OCR Psychology For A Level Book 1 sample

The Psychological themes through core studies ( Component 02 ) examination is divided into three sections – each worth 35 marks in the A level exam: • Section A Core studies consists of questions based on the core studies. • Section B Areas, perspectives and debates consists of one parted question. We have covered examples of such questions on pages 368–372. • Section C Practical application s where you are expected to apply your knowledge and understanding of psychology to a novel source (see previous spread). This spread provides examples of Section A questions on core studies. These questions will either be: • Individually: including descriptive detail, methodological issues and key themes and areas related to the two developmental core studies. • In pairs: see examples on the fa ci ng page. The questions on this spread are examples only, to help you focus on the likely requirements of Section A. Exam preparation: Questions on developmental core studies 3 and 4 Section A questions Questions on core studies individually Kohlberg on Moral development Examples of questions on descriptive detail 1. Describe what is meant by the term ‘dilemma’ in Kohlberg’s study of stages of moral development. [3] 2. There were two aims of Kohlberg’s study. Outline both of these. [4] 3. Describe the participants used in Kohlberg’s study of stages of moral development. [3] 4. Kohlberg compared the moral development of American boys with that of boys from other countries. Identify two of these countries. [2] 5. In his study of moral development Kohlberg stated that there are three levels of moral development. Outline each of these levels. [3] 6. Explain how Kohlberg measured the level of moral development of the participants in his study. [3] 7. Outline two conclusions that can be drawn about stages of moral development from the study by Kohlberg. [4] 8. Kohlberg wanted to find out if his stages of moral development were consistent across cultures. Describe how he did this. [4] Examples of questions on methodological issues 9. Explain how Kohlberg ensured that his results on stages of moral development were reliable. [2] 10. Kohlberg’s study was longitudinal. Explain what is meant by the term ‘longitudinal’ in the context of this study. [2] 11. Evaluate the validity of the study by Kohlberg on stages of moral development. [3] 12. Describe one strength and one weakness of the sample of participants used by Kohlberg in his study. [4] 13. Kohlberg’s study used a quasi-experimental design. Outline what is meant by a ‘quasi-experiment’ in the context of this study. [3] 14. Evaluate the ethics of Kohlberg’s study. [4] Examples of questions on the key theme and area of psychology 15. Explain how Kohlberg’s study of stages of moral development relates to the developmental area of psychology. [4] 16. Outline what Kohlberg found in his study in relation to moral development. [3] Timing An important feature of exam practice is timing. You need to be aware of how long to spend on each section of the exam. In Component 02 of the A level exam there are three sections each made up of 35 marks, giving a total of 105 marks for the whole paper. Each of the three sections should be given the same amount of time as they are all worth the same. This would be 40 minutes per section. When you are practising past papers make sure that you are practising writing answers in timed conditions. If you go over time on any one section this reduces the time to complete the others, potentially losing marks. You could even break this timing down further: 105 marks in 120 minutes (2 hours) gives a little over 1 minute per mark. You should spend 2 minutes on a 2-mark question, 4.5 minutes on a 4-mark question, 9 minutes on an 8-mark question, 16 minutes on a 14-mark question, etc. Discipline yourself to stick to these times as much as possible. Beware of the multiple choice questions. These are usually worth 1 mark and students can often spend too long agonising over the answer. A 1-mark multiple choice answer is worth a quarter of a 4-mark question. Where is your time better spent? Chapter 4: Developmental psychology 216 A level only