This assessment objective assesses your ability to apply your knowledge of psychology to a given scenario, showing an examiner how you can apply your understanding.
To construct a strong AO2: Application of Knowledge answer in your A-Level Psychology examinations, you must effectively use your psychological knowledge and understanding to address the specifics of a given scenario, data, or practical context.
Examiners are looking for your ability to connect psychological concepts to the information presented in the question.
Every AO2 question will present you with a specific example, situation, individual, or set of data. This is often referred to as the 'stem' of the question. Your answer must consistently refer back to this stem to gain application marks.
Writing a successful AO2 answer involves:
- Understanding the scenario thoroughly.
- Identifying the relevant psychological knowledge.
- Clearly and explicitly linking that knowledge to the specific details of the scenario.
- Using appropriate specialist terminology.
- Tailoring your response to the specific demands of the question.
- Providing sufficient detail as indicated by the mark allocation and level descriptors.
Here’s a detailed guide on how to approach AO2 questions, drawing on the provided materials:
1. Deconstructing the Question and Identifying the Scenario:
Carefully read the entire question, paying particular attention to any stem or context provided before the actual question. This scenario is crucial; your application must directly relate to its details.
Identify the key individuals, behaviours, situations, or data points presented in the stem.
For instance, a question might describe Alice’s gambling habits, Melanie’s smoking, Beatrix’s behaviour at nursery, Lenny’s early experiences, or Mike’s symptoms related to workload.
Understand precisely what the question is asking you to do in relation to this scenario.
Are you asked to explain behaviour using a specific theory, design a research method, suggest a way to deal with a problem, interpret data, or write a consent form?
Types of AO2 Questions
- Explaining behaviour in a given scenario: You might be asked to explain why someone is behaving in a certain way using a specific theory.
- Designing research: This could involve operationalising variables, writing hypotheses, creating consent forms, or suggesting ways to conduct observations or experiments.
- Identifying problems or limitations in research: You might need to apply your knowledge of research methods to identify flaws or practical issues in a given study.
- Suggesting applications of psychological interventions: You could be asked how therapies or techniques could be used to address a specific problem.
- Applying knowledge to data: You might need to interpret data or suggest explanations based on psychological principles
2. Selecting and Explaining Relevant Psychological Knowledge (AO1 foundation for AO2):
Once you understand the scenario, identify the most relevant psychological theories, concepts, research findings, or methods that can be used to explain or address the situation.
For example, to explain Alice’s gambling, knowledge of the learning theory of addiction is needed. To explain Beatrix’s behaviour, understanding of gender schema theory is required.
Briefly describe the core principles of the chosen psychological knowledge. While this demonstrates AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding), it is the foundation for your AO2 application.
For example, when explaining operant conditioning in the context of plastic waste reduction, you would briefly outline the concepts of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment.
3. Explicitly Linking Knowledge to the Scenario (The Core of AO2):
This is the most critical step.
You must clearly and explicitly explain how the chosen psychological concept applies to the specific elements of the scenario.
Examiners look for effective application to the scenario.
Make the links between the theory and the scenario very clear.
Don’t just describe the theory and then describe the scenario separately.
Instead, you must actively connect the two, showing how the psychological concepts explain or relate to what is happening in the given context.
Refer directly to the names, actions, or specific elements mentioned in the scenario.
For example:
Classical conditioning involves the association of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus, leading the neutral stimulus to elicit a conditioned response [AO1]. This can be seen in Max’s phobia, where the sea (initially a neutral stimulus) may have become associated with a frightening experience (unconditioned stimulus), leading to a fear response (conditioned response) [AO2]
If there are multiple individuals or aspects in the scenario, ensure you address all of them using your psychological knowledge to reach the highest mark bands.
For instance, when explaining the difference in development between Katti and Cema using Romanian orphan studies, your explanation needs to explicitly apply the findings of these studies to both individuals.
Use linking phrases:
Use phrases that directly connect the psychology to the scenario, such as “In this case…”, “This suggests that…”, “According to [theory], this behaviour can be explained by…”, “This is similar to what [research finding] showed in that…”.
4. Using Specialist Terminology Appropriately:
Demonstrate your understanding by using appropriate specialist terminology throughout your AO2 answer.
For example, when discussing operant conditioning, use terms like “reinforcement,” “punishment,” “positive,” and “negative” correctly in relation to the scenario.
When discussing gender schema theory, use terms like “in-group schema” and “out-group schema” in the context of Beatrix’s behaviour.
The level descriptors in mark schemes often reward the effective use of appropriate terminology.
5. Tailoring Your Answer to the Specific Question Type:
- Explaining Behaviour: If asked to explain why someone is behaving in a certain way, identify the relevant theory and clearly link its principles to the observed behaviour in the scenario.
- Designing Research: This requires you to apply your knowledge of research methods to create a suitable procedure for the given context. You might need to operationalise variables, write a hypothesis, design a consent form ensuring ethical considerations are addressed, or suggest appropriate sampling techniques. For instance, when designing an observation of driver behaviour, you need to specify observable criteria.
- Suggesting Applications of Interventions: You might be asked how a therapy or technique could be used to address a specific issue presented in a scenario. Here, you need to explain how the principles of the intervention would be applied to the individual’s symptoms or situation, using relevant terminology. For example, explaining how cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) could address Martine’s symptoms would involve describing how irrational thoughts could be identified and challenged.
- Interpreting Data: If presented with data, you need to apply your understanding of psychological concepts or research findings to suggest possible explanations for the patterns observed.
6. Paying Attention to Mark Allocation and Level Descriptors:
Note the number of marks allocated to AO2 in the question [e.g., 4 marks, 6 marks, 9 marks]. This provides an indication of the depth and detail expected in your application.
Refer to the level descriptors in the mark scheme.
These describe the qualities of answers that fall into different mark bands.
For higher AO2 marks, you typically need to demonstrate “clear application”, “effective and explicit explanation”, “clear and appropriate application showing sound understanding”, or “explicit and mostly effective application”.
You must show that you are not just describing knowledge but actively using it to explain the scenario.
Example AO2 Questions (& Answers)
1. Social Influence
Jan and Norah have just finished their first year at university where they lived in a house with six other students. All the other students were very health conscious and ate only organic food. Jan had listened to their point of view and now she also eats only organic food.
Norah was happy to eat organic food while in the house, but when she went home for the holidays she ate whatever her mother cooked. Both girls conformed, but for different reasons.
Explain which type of conformity each girl was showing.
(4 Marks)
Answer
“Jan shows internalisation. She has publicly and privately changed her attitudes and now permanently only eats organic food. Norah is showing compliance.
She only conformed publicly to her friends’ behavior but had obviously not privately undergone attitude change to eating organic as she reverted to eating non-organic in the holidays.
Norah probably conformed to gain group approval and membership whereas Jan believed the other students to be ‘right’ in their belief that organic food was ‘good’.”
2. Memory
The multi-store model of memory has been criticized in many ways. The following example illustrates a possible criticism.
Some students read through their revision notes lots of times before an examination but still, find it difficult to remember the information. However, the same students can remember the information in a celebrity magazine, even though they read it only once.
Explain why this can be used as a criticism of the multi-store model of memory.
(4 marks)
Answer
The MSM states that depth of memory trace in LTM is simply a result of the amount of rehearsal that takes place.
The MSM can be criticized for failing to account for how different types of material can result in different depth memory traces even though they’ve both been rehearsed for a similar amount of time.
For example, people may recall information they are interested in (e.g., information in celebrity magazines) more than the material they are not interested in (e.g., revision notes) despite the fact that they have both been rehearsed for a similar amount of time.
Therefore, the MSM’s view of long-term memory can be criticized for failing to take into account that material we may pay more attention to or is more meaningful/interesting to us may cause a deeper memory trace which is recalled more easily.
3. Memory
Bryan has been driving for five years. Whilst driving, Bryan can hold conversations or listen to music with little difficulty.
Bob has had four driving lessons. Driving requires so much of Bob’s concentration that, during lessons, he often misses what his driving instructor is telling him. With reference to features of the working memory model, explain the different experiences of Bryan and Bob.
(4 marks)
A tricky question – the answer lies in Bryan being able to divide the different components of his STM because he is experienced at driving and doesn’t need to devote all his attention to the task of driving (controlled by the visuospatial sketchpad).
Answer
Because Bryan has been driving for five years it is an ‘automated’ task for him; it makes fewer attentional demands on his central executive, so he is free to perform other tasks (such as talking or listening to music) and thus is able to divide resources between his visuospatial sketch pad (driving) and phonological loop (talking and listening to music).
As Bob is inexperienced at driving, this is not the case for him – his central executive requires all of his attentional capacity for driving and thus cannot divide resources effectively between components of working memory.
4. Psychopathology
Diane is a 30-year-old businesswoman, and if she does not get her own way, she sometimes has a temper tantrum.
Recently, she attended her grandmother’s funeral and laughed during the prayers. When she talks to people, she often stands very close to them, making them feel uncomfortable.
Identify one definition of abnormality that could describe Diane’s behavior. Explain your choice.
(4 marks)
Answer
Diana’s behavior could be defined as deviating from social norms.
Although she is 30 she still has childish temper tantrums, she acted in a socially abnormal way at her grandmother’s funeral and she disobeys social norms about how close it is appropriate to stand to people.
She is deviating from what is regarded as socially normal, thus according to this definition she would be defined as psychologically abnormal.
5. Psychopathology
The following article appeared in a magazine:
‘Hoarding disorder – A ‘new’ mental illness
Most of us are able to throw away the things we don’t need on a daily basis.
Approximately 1 in 1000 people, however, suffer from hoarding disorder, defined as ‘a difficulty parting with items and possessions, which leads to severe anxiety and extreme clutter that affects living or work spaces.’
Apart from ‘deviation from ideal mental health,’ outline three definitions of abnormality. Refer to the article above in your answer. (6 marks)
