier 20 minutes to feel calm again.
Xavier was not wearing a helmet. The teacher told him how lucky he was not to have suffered brain damage. She told him about a man who had been cycling without a helmet. He had fallen off his bicycle and now found it difficult to produce speech.
Xavier laughed and said, “I am young. If I had an accident, my brain would just recover on its own and get me back to normal.”
There are different levels of explanation in psychology, ranging from reductionism to holism.
Jay has schizophrenia. His speech is rapid and confused and he changes constantly from one idea to something completely different. Jay’s father was treated for mental health problems when he was younger. Jay’s mother worries excessively about Jay. She often criticises his behaviour and tells him what to do. Jay’s doctor prescribes medication which seems to reduce his symptoms.
In a study into the effectiveness of a new drug therapy for limiting appetite, researchers gave one group of patients the new drug and another group of patients a placebo (a pretend drug). The researchers were concerned that the outcome of the study might be influenced by the problems of demand characteristics and investigator effects.
Elliot is very underweight but believes that he is fatter than actors on TV. He thinks a lot about his looks, often checking himself in the mirror. At mealtimes he likes arranging and counting pieces of food on his plate. Elliot’s mother once had eating problems. She is extremely anxious about him. She watches him constantly and is always telling him what to do. His doctor has prescribed medication which seems to help with Elliot’s condition.
In a study into the effectiveness of a new drug therapy for stress, researchers gave one group of patients the new drug and another group of patients a placebo (a pretend drug). The researchers were concerned that the outcome of the study might be influenced by the problems of demand characteristics and investigator effects.
Carrie is so stressed that she lies awake at night listening to her heart pounding. She works in a large, noisy warehouse sorting packages that come along a conveyor belt. Workers who do not meet their daily target receive only the minimum wage. Carrie has failed to meet her target every day this week. The factory workers have been trying for weeks to organise a meeting to discuss working conditions and work-related illness with the manager.
In an experiment into the effects of cognitive priming, 20 participants played an unfamiliar computer game. Half of the participants watched a violent film before playing the computer game. The other half watched a neutral film before playing the computer game. After playing the computer game, each participant was classified as showing High Aggression or Low Aggression.
The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.
Different participants were used in each condition of the experiment, which might have affected the results.
In an experiment into the effectiveness of the top-down approach to offender profiling, 20 participants were asked to build a profile of an offender using information from real life cases. Half of the participants were given information about a murder case and asked to produce a profile. The other half were given information about a robbery and asked to produce a profile. After the profiling session, each profile was classified as High Accuracy or Low Accuracy.
The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.
Different participants were used in each condition of the experiment, which might have affected the results.
In an experiment into the effect of reinforcement on gambling, 20 participants played 10 practice card games on a computer. The computer system was pre-programmed so that half of the participants won in games 1, 2, 6, 8 and 10 and the other half won no practice games. After the 10 practice games, each participant played a test game and the amount of money each participant bet in the test game was classified as High Stakes (gambled more money) or Low Stakes (gambled less money).
The researcher decided to use a Chi-Squared test to analyse the data from this study. One reason for choosing this test was that each participant only took part in one condition of the experiment.
Different participants were used in each condition of the experiment, which might have affected the results.
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