AS Level Psychology MCQs with answers
Practise AS Level Psychology (9990) with 426 exam-style MCQs, each with the answer and a short explanation. Every test is marked the moment you finish and shows your score chapter by chapter, so you know what to revise next. It is free and needs no sign-up.
426 questions · 2 chapters
What each chapter covers 2 chapters
The questions follow the syllabus chapter by chapter. You can test the whole subject or one chapter at a time.
- The core studies 209 questionsBiological approach: Dement and Kleitman (sleep and dreams), Biological approach: Hassett et al. (monkey toy preferences), Biological approach: Holzel et al. (mindfulness and brain scans), Cognitive approach: Andrade (doodling), Cognitive approach: Baron-Cohen et al. (eyes test), Cognitive approach: Pozzulo et al. (line-ups), Learning approach: Bandura et al. (aggression), Learning approach: Fagen et al. (elephant learning), Learning approach: Saavedra and Silverman (button phobia), Social approach: Milgram (obedience), Social approach: Perry et al. (personal space), Social approach: Piliavin et al. (subway Samaritans)
- Research methodology 217 questionsExperiments, Self-reports, Case studies, Observations, Correlations, Longitudinal studies, Aims and hypotheses, Variables, Controlling of variables, Types of data, Sampling of participants, Ethics, Validity, Reliability and replicability, Data analysis
Sample AS Level Psychology MCQs with answers 12 questions
12 questions from the test, one or two from each chapter. Try each one, then open the answer.
1. Which type of learning best explains how a child might come to fear an object after one very unpleasant experience with it?
- A
insight learning
- B
social learning from a model
- C
classical conditioning
- D
positive reinforcement
Show answer
Answer: C. In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unpleasant unconditioned stimulus and then produces fear by itself.
2. Why is the dependent variable given that name?
- A
its value is expected to depend on the effect of the independent variable
- B
its value depends on which participants the researcher happens to choose
- C
it depends on the researcher to keep it constant throughout the study
- D
it depends on whether the hypothesis is null or alternative
Show answer
Answer: A. The DV is the outcome that is measured. Any change in it is expected to depend on (be caused by) the change in the IV. It is the IV that the researcher changes, and variables that are kept constant are controls.
3. Exposure treatment involves the child facing something he finds frightening and disgusting. Which ethical issue does this raise?
- A
protection from harm, since exposure may cause distress and the child must be able to stop
- B
breach of copyright, since the treatment belongs to the researchers
- C
lack of a control group, since every child in a treatment study has to be given the same treatment
- D
deception, since the child must not be told what will happen
Show answer
Answer: A. Exposure causes temporary discomfort, so it must be carried out with care, consent and the right to withdraw. The benefit of ending the phobia justifies it.
4. Which is a strength of laboratory experiments compared with field experiments?
- A
the results always have higher ecological validity than in real life
- B
the procedure can be standardised, so the study is easier to replicate
- C
participants behave more naturally because they are unaware of being studied in the laboratory
- D
demand characteristics are less likely to occur than in any other setting
Show answer
Answer: B. The controlled setting of a lab allows exact standardisation and therefore replication. Labs usually have lower ecological validity and more demand characteristics, because participants know they are being tested.
5. Which result was found by Baron-Cohen et al. (2001)?
- A
adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism scored lower on the test than typical adults
- B
all participants scored at the level expected by guessing
- C
adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism scored higher on the test than typical adults
- D
adults with Asperger syndrome and typical adults had the same scores on the test
Show answer
Answer: A. The autistic-spectrum group had lower average scores, which supports the revised test as a sensitive measure of individual differences in social sensitivity.
6. Why are longitudinal studies costly?
- A
participants must be matched on a very large number of different variables
- B
researchers must keep in contact with and test participants over many years
- C
they always need a very large and expensive laboratory to run properly
- D
they always use costly specialist equipment that has to be replaced each year
Show answer
Answer: B. Running a study for years demands ongoing staff time, funding and effort to trace participants, and results are delayed.
7. What was the aim of Baron-Cohen et al. (2001)?
- A
to test a revised Eyes Test of social sensitivity in adults with and without Asperger syndrome
- B
to test whether oxytocin improves the recognition of emotions in the eyes
- C
to test whether parenting style is a cause of autism in adults
- D
to test whether children with autism are more likely than adults to give false identifications in a line-up
Show answer
Answer: A. The study aimed to improve the original 1997 test and to find out whether adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism score lower on it than other adults.
8. What is meant by a 'measure of central tendency'?
- A
a single value that represents the typical score of a data set
- B
a value that shows how widely the scores in the set are spread out
- C
a value that shows the highest single score in the data set
- D
a value that shows whether the results are due to chance
Show answer
Answer: A. Mode, median and mean each summarise the middle or typical value. Spread is measured by the range or standard deviation.
9. Which is an application of the findings of Bandura et al. to everyday life?
- A
parents and broadcasters could limit children's exposure to aggressive role models
- B
schools can reduce aggression by rewarding children who hit dolls, since they then learn a safe outlet
- C
doctors can measure children's aggression with a blood test
- D
courts can use children's imitation as evidence of guilt
Show answer
Answer: A. If children copy aggressive models, the behaviour of adults and the content of media matter for the behaviour that children learn.
10. Which of these is a situational variable?
- A
the age of the participants
- B
the temperature of the room
- C
the motivation of the participants
- D
the participants' previous experience of the task
Show answer
Answer: B. Situational variables are features of the environment or procedure. The other options are characteristics of the participants.
11. Which conclusion could be drawn from Perry et al. (2015)?
- A
oxytocin affects preferred personal space, but the effect depends on individual empathy
- B
empathy is produced only by experience and not by biology
- C
oxytocin always makes people want to be closer to others
- D
personal space is fixed and cannot be influenced by hormones or by any other biological factor
Show answer
Answer: A. The effect was not the same for everyone and was related to empathy, which shows that a hormone and an individual characteristic interact.
12. A researcher is planning a study and wants others to be able to repeat it easily. Which is the most useful step?
- A
use an unstructured method so that each participant is treated individually
- B
describe the procedure only in general terms to save space in the report
- C
write a detailed, standardised procedure with exact instructions and definitions
- D
use a sample of volunteers who already know the researcher well
Show answer
Answer: C. Precise, standardised details allow another researcher to repeat exactly what was done.
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Ways to practise 5 ways
- Quick check. 10 questions drawn fresh each time, about 10 minutes.
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- Full paper. A full-length timed paper across the whole syllabus.
- Practice mode. See the right answer and an explanation after every question, with no clock.
- Exam mode. Timed like the real paper, with no going back.
When you get a question wrong, a short note called "The idea behind this" explains the topic it belongs to, with the rules to remember and a worked example.
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Are these past paper questions?
The 426 MCQs are our own, written to the syllabus in the style of the exam.
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Instantly. You get your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and a list of the topics to work on.
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