AQA A-Level Psychology (2025 Specification) Revision Notes

Paper 1: Introductory topics in Psychology

4.1.1 Social influence

4.1.1 - Conformity and Asch’s research

4.1.1 - Explanations for obedience

4.1.1 - Resistance to social influence

4.1.1 - Minority influence

4.1.2 Memory

4.1.2 - The multi-store model of memory

4.1.2 - The working memory model

4.1.2 - Explanations for forgetting

4.1.2 - Eyewitness accuracy and the cognitive interview

4.1.3 Attachment

4.1.3 - Animal studies of attachment

4.1.3 - Explanations of attachment

4.1.3 - The Strange Situation, attachment types and cultural variation

4.1.3 - Maternal deprivation and institutionalisation

4.1.3 - Early attachment and later relationships

4.1.4 Clinical Psychology and Mental Health

4.1.4 - Definitions in mental health

4.1.4 - Characteristics of phobias, depression and OCD

4.1.4 - Behavioural explanations and treatments for phobias

4.1.4 - Cognitive explanations and CBT for depression

4.1.4 - Biological explanations and drug therapy for OCD

Paper 2: Psychology in context

4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology

4.2.1 - Learning approaches

4.2.1 - The cognitive approach

4.2.1 - The biological approach

4.2.1 - The psychodynamic approach

4.2.1 - Humanistic Psychology

4.2.1 - Comparison of approaches

4.2.2 Biopsychology

4.2.2 - The divisions of the nervous system

4.2.2 - Neurons and synaptic transmission

4.2.2 - The function of the endocrine system

4.2.2 - The fight or flight response including the role of adrenaline

4.2.2 - Ways of studying the brain

4.2.2 - Brain localisation, lateralisation, plasticity and recovery

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4.2.3 Research methods

4.2.3 - Experimental method and types of experiment

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4.2.3 - Types of observation

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4.2.3 - Questionnaires and interviews

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4.2.3 - Correlations

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4.2.3 - Content analysis

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4.2.3 - Case studies

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4.2.3.1 Scientific processes

4.2.3.1 - Aims

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4.2.3.1 - Hypotheses

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4.2.3.1 - Sampling

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4.2.3.1 - Pilot studies and the aims of piloting

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4.2.3.1 - Experimental designs

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4.2.3.1 - Observational design

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4.2.3.1 - Questionnaire and interview design

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4.2.3.1 - Variables

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4.2.3.1 - Control

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4.2.3.1 - Demand characteristics and investigator effects

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4.2.3.1 - Ethics in psychological research

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4.2.3.1 - Peer review

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4.2.3.1 - Economic implications of psychological research

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4.2.3.1 - Reliability

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4.2.3.1 - Validity

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4.2.3.1 - Features of science

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4.2.3.1 - Reporting psychological investigations

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4.2.3.2 Data handling and analysis

4.2.3.2 - Quantitative and qualitative data

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4.2.3.2 - Primary and secondary data, including meta-analysis

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4.2.3.2 - Descriptive statistics

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4.2.3.2 - Presentation and display of quantitative data

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4.2.3.2 - Distributions

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4.2.3.2 - Interpreting correlation coefficients

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4.2.3.2 - Levels of measurement

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4.2.3.2 - Coding in content analysis

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4.2.3.3 Inferential testing

4.2.3.3 - The sign test

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4.2.3.3 - Probability and significance

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4.2.3.3 - Choosing a statistical test

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Paper 3 Section A: Issues and debates (compulsory)

4.3.1 Issues and debates in Psychology

4.3.1 - Gender and cultural bias

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4.3.1 - Free will and determinism

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4.3.1 - The nature–nurture debate

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4.3.1 - Holism and reductionism

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4.3.1 - Idiographic and nomothetic investigation

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4.3.1 - Social sensitivity in research

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Paper 3 Section B: Option 1 (choose one topic)

4.3.2 Relationships

4.3.2 - Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships

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4.3.2 - Theories of romantic relationships

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4.3.2 - Online relationships

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4.3.2 - Parasocial relationships

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4.3.3 Gender

4.3.3 - Chromosomes, hormones and diversity in sex development

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4.3.3 - Gender identities and the Bem Sex Role Inventory

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4.3.3 - Biological explanations of gender development

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4.3.3 - Cognitive explanations of gender development

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4.3.3 - Social learning, culture and media

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4.3.3 - Gender incongruence

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4.3.4 Cognition and development

4.3.4 - Piaget's theory of cognitive development

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4.3.4 - Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

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4.3.4 - Baillargeon's explanation of infant abilities

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4.3.4 - The development of social cognition

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Paper 3 Section C: Option 2 (choose one topic)

4.3.5 Schizophrenia

4.3.5 - Symptoms and issues in diagnosis

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4.3.5 - Biological explanations for schizophrenia

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4.3.5 - Psychological explanations for schizophrenia

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4.3.5 - Drug therapy for schizophrenia

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4.3.5 - CBT and family therapy for schizophrenia

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4.3.5 - Interactionism and schizophrenia

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4.3.6 Eating behaviour

4.3.6 - Explanations for food preferences

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4.3.6 - Neural and hormonal control of eating behaviour

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4.3.6 - Biological explanations for anorexia nervosa

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4.3.6 - Psychological explanations for anorexia nervosa

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4.3.6 - Biological explanations for obesity

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4.3.6 - Psychological explanations for obesity

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4.3.7 Stress

4.3.7 - The physiology of stress

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4.3.7 - The role of stress in illness

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4.3.7 - Sources of stress

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4.3.7 - Measuring stress

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4.3.7 - Individual differences in stress

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4.3.7 - Managing and coping with stress

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Paper 3 Section D: Option 3 (choose one topic)

4.3.8 Aggression

4.3.8 - Biological mechanisms in aggression

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4.3.8 - Ethological and evolutionary explanations of aggression

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4.3.8 - Social psychological explanations of aggression

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4.3.8 - Aggression in prisons

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4.3.8 - Media influences on aggression

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4.3.9 Forensic Psychology

4.3.9 - Offender profiling

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4.3.9 - Biological explanations of offending behaviour

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4.3.9 - Psychological explanations of offending behaviour

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4.3.9 - Dealing with offending behaviour

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4.3.10 Addiction

4.3.10 - Describing addiction

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4.3.10 - Risk factors in the development of addiction

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4.3.10 - Explanations for nicotine addiction

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4.3.10 - Explanations for gambling addiction

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4.3.10 - Reducing addiction

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4.3.10 - Prochaska’s six-stage model

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Paper 1: Introductory topics in PsychologyPaper 1: Introductory topics in Psychology

4.1.1 Social influence4.1.1 Social influence

4.1.2 Memory4.1.2 Memory

4.1.3 Attachment4.1.3 Attachment

4.1.4 Clinical Psychology and Mental Health4.1.4 Clinical Psychology and Mental Health

Paper 2: Psychology in contextPaper 2: Psychology in context

4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology

4.2.2 Biopsychology4.2.2 Biopsychology

4.2.3 Research methods4.2.3 Research methods

4.2.3.1 Scientific processes4.2.3.1 Scientific processes

4.2.3.2 Data handling and analysis4.2.3.2 Data handling and analysis

4.2.3.3 Inferential testing4.2.3.3 Inferential testing

Paper 3 Section A: Issues and debates (compulsory)Paper 3 Section A: Issues and debates (compulsory)

4.3.1 Issues and debates in Psychology4.3.1 Issues and debates in Psychology

Paper 3 Section B: Option 1 (choose one topic)Paper 3 Section B: Option 1 (choose one topic)

4.3.2 Relationships4.3.2 Relationships

4.3.3 Gender4.3.3 Gender

4.3.4 Cognition and development4.3.4 Cognition and development

Paper 3 Section C: Option 2 (choose one topic)Paper 3 Section C: Option 2 (choose one topic)

4.3.5 Schizophrenia4.3.5 Schizophrenia

4.3.6 Eating behaviour4.3.6 Eating behaviour

4.3.7 Stress4.3.7 Stress

Paper 3 Section D: Option 3 (choose one topic)Paper 3 Section D: Option 3 (choose one topic)

4.3.8 Aggression4.3.8 Aggression

4.3.9 Forensic Psychology4.3.9 Forensic Psychology

4.3.10 Addiction4.3.10 Addiction

Paper 1: Introductory topics in Psychology

4.1.1 Social influence

4.1.2 Memory

4.1.3 Attachment

4.1.4 Clinical Psychology and Mental Health

Paper 2: Psychology in context

4.2.1 Approaches in Psychology

4.2.2 Biopsychology

4.2.3 Research methods

4.2.3.1 Scientific processes

4.2.3.2 Data handling and analysis

4.2.3.3 Inferential testing

Paper 3 Section A: Issues and debates (compulsory)

4.3.1 Issues and debates in Psychology

Paper 3 Section B: Option 1 (choose one topic)

4.3.2 Relationships

4.3.3 Gender

4.3.4 Cognition and development

Paper 3 Section C: Option 2 (choose one topic)

4.3.5 Schizophrenia

4.3.6 Eating behaviour

4.3.7 Stress

Paper 3 Section D: Option 3 (choose one topic)

4.3.8 Aggression

4.3.9 Forensic Psychology

4.3.10 Addiction