Overview of AQA A Level Psychology

Sep 6, 2024

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AQA A Level Psychology Overview

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Types of Conformity

  • Internalization: Changing beliefs/behavior to fit a wider social group, genuinely adopting them.
  • Compliance: Aligning behavior with a group despite personal doubts due to a desire to fit in.
  • Identification: Changing behavior to fit societal roles associated with specific positions.

Explanations for Conformity

  • ISI (Informational Social Influence): Conforming based on information or gained knowledge.
  • NSI (Normative Social Influence): Conforming based on apparent social norms.

Research on Conformity

  • Sheriff (1935): Laboratory experiment on informational social influence using the autokinetic effect.
    • Convergence towards group norms.
    • Controlled conditions with ecological validity issues.
  • Asch (1951): Laboratory experiment on normative social influence.
    • Independent groups design with confederates.
    • 32% conformity rate in presence of confederates.
    • Ethical issues regarding deception.

Influencing Factors in Conformity

  • Situational Factors: Group size, social support, task difficulty.
  • Dispositional Factors: Gender, experience, and expertise.

Social Roles

  • Definition: Positions within society with associated expected behaviors.
  • Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo, 1970s): Conformity to social roles in a simulated prison environment.
    • Ethical concerns led to early termination.

Obedience Studies

  • Milgram (1963): Landmark experiments on obedience.
    • Investigated obedience to authority figures.
    • Participants delivered shocks, illustrating obedience to legitimate orders despite personal conflict.
  • Situational Factors: Proximity, allies, authority, location.

Agency Theory

  • Agentic State: Acting on behalf of authority, not autonomous.
  • Binding Factors: Reluctance to disrupt the experiment, grand surroundings, pressure from authority.

Legitimacy of Authority

  • Authority figures are more likely to be obeyed if perceived as legitimate.

Authoritarian Personality

  • Adorno (1950): Explored fascism and authoritarian personalities.
    • F-scale for measuring authoritarian traits.

Resistance to Social Influence

  • Social Support: Presence of others dissenting can encourage resistance.
  • Locus of Control: Internal locus associated with greater resistance.

Memory Types and Research

  • Types of Memory: Sensory register, short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM).
    • Episodic, semantic, and procedural memory.
  • Key Experiments: Sperling (1960), Peterson & Peterson (1959), Bahrick et al. (1975).
  • Memory Models:
    • Multi-Store Model (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968): Sensory register → STM → LTM.
    • Working Memory Model (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974): Central executive controls three slave systems.

Forgetting and Memory

  • Interference Theory: Retroactive and proactive interference.
  • Cue Dependent Forgetting: Importance of cues in recalling information.

Eyewitness Testimony

  • Leading Questions: Can distort memory and recall accuracy.
  • Influencing Factors: Post-event information, age, anxiety.
  • Cognitive Interview Technique: Series of steps to enhance accurate recall.

Attachment

  • Definition and Types: Attachment between infants and caregivers.
    • Secure, insecure avoidant, insecure resistant.
  • Research: Lorenz (1935) on imprinting, Harlow (1959) on contact comfort.
  • Monotropic Theory (Bowlby): Single attachment model for future relationships.

Abnormality and Mental Health

  • Defining Abnormality: Deviation from norms, failure to function adequately.
  • Mental Health Symptoms: DSM criteria for major disorders.

Approaches in Psychology

  • Behavioral Approach: Learning theory, conditioning.
  • Cognitive Approach: Information processing, mental models.
  • Biological Approach: Genetics, neurochemistry.
  • Psychodynamic Approach: Freud's theories of unconscious influences.
  • Humanistic Approach: Free will, self-actualization (Maslow's hierarchy).

Biopsychology

  • Nervous System: Central and peripheral systems.
  • Neurons and Synapses: Structure and function.
  • Endocrine System: Hormones and glands.

Stress and Health

  • Physiological Responses: Sympathetic nervous system, HPA axis.
  • Stress and Illness: Effects on cardiovascular and immune systems.
  • Life Events and Daily Hassles: Impact of stressors.

Aggression

  • Biological Explanations: Genetics, brain structure, neurochemistry.
  • Social Explanations: Social learning theory, deindividuation.

Schizophrenia

  • Symptoms and Diagnosis: Types of symptoms, DSM criteria.
  • Explanations: Biological, cognitive, environmental.
  • Treatment: Drug therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Eating Behaviors

  • Evolutionary Preferences: Sweet and fatty foods.
  • Anorexia and Obesity: Biological, social, cognitive explanations.

Forensic Psychology

  • Criminal Behavior: Definitions, measuring crime.
  • Offender Profiling: Approaches and effectiveness.
  • Biological and Psychological Explanations for Crime.
  • Custodial Sentencing and Rehabilitation: Effects and alternatives.

Addiction

  • Definitions and Types: Physical and psychological addiction.
  • Risk Factors: Genetics, personality, environment.
  • Treatments: Drug therapy, behavioral interventions, CBT.

This overview captures the key concepts and studies in AQA A Level Psychology. Use this as a reference to guide further study and consolidate understanding of complex theories and research.