What does Unit 3 of WJEC A-Level Psychology cover?

Unit 3, Psychology: Implications in the Real World, has two sections. Section A is behaviours: you study three of six behaviours (addiction, autism, bullying, criminality, schizophrenia and stress), and for each you cover biological, individual and social explanations plus a therapy or intervention. Section B is controversies: cultural bias, research ethics, the use of non-human animals, whether psychology is a science, and sexism. It is the A2 unit and the largest single paper.

How is Unit 3 examined in WJEC A-Level Psychology?

A2 Unit 3, Psychology: Implications in the Real World, is a written exam of 2 hours 30 minutes worth 100 marks, which is 40 percent of the full A level. It includes structured and essay questions on the chosen behaviours and on the controversies, so extended evaluation and a clear conclusion are essential for the top marks.

How many behaviours do I study, and which ones?

Centres choose three of the six behaviours: addictive behaviours, autistic spectrum behaviours, bullying behaviours, criminal behaviours, schizophrenia and stress. For each chosen behaviour you must be able to give biological, individual and social explanations and discuss a therapy or intervention. This page covers all six so you can revise whichever your centre teaches.

What is the three-explanation structure for behaviours?

Every behaviour in Section A is examined at three levels: a biological explanation (genes, brain, neurochemistry), an individual explanation (personality, cognition, learning) and a social explanation (social learning, environment, group factors), plus one therapy or intervention with strengths and weaknesses. Learning this structure once lets you revise each behaviour the same way.

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WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 3 Psychology: Implications in the Real World: a deep dive on the behaviours and controversies

Q: Which controversies are in Section B?

Section B covers five controversies: cultural bias (ethnocentric, Western research), research ethics (consent, deception, harm), the use of non-human animals (scientific value versus suffering and the 3Rs), psychology as a science (objective method versus unobservable, unfalsifiable content), and sexism or gender bias (alpha bias, beta bias, androcentrism). Each is answered as a balanced argument with a conclusion.

A deep-dive WJEC A-Level Psychology guide to Unit 3, Psychology: Implications in the Real World. Covers Section A behaviours (addiction, autism, bullying, criminality, schizophrenia, stress), Section B controversies, and how the A2 Unit 3 paper is structured and marked.

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Jump to a section

What Unit 3 actually demands
Section A: the three-explanation structure
The six behaviours
Section B: controversies
How Unit 3 is examined
Check your knowledge

What Unit 3 actually demands

Psychology: Implications in the Real World applies psychology to real behaviours and to the discipline's own debates. It has two sections. Section A behaviours: you study three of six behaviours (addiction, autism, bullying, criminality, schizophrenia, stress), and for each you give biological, individual and social explanations and discuss a therapy or intervention. Section B controversies: cultural bias, research ethics, the use of non-human animals, psychology as a science, and sexism. It is the A2 unit and the largest paper.

This guide maps both sections, then sets out the exam patterns WJEC repeats. Each behaviour and the controversies topic has a matching dot-point page with practice questions; this overview ties them together.

Section A: the three-explanation structure

Every behaviour is examined at three levels, plus a treatment:

Biological explanation. Genes, brain structure, neurochemistry, evolution.
Individual explanation. Personality, cognition and learning within the person.
Social explanation. Social learning, environment, group and family factors.
Therapy or intervention. A treatment, discussed with strengths and weaknesses.

Learning this structure once lets you revise every behaviour the same way.

The six behaviours

Addiction. Biological (dopamine reward, tolerance, withdrawal, genes), individual (conditioning and faulty cognitions), social (social learning and peers). Treatments: CBT, drugs, support.
Autism. Biological (strong genetics, neurodevelopment), individual (theory of mind, weak central coherence), social (environment and support). Interventions: behavioural programmes, PECS.
Bullying. Biological (temperament, testosterone, status-seeking), individual (personality and reinforcement), social (modelling, bystanders, group norms). Intervention: whole-school programmes.
Criminality. Biological (genes, prefrontal differences, Raine 1997), individual (cognition, low moral reasoning), social (social learning, differential association, labelling). Interventions: cognitive-behavioural programmes, token economies.
Schizophrenia. Biological (genetics, the dopamine hypothesis, brain structure), individual (cognitive faults), social (expressed emotion, stress). Treatments: antipsychotics, CBT for psychosis.
Stress. Biological (SAM pathway and the HPA axis with cortisol), individual (cognitive appraisal), social (life events, work, support). Methods: biofeedback, drugs, stress inoculation training.

Section B: controversies

Each controversy is answered as a balanced argument with a conclusion: cultural bias (ethnocentric, Western research), research ethics (consent, deception, harm), the use of non-human animals (value versus suffering and the 3Rs), psychology as a science (objective method versus unobservable, unfalsifiable content), and sexism / gender bias (alpha bias, beta bias, androcentrism).

How Unit 3 is examined

A2 Unit 3 is a 2 hour 30 minute written paper worth 100 marks (40 percent of the A level). A typical profile:

Behaviour questions (Section A). Describing the three explanations of a chosen behaviour and discussing a therapy or intervention, including extended essays.
Controversy questions (Section B). Discussing a controversy with arguments for and against and a justified conclusion.

Check your knowledge

A mix of behaviour and controversy questions. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

Name the six behaviours in Section A. (3 marks)
State the three levels of explanation used for each behaviour. (3 marks)
Outline the biological explanation of schizophrenia. (4 marks)
Name one intervention for bullying and one for autism. (2 marks)
Name the five controversies in Section B. (3 marks)
Explain the difference between alpha bias and beta bias. (2 marks)
Outline one argument for and one against the use of non-human animals in research. (4 marks)
Describe the two pathways of the biological stress response. (4 marks)

Solutions

Q1: Addictive behaviours, autistic spectrum behaviours, bullying behaviours, criminal behaviours, schizophrenia and stress.
Q2: A biological explanation, an individual explanation and a social explanation (plus a therapy or intervention).
Q3: A genetic vulnerability (high twin concordance), the dopamine hypothesis (excess dopamine activity linked to positive symptoms), and brain-structure differences such as enlarged ventricles.
Q4: Bullying: a whole-school anti-bullying programme (such as Olweus). Autism: a behavioural programme (such as applied behaviour analysis) or PECS.
Q5: Cultural bias, research ethics, the use of non-human animals, psychology as a science, and sexism (gender bias).
Q6: Alpha bias exaggerates differences between men and women; beta bias minimises or ignores real differences, often by studying one gender and generalising.
Q7: For: animals allow controlled experiments not possible on humans and research is regulated by the 3Rs. Against: animals cannot consent and may suffer, and species differences limit generalisation to humans.
Q8: Acute stress uses the sympathomedullary (SAM) pathway, releasing adrenaline for fight-or-flight. Chronic stress uses the HPA axis, releasing cortisol, which can suppress the immune system.