Psychology

1. 1.

   Explain how maintenance rehearsal differs from elaborative rehearsal when learning vocabulary.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Repeating a word aloud preserves its sound temporarily; using it in a meaningful sentence connects it to prior knowledge. The latter offers cues beyond the repeated sound.

   Marking points

   • Maintenance rehearsal repeats material without necessarily adding meaning.
   • Elaborative rehearsal links the word to meaning, examples or existing knowledge.
   • Meaningful links can provide additional retrieval routes.

   Examiner tip: Explain processing depth rather than simply time spent revising.

2. 2.

   Fictional case: a learner remembers a fact when returning to the room where it was studied. Explain context-dependent retrieval without assuming the memory had been erased elsewhere.

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The room may supply cues associated with the learning episode. Distinguish a temporarily inaccessible trace from one that no longer exists; the observation supports cue-based access, not proof of a unique mechanism.

   Marking points

   • Environmental features at encoding can become retrieval cues.
   • Reinstating those cues can aid access to stored information.
   • Earlier failure to recall does not itself demonstrate loss of storage.

   Examiner tip: Failure to retrieve and failure to store are not identical.

3. 3.

   Fictional experiment: participants recall digits while repeating a word aloud, or while tapping a finger. Analyse why verbal interference might impair digit recall more under a working-memory account.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. The account predicts greater interference when two tasks compete for the same specialised process. A performance difference is informative only if general difficulty and attentional load are considered.

   Marking points

   • Digit recall can rely on verbal rehearsal in the phonological loop.
   • Repeating a word occupies articulatory rehearsal processes.
   • Finger tapping may overlap less with verbal maintenance, though it still uses attention.
   • Matched task difficulty is needed before attributing differences solely to separate components.

   Examiner tip: Do not claim motor tasks use no memory or attention.

4. 4.

   Fictional study: one group hears that cars 'smashed' and another that they 'contacted' after watching the same film. Analyse how wording could change later reports and propose a control.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Compare later reports after systematically varying the verb while holding the scene constant. A baseline clarifies whether the strong wording elevates reports, the weak wording lowers them, or both occur.

   Marking points

   • A stronger verb supplies post-event information suggesting a more severe collision.
   • Reports may reflect reconstruction or response expectations rather than the film alone.
   • A neutral-question or no-leading-question group provides a comparison baseline.
   • Random allocation and identical testing delays help isolate wording effects.

   Examiner tip: A report change need not prove that the underlying stored trace was permanently altered.

5. 5.

   Fictional case: a witness is highly confident after repeated discussion with other witnesses. Evaluate using confidence alone to assess accuracy.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Repeated agreement can strengthen certainty without improving accuracy. Record early accounts separately and examine independent evidence; neither confidence nor lack of confidence is a complete accuracy test.

   Marking points

   • Indicative: confidence can contain information under some controlled conditions but is not infallible.
   • Discussion can introduce misinformation or social agreement that increases confidence.
   • An initial uncontaminated account and independent corroboration are more informative than later confidence alone.
   • A justified judgement considers when and how confidence was recorded and exposure to feedback.

   Examiner tip: Separate initial confidence from confidence after feedback.

6. 6.

   Fictional case: a school recommends rereading notes instead of retrieval practice because rereading feels easier. Evaluate this recommendation for long-term learning.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Answer explanation

   Draft walkthroughs are based on marking guidance, not independently verified derivations.

   1. Immediate comfort and delayed retention are different outcomes. Use rereading to clarify meaning, then test recall over time with corrections; adapt difficulty to learners rather than endorsing one method solely by how easy it feels.

   Marking points

   • Indicative: rereading can support initial comprehension and familiarity.
   • Fluency during reading can be mistaken for durable recall ability.
   • Retrieval with feedback can strengthen access and expose knowledge gaps.
   • A justified recommendation combines understanding, spaced retrieval and feedback rather than ease alone.

   Examiner tip: Judge learning with delayed performance, not only subjective familiarity.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions.