AQA A-Level Psychology | Paper 3 | 2027 Predicted Paper
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For 7182 specification, first teach in September 2025
Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology
Time allowed: 2 hours
Section A - Issues and debates in psychology
Answer ALL questions in this section.
A psychologist investigated musical aptitude using 30 pairs of biological siblings.
Within each pair, the siblings were the same sex and no more than 18 months apart in age. One sibling had received weekly formal music lessons for at least four years. The other sibling had never received formal music lessons.
All participants completed the same standardised musical aptitude test, which produced a score between 0 and 50. The sibling pairs volunteered after seeing advertisements for the investigation.
The psychologist found that the siblings who had received music lessons generally obtained higher musical aptitude scores.
Question 01
Discuss the nature-nurture debate in psychology. Refer to the investigation above and to one or more topics you have studied in psychology.
[8 marks]
Question 02
Write a suitable directional hypothesis for this investigation.
[3 marks]
Question 03
Explain one limitation of using a volunteer sample in this investigation.
[2 marks]
Question 04
The psychologist used a related t-test to analyse the difference between the musical aptitude scores of the two groups.
Explain why a related t-test was an appropriate statistical test for this investigation.
[3 marks]
Question 05
Discuss cultural bias in psychological research. Refer to one or more topics you have studied in psychology.
[8 marks]
Section B
Relationships or Gender or Cognition and development
Choose one topic from Section B. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
Topic: Relationships
Ravi and Ellis met through an online discussion group.
Ravi finds face-to-face conversations difficult because he is self-conscious about his appearance and his stammer. Online, he quickly tells Ellis about personal worries that he has never discussed with his offline friends.
Ellis uses a photograph taken several years ago and claims to have a more prestigious job than he actually has.
Question 06
Explain how absence of gating and the use of deception can be applied to Ravi’s and Ellis’s behaviour.
[4 marks]
Question 07
Briefly evaluate self-disclosure as a factor in online relationships.
[4 marks]
Jo and Kim are discussing their romantic relationship.
Jo says:
“Being together brings me much more happiness than stress. This relationship is better than the ones I had before, and I do not think another partner would offer me anything better.”
Kim replies:
“I do nearly all the household work and provide most of the emotional support, but we both receive the same benefits from the relationship. It does not feel fair.”
Question 08
Discuss social exchange theory and equity theory as explanations of romantic relationships. Refer to Jo’s and Kim’s comments in your answer.
[16 marks]
Topic: Gender
Question 09
Explain the difference between binary, non-binary and gender-fluid identities.
[4 marks]
Question 10
Briefly evaluate the Bem Sex Role Inventory as a way of measuring gender.
[4 marks]
Question 11
Discuss biological explanations of gender development.
[16 marks]
Topic: Cognition and development
A researcher uses the following task with two children.
A toy is placed inside a green bag while Lee watches. Lee then leaves the room. While Lee is away, the researcher moves the toy from the green bag into a yellow box.
Priya says:
“Lee will look in the green bag because Lee did not see the toy being moved.”
Omar says:
“Lee will look in the yellow box because that is where the toy really is.”
Question 12
Explain how theory of mind can be applied to Priya’s and Omar’s answers.
[4 marks]
Question 13
Briefly evaluate the proposed role of the mirror neuron system in social cognition.
[4 marks]
Noor is four years old. She has a mental category for dogs and initially calls every four-legged animal a dog.
At a farm, Noor sees a goat and calls it a dog. Her father explains that goats and dogs are different kinds of animals. After examining the goat, Noor develops a separate mental category for goats. Later, she correctly identifies another unfamiliar goat without help.
Question 14
Discuss Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Refer to Noor’s behaviour in your answer.
[16 marks]
Section C
Schizophrenia or Eating behaviour or Stress
Choose one topic from Section C. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
Topic: Schizophrenia
Question 15
Outline and evaluate one or more biological explanations for schizophrenia.
[8 marks]
Amir has a close biological relative who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Amir first began experiencing hallucinations after several months of intense stress at work and the breakdown of an important relationship. His treatment plan includes an atypical antipsychotic drug and cognitive behaviour therapy.
Question 16
Discuss the importance of an interactionist approach in explaining and treating schizophrenia. Refer to Amir in your answer.
[16 marks]
Topic: Eating behaviour
Question 17
Outline and evaluate biological explanations for obesity.
[8 marks]
Lena has been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.
Although Lena is significantly underweight, she believes that eating an ordinary meal will cause an immediate and unacceptable increase in her weight. She repeatedly checks her appearance and interprets even very small bodily changes as evidence that she is becoming overweight.
Lena’s family members are extremely close and spend most of their free time together. Her parents make many decisions for her, discourage independent social activities and avoid openly discussing disagreements within the family.
Question 18
Discuss cognitive theory and family systems theory as explanations for anorexia nervosa. Refer to Lena in your answer.
[16 marks]
Topic: Stress
Question 19
Describe and evaluate stress inoculation therapy as a method of managing stress.
[8 marks]
Aaron and Beth work as emergency call handlers. They have similar workloads and work the same number of hours.
Aaron feels strongly committed to the job. He regards changes at work as challenges and believes he can influence how he responds to difficult calls. Aaron reports few stress-related health problems.
Beth feels powerless and believes that changes at work are always threatening. During periods of prolonged pressure, she frequently develops minor infections. A recent health check also found that her blood pressure was unusually high.
Question 20
Discuss the role of stress in illness and the role of hardiness in explaining individual differences in stress. Refer to Aaron and Beth in your answer.
[16 marks]
Section D
Aggression or Forensic psychology or Addiction
Choose one topic from Section D. Answer all questions on the topic you choose.
Topic: Aggression
Question 21
Which one of the following statements is most consistent with the proposed role of serotonin in aggression?
Write the correct letter in your answer book.
A Lower serotonin activity may reduce control over aggressive impulses.
B Lower serotonin activity prevents all forms of aggressive behaviour.
C Higher serotonin activity directly activates the MAOA gene.
D Serotonin affects physical strength but not aggressive behaviour.
[1 mark]
Question 22
Which one of the following best describes the proposed role of testosterone in aggression?
A Testosterone guarantees that a person will behave aggressively.
B Testosterone may increase the likelihood of dominance and aggression in some situations.
C Testosterone prevents aggressive responses by reducing arousal.
D Testosterone is produced when the MAOA gene is activated.
[1 mark]
Question 23
Briefly outline the proposed role of the MAOA gene in aggression.
[2 marks]
Question 24
Briefly evaluate neural, hormonal and genetic explanations of aggression.
[4 marks]
Kai regularly plays computer games containing graphic violence.
When Kai first began playing, violent scenes made him feel uncomfortable and physically aroused. After several months, he no longer feels disturbed by similar scenes. Kai now says that aggressive behaviour in games seems normal and acceptable.
One game repeatedly shows characters using knives when they feel threatened. Shortly after playing, a stranger accidentally bumps into Kai. Kai immediately interprets the behaviour as a deliberate threat and pushes the stranger.
Question 25
Discuss media influences on aggression. Refer to Kai in your answer.
[16 marks]
Topic: Forensic psychology
Question 26
Which one of the following best describes investigative psychology within the data-driven approach to offender profiling?
A Using statistical analysis to identify patterns across offences and offender behaviour
B Classifying an offender as organised or disorganised using a fixed typology
C Identifying physical characteristics associated with primitive development
D Assessing whether an offender has reached a particular level of moral reasoning
[1 mark]
Question 27
Which one of the following sources of information is most central to geographical profiling?
A The offender’s score on a personality questionnaire
B The locations of offences believed to have been committed by the same person
C The offender’s level of education and occupational history
D The victim’s opinion of the offender’s childhood experiences
[1 mark]
Question 28
Briefly outline one way in which geographical profiling could help a police investigation.
[2 marks]
Question 29
Briefly evaluate the data-driven approach to offender profiling.
[4 marks]
A psychologist reviews two pieces of evidence about offending behaviour.
One investigation found greater similarity in offending among identical twin pairs than among non-identical twin pairs.
A brain-imaging investigation found differences in brain functioning between a group of violent offenders and a control group of people with no history of violent offending.
Question 30
Discuss biological explanations of offending behaviour. Refer to the evidence above in your answer.
[16 marks]
Topic: Addiction
Question 31
Which one of the following best describes partial reinforcement in gambling?
A Every gambling response is followed by a reward.
B Only some gambling responses are followed by a reward.
C Gambling is never followed by a reward.
D Rewards are provided before the person gambles.
[1 mark]
Question 32
Which one of the following is the best example of a cognitive bias in gambling?
A A gambler accepts that each outcome is independent and unpredictable.
B A gambler records wins and losses accurately before deciding whether to continue.
C A gambler believes that a win is increasingly likely because several losses have occurred.
D A gambler stops after reaching a spending limit set before gambling began.
[1 mark]
Question 33
Explain how a variable reinforcement schedule can maintain gambling behaviour.
[2 marks]
Question 34
Briefly evaluate learning theory as an explanation of gambling addiction.
[4 marks]
Meera has been gambling online for several years.
At first, Meera insists that her gambling is harmless and sees no reason to stop. After experiencing financial problems, she begins to think seriously about changing her behaviour.
Meera later makes a detailed plan. She installs software that blocks gambling websites and tells a close friend that she intends to stop. She then stops placing bets and begins using alternative activities whenever she experiences an urge to gamble.
Six months later, Meera continues to avoid gambling websites and regularly checks her progress. Eventually, she reports that she no longer experiences a desire to gamble and is confident that she will not return to the behaviour.
Question 35
Discuss the application of Prochaska’s six-stage model of behaviour change to reducing addiction. Refer to Meera in your answer.
[16 marks]
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