AQA A-Level Psychology | Paper 1 | 2027 Predicted Paper
- Revision Notes
- Aug 20
- 4 min read
For 7182 specification, first teach in September 2025
Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology
Time allowed: 2 hours
Section A - Social influence
Answer ALL questions in this section.
Question 01
What is meant by internalisation in the context of conformity?
[2 marks]
Question 02
[4 marks]
Question 03
Outline ONE limitation of research into situational variables affecting obedience.
[2 marks]
Question 04
Ella and Sam are taking part in a problem-solving activity at college.
Ella is placed in a group with six other students. The six students all give the same answer to each problem. Ella privately thinks that some of their answers are wrong but gives the same answers as the rest of the group.
Later, one of the other students begins giving answers that are different from the majority. Ella then starts giving the answers that she originally thought were correct.
Sam completes a similar activity. At first, the problems are straightforward and he usually gives his own answer even when the rest of his group disagrees with him. Later, the problems become much more difficult. Sam becomes less certain that his own answers are correct and starts giving the same answers as the other students.
Discuss how group size, unanimity and task difficulty affect conformity. Refer to Ella and Sam in your answer.
[16 marks]
Section B - Memory
Answer all questions in this section.
Question 05
Which TWO of the following statements about the working memory model are correct?
Shade TWO boxes only.
A The central executive has a limited processing capacity.
B The phonological loop primarily processes visual and spatial information.
C The visuo-spatial sketchpad processes visual and spatial information.
D The episodic buffer has an unlimited capacity.
E The phonological loop primarily codes information visually.
[2 marks]
Question 06
Outline the procedure AND/OR findings of ONE study in which the effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony was investigated.
[4 marks]
Question 07
A witness saw a bicycle collide with a pedestrian outside a shop. During a police interview the witness says:
"I remember seeing it happen, but I can't remember much about what was around me at the time."
Suggest ONE cognitive interview technique that the interviewer could use to improve the witness's recall.
Justify your answer.
[2 marks]
Question 08
Evaluate the working memory model.
[6 marks]
Question 09
A psychologist investigates whether the cognitive interview improves eyewitness recall.
Thirty participants watch the same short film showing a staged theft.
The participants are then randomly allocated to one of two conditions.
Participants in Condition A are interviewed using a standard police interview.
Participants in Condition B are interviewed using a cognitive interview.
Two independent judges rate the accuracy of each participant's account on an ordinal rating scale.
The psychologist chooses to use a Mann-Whitney U test to determine whether there is a significant difference between the accuracy ratings in the two conditions.
Explain THREE reasons for this choice of statistical test.
Refer to this investigation in your answer.
[6 marks]
Question 10
Kai is listening to a friend read out a telephone number while looking at a complicated map.
He can remember the telephone number reasonably well while studying the map.
However, when another friend begins reading a second sequence of numbers at the same time, Kai finds it much harder to remember the original telephone number.
Use your knowledge of the working memory model to explain Kai's experiences.
[4 marks]
Section C - Attachment
Answer ALL questions in this section.
A psychologist uses a controlled observation based on Ainsworth's Strange Situation to investigate attachment.
Children and their caregivers are observed during episodes involving separation and reunion.
Question 11
What is meant by insecure-avoidant attachment?
[2 marks]
Question 12
The psychologist needs behavioural categories that could be used to record children's responses during the observation.
Suggest TWO behavioural categories that would help the psychologist distinguish between attachment types.
[2 marks]
Question 13
Outline ONE way in which the children's attachment behaviours could be sampled during the observation.
[2 marks]
Question 14
Two observers independently record the children's behaviour.
The psychologist calculates a correlation coefficient of +0.31 between the two observers' scores.
Briefly explain what a correlation coefficient of +0.31 suggests about the inter-observer reliability of the observations.
[2 marks]
Question 15
Outline ONE way in which the inter-observer reliability of this investigation could be improved.
[2 marks]
Question 16
Outline the findings of van Ijzendoorn's research into cultural variations in attachment.
[3 marks]
Question 17
Outline ONE limitation of research into cultural variations in attachment.
[3 marks]
Question 18
Discuss the influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships.
[8 marks]
Section D - Clinical Psychology and Mental Health
Answer ALL questions in this section.
Question 19
Aisha has a phobia of spiders.
For each example below, identify whether it is primarily a behavioural, emotional or cognitive characteristic of Aisha's phobia.
A category may be used more than once.
A Aisha refuses to enter a room if she thinks there might be a spider inside.
B When Aisha sees a spider, she experiences intense fear and panic.
C Aisha believes that every spider she sees is likely to attack her, even when she is told that it is harmless.
D When a spider is nearby, Aisha finds it extremely difficult to direct her attention away from it.
Write the appropriate type of characteristic for each example.
[4 marks]
Question 20
Outline flooding as a treatment for phobias.
[4 marks]
Question 21
Discuss Beck's negative triad as an explanation for depression AND the use of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to treat depression.
[16 marks]
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