Paper 2 Exam Questions

Question 1

Explain how the findings from Milgram’s study relate to the key theme of responses to people in
authority.

Answer 1

• obey orders to authority figures
• apply highest voltage shock when instructed
• even when hesitant, still obeyed

Question 2

Piliavin et al. carried out a study into responses to people in need.
(a) Identify two materials used in this study

Answer 2

paper bag with bottle
black cane

Question 3

Give two ways in which pilliavin may be considered ethnocentric

Answer 3

only conducted in new york america
victims only black white - no other ethnicity

Question 4

Compare Piliavin et al.’s study with Levine et al.’s study into responses to people in need by
suggesting either one difference or one similarity between them

Answer 4

similarity - both field experiments, both use a disability variable
differences - levine cross-cultural, pilliavin uses only america
pilliavin is ethnocentric, levine is not

Question 5

Outline one strength of the type of data collected in Moray’s study into attention.

Answer 5

quantitative
easy to make comparisons

Question 6

Using Simons & Chabris’ study into attention, explain one way in which the procedure would
have increased the reliability of the research.

Answer 6

all participants tested individually
reactions etc had no influence on other participants
participants pay more attention to own video
more accurate data

Question 7

Explain one way in which Bandura et al.’s study into aggression can be considered unethical.

Answer 7

exposed to aggressive behaviour
encouraged aggressive behaviour
long lasting effects

Question 8

Discuss to what extent Lee et al.’s contemporary study in developmental psychology changes our
understanding of moral development when compared to Kohlberg’s study from 1968.

Answer 8

lee et al is cross cultural - focussed on how culture effects moral development
kohlburg focussed on just america, western countries - ethnocentric

Question 9

Describe how one of the core studies relates to the biological area.

Answer 9

Sperry
function of structures in brain
split brain - corpus colosum
left hemisphere - language
right hemisphere - spatial awareness

Question 10

Describe the background to Gould’s study into intelligence testing.

Answer 10

Yerkes - stanford binet test, WW1 american army
alpha test - white men
beta test - black people
invalid - ethnocentric
intelligence determined and reduced to race

Question 11

Outline the defining principles and concepts of the cognitive area.

Answer 11

memory process - input and output
process information like computer model
behaviour predictable due to thinking patterns
patterns in thinking can be changed by environment

Question 12

Describe one application of the principles and concepts of the cognitive area.

Answer 12

eye witness testimony
affected by leading questions
important for crimes, convicting correct person

Question 13

Compare the cognitive area and the psychodynamic perspective in terms of strengths and
weaknesses

Answer 13

cognitive - too reductionist - patterns and environmental influence
- only describes not explains - cannot see inside the mind
- highly scientific increases reliability

psychodynamic - focuses on case studies not science
- influenced by opinions and feelings, not science
- highly valid due to how it is subjective

Question 14

Discuss the reductionism/holism debate in psychology. Use examples from appropriate
research to support your answer.

Answer 14

reductionist - definition
- research is focussed in identifying cause and effect
- simplifies explanation
- can over simplify
- no other factors included - lacks validity
example - raine, reduces behaviour to brain abnormality

Holistic - definition
- increases validity
- gives full explanation
- too subjective
example - bandura, includes model influence based on sex and race etc

Question 15

Compare Blakemore and Cooper’s (1970) study with Maguire et al.’s (2000) study suggesting one
difference OR one similarity between them.

Answer 15

differences
quantitative vs qualitative data
animals vs human participants

similarities
both examine the brain
both use experimental method

Question 16

Outline one ethical issue raised by Gould in his 1982 review of Yerkes’ study of intelligence testing
in America.

Answer 16

respect:
not respected culture/ ethnicity of people
some could not access education, illiterate not considered

Question 17

Explain one weakness of the type of data collected in Loftus & Palmer’s (1974) study
into eyewitness testimony.

Answer 17

quantitative data
gave estimates of mean speed
not accurate response from participants

Question 18

Outline one conclusion that was drawn from Loftus and Palmer

Answer 18

leading question
way question is asked
change of verb

Question 19

Simons and Chabris (1999) used an independent measures design in their study on
attention.
Explain how the design was used in this study

Answer 19

4 independent variables
umberella or gorilla
opaque or transparent conditions

Question 20

Outline two weaknesses of using an independent measures design in Simon and chabris

Answer 20

need more particpants
took longer to conduct as different participants took part in different variables

Question 21

Give two features of the sample used in Bandura et al.’s (1961) study into aggression

Answer 21

all from stanford university nursery
72 children

Question 22

Outline one way in which Bandura’s sample was biased

Answer 22

all american - cultural bias, ethnocentric
all children - age bias

Question 23

Kohlberg’s (1968) study of moral development raises a number of issues of validity.
Describe two issues of validity in this study

Answer 23

scenarios were hypothetical - low ecological validity
large sample - high population validity

Question 24

Explain how Milgram’s (1963) study into obedience
can be related to the social area.

Answer 24

how others may affect behaviour
authoritive figures

Question 25

Explain the extent to which Bocchiaro et al.’s (2012)
study into disobedience changes our
understanding of individual, social and cultural
diversity.

Answer 25

found similar results
used male and females
generalisable to population
population validity

Question 26

Outline what is meant by the concept of holism and
how this relates to Freud’s study of Little Hans.

Answer 26

holism - definition
hans’s phobia was a result of many factors
- stage of development
- arrival of new baby
- relationship with mum

Question 27

Outline the defining principles and concepts of the
behaviourist perspective and briefly discuss its
usefulness as a perspective.

Answer 27

principles
- social learning
- operant and classical conditioning
- nurtured by environment

usefulness
- emphasises nurture over nature debate
- potential to change
- explains how role models in education have large influence on behaviour

Question 28

Identify the dependent variable in Maguire et al.’s (2000) study into the brains of taxi drivers.

Answer 28

volume of hippocampus

Question 29

Give two ways in which the taxi drivers and the control group were matched in this study.

Answer 29

all males
all similar age range

Question 30

Outline one strength of the type of data collected in Maguire

Answer 30

quantitative
easy to make comparisons

Question 31

Chaney et al. (2004) used a repeated measures design in their Funhaler study.
(i) Explain how this design was used.

Answer 31

used self report method
1 week normal inhaler
1 week funhaler
parents answered questionnaire

Question 32

Outline one strength of using a repeated measures design in Chaney et al

Answer 32

no participant variables
personality of participant does not affect adherance to use inhlaer

Question 33

Briefly discuss the extent to which Kohlberg’s (1968) study into moral development may be
considered ethnocentric.

Answer 33

American culture mainly - western bias
Five more countries - cross cultural
stories may apply more to some countries more than others

Question 34

Explain one way in which the procedure of Grant et al.’s (1998) study into memory
increased the reliability of the research.

Answer 34

headphones and cassette player given
same background noise for everyone
all read the same article
had the same time to read the article

Question 35

Outline one conclusion that was drawn from Grant et al

Answer 35

studying and testing same conditions, improved memory
students doing exams application

Question 36

Outline the apparatus used in Moray’s (1959) study into attention.

Answer 36

tape recorder played
through either side of headphones earpieces

Question 37

Outline one weakness of using an experimental method in Moray

Answer 37

only played certain words
lacks ecological validity
memory is not reduced to singular words to remember

Question 38

Explain how the procedure from Piliavin et al.’s
(1969) study relates to the key theme of responses
to people in need.

Answer 38

observed time of response to help person in need
drunk or disabled

Question 39

Levine et al. study (2001) carried out a study into
responses to people in need.
Give two results from this study.

Answer 39

simpatia countries were more helpful than non-simpatia countries
correlation between walking speed and speed of help

Question 40

Explain why Levine et al can be described as a quasi
experiment.

Answer 40

naturally occurring iv
where participants live (country) cannot be controlled by researchers

Question 41

Discuss to what extent Hancock et al’s (2011) study into
the language of psychopaths changes our understanding of
individual, social and/or cultural diversity.

Answer 41

only looked at 52 individuals in prison
no social diversity as a whole
reduced to group with similar backgrounds

Question 42

Outline two defining principles and concepts of the
developmental area.

Answer 42

behaviour can be nurtured to change
behaviour can be continuously changed over a long period of time, lifetime

Question 43

Describe one application of the developmental area

Answer 43

teaching and learning
cognitive development happens in stages based on age
children supported to develop at correct pace

Question 44

Consider the strengths and weaknesses of the
developmental area in psychology

Answer 44

strengths -
- considers both nature and nurture and its effects on developmental behaviour
- better understanding into how people develop

weaknesses-
- uses children as participants to research into development over long periods of time

Question 45

In Bocchiaro et al.’s study on disobedience and whistleblowing, eight pilot tests were carried
out before the main study:
Explain why Bocchiaro carried out these pilot tests.

Answer 45

ensure cover-story was morally acceptable
ensure procedure was well-defined before conducting

Question 46

In Bocchiaro et al.’s study into disobedience and
whistleblowing a sample of 149 students were selected for the
main study: Outline one way this study may be considered
ethnocentric.

Answer 46

all from amsterdam
not applied to other countries or cities