Paper 3 Guidance (AQA A Level Psychology) : Revision Note

What is examined in AQA A Level Psychology Paper 3?

• This paper focuses on issues and options in psychology, which is divided into compulsory and optional topics:

Section A: Issues and Debates

• Issues and debates is a compulsory topic so you must answer all questions in this section

• This section consists of the following types of questions:

  • multiple-choice questions

  • short answer questions

  • extended writing questions

• This section may also include questions on research methods, practical research skills and mathematical skills

• This section requires students to draw together their skills, knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study

• Section A is worth 24 marks in total

Key concepts and theories

• Ensure that you know all of the issues and debates concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Gender bias and cultural bias

  • Free will and determinism

  • The nature-nurture debate

  • Holism and reductionism

  • Idiographic and nomothetic approaches

  • Ethical implications of research

Section B: Relationships, Gender, Cognition & Development (Option Topic)

• Section B consists of optional topics. Make sure that you know which topic you are studying and answer all questions on your chosen topic

• Section B consists of the following types of questions:

  • multiple-choice questions

  • short answer questions

  • extended writing questions

• This section may also include questions on research methods, practical research skills and mathematical skills

• This section requires students to draw together their skills, knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study

• Section B is worth 24 marks in total

Key concepts and theories: Relationships

• If you are studying relationships, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Evolutionary explanations for partner preference

  • The self-disclosure theory of attraction

  • The physical attractiveness theory of attraction

  • The filter theory of attraction

  • The social exchange theory and equity theory

  • Rusbult's investment model

  • Duck's phase model of relationship breakdown

  • Virtual relationships and parasocial relationships

Key concepts and theories: Gender

• If you are studying gender, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Sex and gender

  • Angrogyny and measuring androgyny

  • The role of chromosomes and hormones in sex and gender

  • Atypical sex chromosome patterns

  • Cognitive explanations of gender development

  • Psychodynamic explanations of gender development

  • Social learning theory of gender development

  • The influence of culture and media on gender development

  • Atypical gender development

Key concepts and theories: Cognition & development

• If you are studying cognition and development, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Piaget's theory of cognitive development

  • Piaget's stages of cognitive development

  • Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

  • Baillargeon's explanation of early infant abilities

  • Social cognition: Selman's levels of perspective-taking

  • Social cognition: Theory of mind

  • Social cognition: The mirror neuron system

Section C: Schizophrenia, Eating Behaviour, Stress (Option Topic)

• Section C consists of optional topics. Make sure that you know which topic you are studying and answer all questions on your chosen topic

• Section C consists of the following types of questions:

  • multiple-choice questions

  • short answer questions

  • extended writing questions

• This section may also include questions on research methods, practical research skills and mathematical skills

• This section requires students to draw together their skills, knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study

• Section C is worth 24 marks in total

Key concepts and theories: Schizophrenia

• If you are studying schizophrenia, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Classification and diagnosis of schizophrenia

  • Biological explanations for schizophrenia

  • Psychological explanations for schizophrenia

  • Drug therapies for schizophrenia

  • Psychological therapies for schizophrenia

  • Token economies used in the management of schizophrenia

  • The interactionist approach in explaining schizophrenia

  • The interactionist approach in treating schizophrenia

Key concepts and theories: Eating behaviour

• If you are studying eating behaviour, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Evolutionary explanations for food preferences

  • The role of learning in food preferences

  • Neural and hormonal mechanisms involved in eating behaviour

  • Biological explanations for anorexia nervosa

  • Psychological explanations for anorexia nervosa

  • Biological explanations for obesity

  • Psychological explanations for obesity

  • Explanations for the success and failure of dieting

Key concepts and theories: Stress

• If you are studying stress, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • The physiology of stress

  • The role of stress in illness

  • Sources of stress

  • Measuring stress

  • Individual differences in stress

  • Managing stress: drug therapy and non-drug therapies

  • Coping with stress: gender difference and the role of social support

Section D: Aggression, Forensic Psychology, Addiction (Option Topic)

• Section D consists of optional topics. Make sure that you know which topic you are studying and answer all questions on your chosen topic

• Section D consists of the following types of questions:

  • multiple-choice questions

  • short answer questions

  • extended writing questions

• This section may also include questions on research methods, practical research skills and mathematical skills

• This section requires students to draw together their skills, knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study

• Section D is worth 24 marks in total

Key concepts and theories: Aggression

• If you are studying aggression, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression

  • Genetic factors in aggression

  • The ethological explanation of aggression

  • Evolutionary explanations of aggression

  • Social psychological explanations of aggression

  • Institutional aggression in the context of prisons

  • Media influences on aggression

Key concepts and theories: Forensic psychology

• If you are studying forensic psychology, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • The top-down and bottom-up approach to offender profiling

  • Biological explanations of offending behaviour

  • Psychological explanations of offending behaviour

  • Dealing with offending behaviour: custodial sentencing, behaviour modification in custody, anger management and restorative justice

Key concepts and theories: Addiction

• If you are studying addiction, ensure that you know all of the concepts and theories listed below that are named in the specification:

  • Characteristics of addiction

  • Biological risk factors in the development of addiction

  • Psychological and social risk factors in the development of addiction

  • Biological explanations for nicotine addiction

  • The learning theory of nicotine addiction

  • The learning theory explanation of gambling

  • The cognitive theory of gambling

  • Drug therapy and behavioural intervention therapies for addiction

  • Theories of behaviour change: the theory of planned behaviour and Prochaska's model