Download a printable PDF version of the Specification changes for 2006.
Important Note
This document has not been approved or endorsed by the AQA, but we believe that it is an accurate guide to the changes to the 2006 AQA-A specification. If you have any doubts, you should contact the AQA directly.
10.1 Cognitive Psychology: Human Memory
- Section a: Short-term memory and long-term memory: No longer specifies research into the structure of memory, although it continues to specify research into the nature of STM and LTM (e.g. encoding, capacity and duration).
- Section b is now known as 'Remembering and Forgetting', not simply 'Forgetting'.
- Section c: Critical issue: eyewitness testimony has been more thoroughly defined. Now, the role of leading questions should be included in coverage of memory research into eyewitness testimony, and Loftus can be used as an example. Research into reconstructive memory should be covered and Bartlett can be used as an example.
- APFCCs now include:
- A study into the nature of short-term memory (e.g. Peterson and Peterson, 1959).
- A study into the nature of long term memory (e.g. Bahrick et al., 1975).
- A study of reconstructive memory (e.g. Bartlett, 1932).
- A study into the role of leading questions in eye-witness testimony (e.g. Loftus and Palmer, 1974).
- The following APFCCs have been removed: Encoding in Short-term and Long-term memory (e.g. Baddeley, 1996), Capacity in Short-term memory (eg Jacobs, 1887), Repression (e.g. Levinger and Clark, 1961), Flashbulb Memory (eg Conway, 1994).
10.2 Developmental Psychology: Attachments in Development
- Section b: Deprivation and privation has been expanded slightly. Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis is still covered, but now evidence is needed to support the hypothesis.
- Section b: Research into the effects of deprivation/ separation (such as Robertson & Robertson and Bowlby) is no longer required. Instead, research into the effects of privation is expanded on and the specification suggests using examples of studies of extreme privation and institutionalisation. New to this specification is coverage of the extent to which the effects of privation can be reversed.
- APFCCs now include:
- A study of individual differences in attachments (e.g. Ainsworth & Bell, 1971).
- A study of cross-cultural variations in attachments (e.g. Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg, 1988).
- A study into the effects of privation (e.g. Hodges & Tizard, 1989).
- The following APFCCs have been removed: Short-term effects of deprivation/separation (e.g. Robertson and Bowlby, 1952), Long-term effects of deprivation/ separation (e.g. Bowlby, 1944).
11.1 Physiological Psychology: Stress
- Section a: Stress as a bodily response: The specification now suggests coverage of the pituitary-adrenal system as an example of the body's response to stressors.
- Section b: Sources of stress: Johansson and Marmot can be covered as examples of workplace stressors and work overload and role ambiguity are no longer specifically mentioned.
- Individual differences in modifying the effects of stressors, including the role played by personality now specifies Type A behaviour and hardy personality as examples, rather than the research by Freidman & Rosenman. Culture is no longer on the specification, and coverage of gender includes physiological reactivity and social support as examples.
- Section c: Critical issue: Stress management: Instead of referring to 'Methods of managing the negative effects of stress', the specification refers to 'Approaches to managing the negative effects of stress', but this is just a minor definition amendment. The role of control in relation to stress is no longer covered.
- APFCCs now include:
- A study into the relationship between stress and cardiovascular disorders (e.g. Friedman & Rosenman, 1974)
- A study into the relationship between stress and the immune system (e.g. Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 1995)
- A study into life changes as a source of stress (eg Rahe et al., 1970)
- A study into workplace stressors (eg Marmot et al., 1997)
- No APFCCs have been removed.
11.2 Individual Differences: Abnormality
- Section b: Biological and psychological models of abnormality: The assumptions made by the models of abnormality specified are now just covered in relation to the causes of abnormality, not the treatment of abnormality.
- APFCCs now include:
- A study into biological explanations of eating disorders (e.g. Holland et al., 1988 or Kendler et al., 2001)
- A study into psychological explanations of eating disorders (e.g. Field et al., 1999 or Behar et al., 2001 or Jaeger et al., 2002)
- As the studies now just specify research into 'eating disorders' and there is no longer a distinction between studies into either anorexia or bulimia, there are now only 2 APFCCs that need to be covered in this section, rather than 4.
12.1 Social Psychology: Social Influence
- Section a: Majority and minority influence: This section is no longer called Conformity and minority influence, and where conformity was used in the previous specification, 'majority (conformity)' is now used.
- The research studies suggested for conformity are now Asch, 1951 and Perrin & Spencer, 1980, but only one is required. Sherif and Zimbardo have been removed.
- The research studies suggested for minority influence are now Moscovici et al., 1969 and Nemeth et al., 1974, but only one is required. Clark has been removed.
- Section b: Obedience to authority: The research studies suggested into obedience to authority are now Milgram, 1963 ad Meeus & Raaijmakers, 1995, although only one is required. Hofling has been removed.
- The specification now covers explanations of why people obey and how they might resist obedience, but no longer asks for the psychological processes involved in obedience.
- APFCCs now include:
- A study into conformity (e.g. Asch, 1951 or Perrin & Spencer, 1980).
- A study into minotiry influence (e.g. Moscovici et al., 1969 or Nemeth et al., 1974).
- A study into obedience to authority (e.g. Milgram 1963, or Meeus and Raaijmakers, 1995).
12.2 Research Methods
- Section a: Quantitative and qualitative research methods: Questionnaire surveys are now referred to as Questionnaires on the new specification.
- Section b: Research design and implementation: the null hypothesis has been removed from the specification.
- 'Research designs' has been re-named 'Experimental design', but still covers independent groups, repeated measures and matched participants.
- Factors associated with research design: 'control of variables' has become 'control of extraneous variables'. Ecological validity as a term as been removed from the specification, and internal and external validity are now used. 'Ethics' has been expanded on to now specify 'ethical issues associated with research design and ways of dealing with them'.
- Selection of participants has been expanded to include coverage of opportunity and volunteer sampling, as well as random sampling.
- Section c: Data analysis: Qualitative data now just includes coverage of the nature of qualitative data including strengths and weaknesses.
- The Graphs and charts section no longer includes frequency polygons.
