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Unit 1: Psychology: Past to Present

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does the behaviourist approach explain behaviour through learning, and how well does it stand up?

The behaviourist approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of systematic desensitisation, the classic study of Watson and Rayner (1920), and evaluation.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 1 on the behaviourist approach: its assumptions, its application to the formation of relationships, systematic desensitisation, the classic study of Watson and Rayner (1920), and how to evaluate the approach.
13 min answer →

How does the biological approach explain behaviour, and how well does it stand up to evaluation?

The biological approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of drug treatment, the classic study of Raine et al. (1997), and evaluation.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 1 on the biological approach: its assumptions, its application to the formation of relationships, drug therapy, the classic study of Raine et al. (1997), and how to evaluate the approach.
13 min answer →

How does the cognitive approach explain behaviour through mental processing, and how well does it stand up?

The cognitive approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of cognitive behaviour therapy, the classic study of Loftus and Palmer (1974), and evaluation.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 1 on the cognitive approach: its assumptions, its application to the formation of relationships, cognitive behaviour therapy, the classic study of Loftus and Palmer (1974), and how to evaluate the approach.
13 min answer →

How does the positive approach explain wellbeing and the good life, and how well does it stand up?

The positive approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of positive psychology techniques, the classic study of Myers and Diener (1995), and evaluation.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 1 on the positive approach: its assumptions, its application to the formation of relationships, positive psychology therapy, the classic study of Myers and Diener (1995), and how to evaluate the approach.
12 min answer →

How does the psychodynamic approach explain behaviour through the unconscious, and how well does it stand up?

The psychodynamic approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of psychoanalysis, the classic study of Bowlby (1944), and evaluation.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Psychology Unit 1 on the psychodynamic approach: its assumptions, its application to the formation of relationships, psychoanalysis, the classic study of Bowlby (1944), and how to evaluate the approach.
13 min answer →