What is the contemporary debate for each approach in Eduqas Component 1?

Biological: the ethics of neuroscience. Behaviourist: using conditioning techniques to control children's behaviour. Psychodynamic: whether the mother should be the primary caregiver of an infant. Cognitive: the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Positive: the relevance of positive psychology in today's society. Each debate grows out of its approach.

How should I structure a debate answer?

Define the debate in a sentence, develop the arguments for, develop the arguments against (each point explained, ideally with research), then reach a justified judgement. Evaluation carries the most marks (AO3), so the judgement and the depth of each argument matter more than the number of points.

What evidence supports each debate?

The ethics of neuroscience uses Raine and drug treatments. Conditioning children uses reward charts and token economies. The mother as primary caregiver uses Bowlby's attachment theory versus Schaffer and Emerson's multiple attachments. Eyewitness testimony uses Bartlett, Loftus and Palmer, and Yuille and Cutshall. The relevance of positive psychology uses strengths, gratitude and mindfulness interventions.

How are the debates examined?

On Component 1 (Psychology: Past to Present), a 2-hour-15-minute paper worth 100 marks and 33.3 percent. Questions ask you to outline arguments for and against a debate and to discuss it, reaching a judgement. The most common command words are outline, explain and discuss, and the longer items are marked by bands.

Why does each debate matter for the approach?

Each debate applies an approach to a real, contested issue, testing whether you can use the approach critically. The biological approach raises neuro-ethics, behaviourism raises the ethics of behaviour control, the psychodynamic focus on early childhood raises the caregiving question, the cognitive view of reconstructive memory raises EWT reliability, and positive psychology raises its own relevance. Mastering the debate deepens your evaluation of the approach.

EnglandPsychology

Eduqas A-Level Psychology: the five contemporary debates (Component 1) overview

A complete Eduqas A-Level Psychology guide to the five contemporary debates in Component 1, one for each approach: the ethics of neuroscience, conditioning children, the mother as primary caregiver, the reliability of eyewitness testimony, and the relevance of positive psychology. Covers each debate's two sides and how to reach a judgement on Past to Present.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.812 min readEduqas-A290-Component-1Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What the debates demand
The five debates
Check your knowledge

What the debates demand

Component 1 attaches one contemporary debate to each approach. For each you must outline the arguments for and against and reach a judgement, applying the approach critically to a real issue. This guide maps the five debates and how they are examined, with matching dot-point pages for practice.

The five debates

The ethics of neuroscience (biological): Brain science can explain, predict and treat behaviour (benefits: objective evidence, treatments, diagnosis), but raises neuro-determinism, misuse, overstated correlational claims and privacy. Judgement: regulated use with consent and safeguards.
Conditioning children (behaviourist): Conditioning effectively shapes children's behaviour (structure, safety) but raises autonomy, the undermining of intrinsic motivation, and the harms of punishment. Judgement: responsible use favouring positive reinforcement.
The mother as primary caregiver (psychodynamic): Attachment theory and monotropy stress an early bond, but infants form multiple attachments and fathers and others can care equally well. Judgement: sensitive, consistent care from any committed carer.
The reliability of eyewitness testimony (cognitive): Memory is reconstructive and distorted by leading questions and anxiety (Loftus and Palmer), but witnesses can be accurate for central details (Yuille and Cutshall). Judgement: reliable under good conditions, used with caution.
The relevance of positive psychology (positive): A wellbeing focus and evidence-based interventions are timely, but measurement, cultural bias and the risk of ignoring distress are real. Judgement: a useful, culturally sensitive complement to treating disorder.

Check your knowledge

Name the contemporary debate for the biological approach. (1 mark)
State one argument against using conditioning to control children. (1 mark)
Name one study used in the eyewitness testimony debate. (1 mark)
State a balanced judgement on the relevance of positive psychology. (2 marks)

Sources & how we know this

Eduqas GCE A Level in Psychology (A290) specification — Eduqas (2015)