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AS
PSYCHOLOGY
Paper 2 Psychology in Context

Monday 22 May 2017 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

Materials
For this paper you may have:
• a calculator.

Instructions For Examiner’s Use

• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Fill in the boxes at the top of this page. Section Mark
• Answer all questions. You must answer the questions in A
the spaces provided. Do not write outside the box around
B
each page or on blank pages.
• Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work C
you do not want to be marked. TOTAL

Information
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• The maximum mark for this paper is 72.
• You will be assessed on your ability to:
- use good English
- organise information clearly
- use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.

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Section A

Approaches in Psychology

Answer all questions in this section.

For each multiple-choice question, completely fill in the circle alongside the appropriate answer.
CORRECT METHOD WRONG METHODS

If you want to change your answer you must cross out your original answer as shown.

If you wish to return to an answer previously crossed out, ring the answer you now wish to
select as shown.

0 1 Which of the following best describes the aim of cognitive neuroscience?

Shade one box only.

A to relate mental processes to brain structures

B to relate theoretical models to mental processes

C to use biological terms to explain behaviour

D to use computers to explain mental processes

[1 mark]

0 2 Outline the fight or flight response.

[3 marks]

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Extra space

0 3 Outline Skinner’s research into reinforcement. [3 marks]

Extra space

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0 4 Explain how reinforcement might be used to encourage primary school children to

pick up litter in the playground.
[3 marks]

Extra space

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0 5 Adil has just started studying the cognitive approach in psychology but does not
understand when his teacher tells him that cognitive psychologists use the results of
experiments to make inferences about behaviour.

Write a brief explanation of inference that would help Adil to understand what his
teacher means.
[2 marks]

Extra space

Turn over for the next question

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0 6 Samira and John are talking.

Samira says, ‘Look at your little sister. She’s pretending she’s got a mobile phone
like yours and is making a call.’

John replies, ‘Yes. But when she saw me get told off for using my Dad’s favourite
pen, she never copied me doing that!’

Describe and evaluate social learning theory. Refer to the conversation above as
part of your answer.
[12 marks]

You may use this space to plan your answer.

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Turn over for Section B

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Section B

Psychopathology

Answer all questions in this section.

0 7 Briefly outline how flooding might be used to treat a phobia.

[2 marks]

Extra space

0 8 Briefly outline how systematic desensitisation might be used to treat a phobia.

[2 marks]

Extra space

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0 9 Briefly discuss one reason why systematic desensitisation might be a more

successful treatment for phobias than flooding.
[2 marks]

Extra space

Bob always checks that doors are locked and plug sockets are switched off. His
checking routine has become very time consuming. He now feels overwhelmed
with fears that his family could be in danger if he does not complete his checking
routine. His doctor thinks Bob has obsessive compulsive disorder.

1 0 Explain what is meant by ‘obsessions’ and ‘compulsions’. Refer to Bob in your

answer.
[4 marks]

Extra space

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1 1 Bob’s doctor is sending him for a brain scan and is looking into his family history.

How might the biological approach be used to explain Bob’s obsessive-

compulsive disorder?
[4 marks]

Extra space

1 2 Explain how findings of psychological research into the treatment of depression

could have implications for the economy.
[2 marks]

Extra space

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1 3 Outline and evaluate two definitions of abnormality. [8 marks]

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Turn over for Section C

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Section C

Research Methods

Answer all questions in this section.

Students often claim that listening to music helps them to concentrate. A

psychologist was not aware of any previous research in this area. She decided to
investigate this claim.

Forty students from a nearby sixth form centre volunteered to take part in her
study. They each answered the following question:

‘Do you think that you concentrate on your work ‘better’, ‘worse’ or ‘the same’ if
you listen to music while working?’

She obtained the results in Table 1.

Table 1: Responses to question - ‘Do you think that you concentrate on your
work ‘better’, ‘worse’ or ‘the same’ if you listen to music while working?’

Better Worse The same

22 8 10

1 4 Should the hypothesis for this study be directional? Explain your answer.
[2 marks]

Extra space

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1 5 What percentage of the students reported that they would be able to concentrate
‘better’ if they listened to music while they worked? Show your workings.
[2 marks]

Extra space

1 6 Explain why using stratified sampling might improve this study.

[2 marks]

Extra space

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1 7 The data collected in this study is primary data.

Explain what is meant by ‘primary data’. [2 marks]

Extra space

In a follow-up study, the psychologist obtained a volunteer sample of 10 students

aged 17 years from a different sixth form centre. Using a repeated measures
design, participants were asked to complete two puzzle tasks as quickly as
possible.

Task A was to find 10 differences in a ‘spot the difference’ puzzle while working in
silence.

Task B was to find 10 differences in another ‘spot the difference’ puzzle while
listening to music through headphones.

The tasks were counterbalanced and the time taken to complete each task was
recorded for each student.

Table 2: Times taken (in seconds) to complete Task A (silence) and Task B
(music)

Participant Task A (silence) Task B (music)

1 67 82
2 45 70
3 58 60
4 43 59
5 72 77
6 90 105
7 101 90
8 37 59
9 54 83
10 63 89

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1 8 Explain one reason why the mean would be the most appropriate measure of
central tendency to summarise the data in Table 2.
[2 marks]

1 9 Calculate the mean values for both Task A and Task B. Show your workings.
[4 marks]

Task A

Task B

Turn over for the next question

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2 0 The psychologist used counterbalancing in the follow-up study.

Discuss the purpose of counterbalancing. [3 marks]

Extra space

2 1 Identify one possible extraneous variable that the psychologist should have
controlled in this follow-up study. Explain how this variable might have affected the
results of the study if it was not controlled.
[3 marks]

Extra space

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2 2 Explain how the follow-up study could be said to be an improvement on the

original study.
[4 marks]

Extra space

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END OF QUESTIONS

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