1. A LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY Specification A AS Exam Preparation Spring 2012

2. Changes to the Specification Changes will be reflected in papers from January 2012 These are minor changes and are intended to clarify the specification In some instances content has been reduced

3. CMI+ (Computer Marked Image) All AS Psychology scripts are now marked online – scripts are scanned, viewed and marked on screen Centres are no longer allocated a single examiner and examiners no longer mark full scripts Each item (question part) may be marked by a different examiner

4. CMI+ (Computer Marked Image) CMI+ enables AQA to monitor the accuracy and consistency of marking throughout the whole of the marking period Data can be collected on an item level basis to provide ERA data to centres

5. AS Examination – Technical Issues Question/answer booklets mean there are space constraints Full marks can be gained within the available space Answers on extra pages should be numbered clearly Each answer is marked independently of the others so candidates MUST FOLLOW THE REQUIREMENTS OF EACH QUESTION Legibility can be an issue

6. Example 1

7. Example 2a

8. Example 2b

9. Example 3

11. Summer 2011 data PSYA1 Boundary mark% of candidates in grade A 5010.75 B 4423.35 C 3840.37 D 3259.17 E 2773.58 U

12. Summer 2011 data PSYA2 Boundary mark% of candidates in grade A 5313.60 B 4631.07 C 4048.05 D 3463.86 E 2876.85 U

13. General Demands of AS Examinations There will be one 12-mark question on PSYA1 and at least one 12- mark question on PSYA2 These questions require extended writing in which QoWC is assessed There may also be 8 or 10 mark questions on either paper Answers should reflect the balance of AO1 and AO2 in these questions Candidate must shape knowledge and skills to the requirements of the question AND to the marks available

14. AO1 only questions Describe strategies for memory improvement. (5 marks) What is meant by the term attachment? (2 marks) Outline the main features of the pituitary-adrenal system. (3 marks) The following phrases refer to different types of conformity. Select the two phrases that describe internalisation. Tick two boxes only. (2 marks) Outline two definitions of abnormality. (3 + 3 marks) Question Types

15. Implications for teaching These questions are taken very closely from the specification- teach what is on spec These questions are worth a maximum of 6 marks To gain high marks answers need to be accurate reasonably detailed clearly relevant to the question

16. Question types AO2 questions Explain one strength and one weakness of the working memory model. (2 + 2 marks) Evaluate the behavioural approach to psychopathology. (4 marks)

17. Question types AO2 Application questions Both of Ali’s parents work full time, so they have decided to put him into day care. They do not have any relatives or friends who could care for Ali, but there are several types of day care available locally What advice would you give to Ali’s parents to help them choose the most suitable day care for Ali? (4 marks)

18. January 2011 Question 4 Jamie wanted to contact his doctor. He looked up the number in his telephone directory. Before he dialled the number, he had a short conversation with his friend. Jamie was about to phone his doctor, but he had forgotten the number. Use your knowledge of the multi-store model to explain why Jamie would not remember the doctor’s number. (4 marks) Question example: application question

19. Application questions are much less predictable To gain high marks answers need to be well focused and applied appropriately to the stem material Applied questions are good preparation for Psychology in Action and Research Methods in A2 Implications for teaching AO2

20. AO1 and AO2 Questions Discuss research into the relationship between the immune system and stress related illness. (8 marks) Psychologists have studied children who have lived in institutions such as orphanages. Outline and evaluate research into the effects of institutionalisation.(12 marks) Question examples

21. Q1. Explain what is meant by the term conformity (2 marks) Q2. Apart from ethical issues, explain one or more limitations of using case studies (4 marks) Writing explanations

22. Evaluative point cited One problem with the research is some participants dropped out of the study Basic elaboration One difficulty with longitudinal research is participant attrition. This means that at each stage of the research participants dropped out because they did not want to take part Effective Elaboration

23. More thorough elaboration explicitly linked to specific research In Hodges and Tizard’s research 65 children were originally in the sample but only 51 were studied at age of 8. Those who continued to participate may not be representative of the whole group Effective Elaboration

24. Evaluative point cited Milgram’s research was unethical Basic elaboration Milgram’s research was unethical because the participants were distressed by being told to give electric shocks Effective Elaboration

25. More thorough elaboration Milgram’s research raised a number of ethical issues. BPS guidelines state participants should leave research in the same state that they entered it. Milgram’s participants were distressed during the research and may have suffered long term effects Effective Elaboration

26. Generate hypotheses Research evidence Comparison with other theories Effectiveness Contribution to psychology Issues and debates (may apply in some cases) Evaluating theories/explanations/approaches

27. Research method used, including design of the study Techniques of data collection Reliability and validity Sampling and generalisation (gender, cultural, ethnic bias) Ethics Does the study provide support for a theory? Consistency with other studies, implications for real life? Applications of findings Evaluating research evidence

28. Quality rather than quantity Range rather than repetition Elaboration of points rather than lists – consequences and implications explained Points contextualised rather than generic Planned rather than rambling Key is demonstration of understanding Effective AO2

29. Remember the overall number of marks per question Read the whole of question carefully Plan your answer Answer the question set – not the one you would have liked Write legibly and follow the rubric of the paper All questions with more than 6 marks will have an equal weighting of AO1 and AO2 Exam Tips for candidates

30. All of research methods can be assessed in PSYA1 PSYA2 can include relevant research methods and ethical issues associated with Biological Psychology, Social Psychology and Individual Differences Some of the questions require application of knowledge to novel situations and therefore will not be predictable Most RM questions involve application of RM concepts Research Methods

31. Some questions test knowledge and/or understanding, for example: 'What is a field experiment?' (2 marks) Most require the application of knowledge for example: Other than ethical issues, outline one weakness of using a field experiment in this investigation? (2 marks) or What does the frequency distribution show about the results? (3 marks) Research Method Question styles in PSYA1

32. There is no requirement to carry out calculations that would need a calculator Candidates should be familiar with the mathematical requirements relevant to the AS specification There could be questions asking candidates to draw a graph e.g. 'Use the data in Table 1, to draw a scattergram. Label the axes and give the scattergram a title’ (4 marks) Similar questions could be asked on PSYA4 Question styles cont...

33. Most questions require the application of knowledge for example Outline one strength of using correlation in stress research. (3 marks) or What does the bar chart show about conformity? (4 marks) Research Method question styles in PSYA2

34. Allow enough reading and thinking time for research methods questions Read any stimulus material carefully – it will contain cues to help you If the question refers to 'this study' make sure your answer is in the context of the study and not a general answer Exam tips for research methods

35. How do you check whether students understand and can apply research methods concepts? Activity

36. 1.Use unfamiliar material to test concepts 2.Data analysis exercises 3.Design studies, or parts of studies 4.Interpret unfamiliar material, write parts of reports Encouraging RM understanding

37. Exemplars for PSYA2

38. Exemplars for PSYA1

39. AQA Excellence courses e-AQA - Secure Key Materials, ERA On-Site support Further Support

40. Psychology Subject Department Teacher CPD Ask AQA Contacts

41. Improving performance

42. Any questions?