2024_AQA-GCSE Psychology – Paper 2:
Social Context and Behaviour
(Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)
Please write clearly in block capitals. Thursday 23 May 2024
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GCSE
PSYCHOLOGY
Paper 2 Social Context and Behaviour
Thursday 23 May 2024 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
Materials
For Examiner’s Use
For this paper you may use:
• a calculator. Section Mark
A
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen. B
• Fill in the boxes at the top of this page. C
• Answer all questions. D
• You must answer the questions in the spaces provided. Do not write outside
the box around each page or on blank pages. TOTAL
• If you need extra space for your answer(s), use the lined pages at the end of
this book. Write the question number against your answer(s).
• Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to
be marked.
Information
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• The maximum mark for this paper is 100.
• Question 4 is a synoptic question in which you will be rewarded for your ability to draw together
different areas of knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study.
• Questions should be answered in continuous prose. You will be assessed on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
,GCSE Psychology: Paper 2 - Social Context and Behaviour Summary
The GCSE Psychology Paper 2, scheduled for May 2025, will focus on understanding human
behaviour within social contexts. This paper will assess students' knowledge of social psychology, the
influence of society on individuals, and the factors that contribute to behaviour in different social
settings.
Key Areas Covered:
1. Social Influence
Conformity:
o Theories and key studies of conformity, such as Asch’s line experiment, and factors that
influence an individual’s likelihood to conform, including group size, unanimity, and task
difficulty.
o Different types of conformity: informational and normative social influence.
Obedience:
o Milgram’s study on obedience and the factors influencing obedience, such as authority,
proximity to the victim, and responsibility.
o Ethical considerations in studies of obedience.
Minority Influence:
o How minority groups influence social change, using studies like Moscovici's experiment
on minority influence.
o The role of consistency, commitment, and flexibility in successful minority influence.
Social Change:
o How social influence can lead to social change, using real-world examples such as the
Civil Rights Movement or the suffragette movement.
o The process of social change, including the role of majority and minority influence.
2. Development of Social Identity
Social Identity Theory:
o Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory, which explains how individuals categorize themselves
and others into in-groups and out-groups, and the impact this has on prejudice and
discrimination.
Prejudice and Discrimination:
o Theories of prejudice, including social categorization, realistic conflict theory, and the
role of stereotypes.
o The impact of prejudice and discrimination on individuals and groups in society.
o Strategies to reduce prejudice, such as contact theory and education.
Group Behaviour:
o How individuals behave differently in groups compared to alone, including concepts like
deindividuation and groupthink.
o The effects of crowd behaviour and social roles, using studies like Zimbardo’s Stanford
prison experiment.
3. Aggression
Theories of Aggression:
o Biological explanations of aggression, including the role of hormones, neurotransmitters,
and brain structures.
o Psychological theories of aggression, such as the frustration-aggression hypothesis, social
learning theory, and the role of media in promoting aggression.
Aggression in Social Contexts:
, o How aggression manifests in real-life contexts, such as in relationships, groups, or within
society.
o The role of situational and dispositional factors in aggressive behaviour.
4. Prosocial Behaviour
Helping Behaviour:
o Theories explaining why people help others, including social exchange theory, empathy-
altruism hypothesis, and the bystander effect.
o Studies of prosocial behaviour, including Darley and Latane’s research on the bystander
effect and factors that influence whether individuals intervene in emergencies.
Factors Influencing Helping:
o The role of mood, social norms, and proximity in influencing helping behaviour.
o The impact of the presence of others on helping behaviour (bystander effect).
5. Forensic Psychology
Understanding Criminal Behaviour:
o Theories of criminal behaviour, such as the biological approach (e.g., genetic influences,
brain abnormalities) and psychological approaches (e.g., social learning theory, cognitive
distortions).
o The role of situational factors, such as poverty and peer pressure, in influencing criminal
behaviour.
Offender Profiling:
o The use of offender profiling in understanding and identifying criminals.
o The two main approaches to offender profiling: the investigative psychology approach
and the top-down approach.
The Role of the Media in Crime:
o The impact of media portrayal of crime on public perceptions of crime and violence.
o The influence of media on the increase or decrease of criminal behaviour in society.
6. Research Methods
Understanding Research:
o Different research methods used in social psychology, such as experiments, case studies,
observational studies, and surveys.
o The strengths and weaknesses of these research methods in social psychology.
o Ethical considerations, such as informed consent, confidentiality, and protection of
participants.
Data Handling and Analysis:
o Understanding the use of qualitative and quantitative data in social psychology.
o Interpreting and presenting psychological data, including the use of graphs and tables.
*JUN248182201*
IB/G/Jun24/G4001/E4 8182/2
, 2
Do not write
outside the
Section A box
Social influence
Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
Only one answer per question is allowed, except where stated otherwise.
For each question completely fill in the circle alongside the appropriate answer.
CORRECT METHOD WRONG METHODS
If you want to change your answer you must cross out your original answer as shown.
If you wish to return to an answer previously crossed out, ring the answer you now wish to select
as shown.
0 1 Which of the following best defines ‘bystander behaviour’?
Shade one box.
[1 mark]
A Acting in ways that are viewed by others as socially unacceptable
B Less effort being made when working in a group than when working alone
C The actions a person takes when they see someone needing help
D When perceived group pressure leads to people changing so that they fit in
0 2 What is meant by the psychological term ‘collective behaviour’?
[2 marks]
*02*
IB/G/Jun24/8182/2
