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Approaches and biopsychology
Approaches and biopsychology belongs to Paper 2 Psychology in Context in AQA A-Level Psychology 7182 and should be revised as a set of examinable arguments, not as disconnected definitions. Context: the topic asks students to combine conceptual accuracy, evidence use and methodological judgement across short-answer and extended-writing formats. Key concept: every answer should identify the psychological process, theory, method or debate before applying it to a scenario, data set or evaluative prompt. Named study/example: use a named psychological study, model, method or application example where it fits, then explain the evidence claim, the method used to obtain it and the limitation that affects interpretation. Evaluation: strong responses weigh validity, reliability, ethics, cultural bias, reductionism, determinism, sampling and real-world application instead of adding undeveloped criticism. Exam focus: link each paragraph to the command word, separate description from evaluation, and use AQA terminology from the relevant learning objective. Common mistake: students often describe the whole topic. A stronger answer selects the precise concept, supports it with evidence and makes a direct judgement about what the evidence allows psychologists to conclude.
15
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10
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90 min
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What you need to know
15 objective pages available
Approaches in Psychology7 objectives
- Explain the behaviourist approach, including classical conditioning, Pavlov's research, operant conditioning, reinforcement and Skinner's research.
- Explain social learning theory, including imitation, identification, vicarious reinforcement, mediational processes and Bandura's research.
- Explain the cognitive approach, including internal mental processes, schema, models and inference.
- Explain the biological approach, including genotype, phenotype, evolution, biological structures, neurochemistry and cognitive neuroscience.
- Explain the psychodynamic approach, including the unconscious, Id, Ego, Superego, defence mechanisms and psychosexual stages.
- Explain humanistic psychology, including free will, self-actualisation, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, congruence and conditions of worth.
- Compare the major approaches in Psychology.
Biopsychology8 objectives
- Describe divisions of the nervous system, including central, peripheral, somatic and autonomic divisions.
- Describe the structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neurons.
- Explain synaptic transmission using neurotransmitters, excitation and inhibition.
- Explain the endocrine system using glands and hormones.
- Explain the fight or flight response, including the role of adrenaline.
- Explain ways of studying the brain, including fMRI, EEGs, ERPs and post-mortem examinations.
- Explain localisation of function and hemispheric lateralisation, including motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory and language centres.
- Explain Broca's area, Wernicke's area, split brain research, plasticity and functional recovery after trauma.
Key terms
Exam tips
- Structure Your Answers Clearly: Begin with a definition, then explain the process, give a concrete example, and finally evaluate or discuss implications.
- Use diagrams to illustrate mediational processes: Draw a simple flowchart showing attention → retention → reproduction → motivation, and label each stage with examples from the question.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Classical and Operant Conditioning: Clarify that classical conditioning links stimuli to involuntary responses (e.g., salivation), whereas operant conditioning links behaviours to consequences (e.g., lever pressing).
- Confusing Bandura’s experiment with classical conditioning: Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment used a live model and demonstrated that children learned by observing, not by being directly reinforced. The key distinction is that learning was mediated by observation rather than classical conditioning.
Practice preview
- Which of the following best describes the key feature of classical conditioning as demonstrated by Pavlov's experiments?
- Explain operant conditioning and the role of reinforcement, citing Skinner’s research. Include a brief discussion of how reinforcement schedules can influence learning.
- A child with selective mutism rarely speaks in school but communicates normally at home. Using the behaviourist approach, outline a plan that employs operant conditioning to increase the child’s speaking behaviour in class. Include the type of reinforcement you would use, how you would schedule it, and how you would address potential extinction.
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