AQA A-Level Psychology Active Recall Guide (7182)
AQA · A-Level
AQA A-Level Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 7182 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 2,999 questions across 23 topics and 136 subtopics, including every Paper 3 option so the guide fits whichever three your school teaches.
- AQA
- A-Level
- Specification 7182
- 2,999 questions
Guide overview All 23 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
AQA A-Level Psychology is three written papers of two hours, each carrying 96 marks and one third of the grade. Paper 1 is social influence, memory, attachment and psychopathology. Paper 2 is approaches, biopsychology and research methods. Paper 3 is issues and debates followed by one option from each of three blocks.
Research methods is the single largest body of content and it is examined on Paper 2 directly while also running through the evaluation of every study on the other two papers.
| Paper | Covers | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Introductory Topics in Psychology |
Social influence Memory Attachment Psychopathology |
2 hours | 96 marks | 33.3% |
|
Paper 2 Psychology in Context |
Approaches in psychology Biopsychology Research methods |
2 hours | 96 marks | 33.3% |
|
Paper 3 Issues and Options in Psychology |
Issues and debates One option from each of three blocks |
2 hours | 96 marks | 33.3% |
What is in the guide
All 23 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Types of conformity and explanations for conformity
Under what conditions is informational social influence most likely to occur?
Show the answer
In ambiguous situations, when the task is difficult, or when others are perceived as experts. -
The multi-store model of memory
Define short-term memory according to the multi-store model.
Show the answer
A temporary store where information is held while being actively processed. -
Caregiver-infant interactions: reciprocity and interactional synchrony
How does interactional synchrony differ from reciprocity?
Show the answer
Synchrony involves simultaneous, mirrored actions, whereas reciprocity involves turn-taking responses. -
Origins of Psychology: Wundt, introspection and the emergence of Psychology as a science
What is introspection?
Show the answer
The systematic examination and reporting of one's own conscious thoughts, feelings and sensations. -
Divisions of the nervous system
Into which two subdivisions is the peripheral nervous system divided?
Show the answer
The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. -
Definitions in the field of mental health
Why does the deviation from ideal mental health definition risk classifying most people as abnormal?
Show the answer
Very few individuals meet all six criteria simultaneously, so according to these strict standards, the majority of people would be classified as abnormal. -
Experimental method
Why do laboratory experiments typically have low ecological validity?
Show the answer
Because the artificial setting may not reflect real-world behaviour. -
Aims and hypotheses
A researcher states: 'This study will explore whether sleep affects memory.' Is this an aim or a hypothesis? Explain why.
Show the answer
This is an aim because it is a general statement of what the researcher intends to investigate, not a specific testable prediction.
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Social Influence116
- Memory136
- Attachment191
- Approaches in Psychology146
- Biopsychology172
- Clinical Psychology and Mental Health149
- Research Methods136
- Scientific Processes310
- Quantitative and Qualitative Data149
- Data Handling and Analysis130
- Inferential Testing79
- Issues and Debates in Psychology100
- and 11 more
- What are the three distinct stores proposed by the multi-store model of memory?
- What is the function of the sensory register in the multi-store model?
- What would happen to information that does not receive attention in the sensory register?
- What is iconic memory?
- What is echoic memory?
- What does it mean that coding in the sensory register is modality-specific?
- Describe the capacity of the sensory register.
- How long does iconic memory last?
- How long does echoic memory last?
- The sensory register, then short-term memory, then long-term memory.
- It holds information in its original sensory form for a very brief duration before it is either transferred to short-term memory or lost.
- It would be lost and not transferred to short-term memory.
- Iconic memory is the visual component of the sensory register, where visual information is stored in its original visual form.
- Echoic memory is the auditory component of the sensory register, where auditory information is stored acoustically.
- Information is stored in the same form as it was received - visual information remains visual and auditory information remains acoustic.
- The capacity is very high, capable of holding a large amount of sensory information simultaneously.
- Less than half a second.
- Up to a few seconds.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
I only do three of the options. Is the rest wasted?
No. Paper 3 is issues and debates plus one option from each of three blocks, so three options in total, chosen by your school.
All of them are in the guide because schools choose differently. Work your three and skip the rest. Each is a separate page.
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is Social Influence, Memory, Attachment and Psychopathology. Paper 2 is Approaches, Biopsychology and Research Methods. Paper 3 is Issues and Debates plus your three options. The full breakdown is here.
How much research methods is there really?
It is a section of Paper 2 in its own right, and it is applied throughout Papers 1 and 3 in the evaluation of every study. In the guide it is four topics totalling 804 questions, covering experimental design, sampling, variables, ethics, reliability and validity, data handling and the inferential tests.
Do I need to know the inferential tests?
Yes, and which one to choose. Sign test, chi-squared, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, Spearman, Pearson, unrelated and related t-tests, with the level of measurement and design that selects each one, plus critical value tables.
AQA A-Level Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.