AQA A Level Psychology
AQA A Level Psychology 3.3.9 Forensic Psychology Exam Questions
Free AQA A Level Psychology exam questions for 3.3.9 Forensic Psychology, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers measuring crime, offender profiling, biological, psychological and social explanations of offending, and ways of dealing with offenders.
3.3.9 Forensic Psychology exam questions
5 question packs of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About AQA A Level Psychology 3.3.9 Forensic Psychology
Forensic Psychology is an Option 3 topic on AQA A Level Paper 3, Issues and Options. It covers how crime is defined and measured, how offender profiling is used to catch criminals, and why people offend. You study the top-down and bottom-up approaches to profiling, biological explanations from Lombroso to genetics, Eysenck's theory of the criminal personality, cognitive explanations, differential association theory and psychodynamic explanations. You also evaluate ways of dealing with offending: custodial sentencing and recidivism, behaviour modification in custody, anger management and restorative justice. The topic draws on several approaches and is strong for free will and determinism and ethical implications.
What you need to know
- Defining and measuring crime Crime is behaviour that breaks the law, but definitions vary by culture and over time. Measures include official statistics, victim surveys (such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales) and offender surveys, each with problems of accuracy.
- Offender profiling The top-down approach (FBI) classifies offenders as organised or disorganised from the crime scene. The bottom-up approach (Canter) uses investigative psychology and geographical profiling, including the circle theory and interpersonal coherence.
- Biological explanations Lombroso's atavistic form claimed criminals were genetic throwbacks with distinct facial features. Later genetic and neural explanations include candidate genes such as MAOA and reduced prefrontal activity.
- Eysenck's criminal personality Criminals are thought to score high on extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, with personality biologically based and shaped by socialisation.
- Psychological and social explanations Cognitive explanations include level of moral reasoning (Kohlberg) and cognitive distortions such as hostile attribution bias and minimalisation. Differential association theory (Sutherland, 1939) says offending is learned from others; psychodynamic explanations include an inadequate superego and maternal deprivation.
- Dealing with offending Aims of custodial sentencing are deterrence, incapacitation, retribution and rehabilitation; recidivism is reoffending. Behaviour modification uses token economies, anger management uses cognitive behavioural stages, and restorative justice brings offender and victim together.
Common mistakes in 3.3.9 Forensic Psychology
- Confusing the top-down and bottom-up approaches; top-down starts with pre-existing categories, bottom-up builds a profile from crime scene data.
- Writing that Eysenck's criminals are introverts; he proposed they are high in extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.
- Describing Lombroso's theory as supported by modern research; his work lacked a proper control group and is now discredited.
- Mixing up the aims of custodial sentencing, for example confusing incapacitation (protecting the public) with retribution (punishment for its own sake).
- Claiming restorative justice is mainly about punishing the offender; its focus is repairing harm, often with the victim's involvement.
Try three 3.3.9 Forensic Psychology exam-style questions
1. Outline the top-down approach to offender profiling. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Developed by the FBI from interviews with convicted murderers and rapists; profilers match crime scene evidence to a pre-existing template; offenders are classified as organised (planned crime, targeted victim, high control, socially competent) or disorganised (impulsive, little planning, evidence left behind); the process involves data assimilation, crime scene classification, crime reconstruction and profile generation.
2. Explain what is meant by hostile attribution bias. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
A cognitive distortion in which a person misinterprets the actions of others as threatening or aggressive when they are not; for example interpreting an ambiguous look as a challenge, which may lead to a violent response.
3. Outline the stages of anger management. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Cognitive preparation, where the offender reflects on past experience and identifies triggers for anger; skill acquisition, where techniques such as relaxation and assertiveness training are learned; application practice, where skills are practised through role play in a controlled environment.
3.3.9 Forensic Psychology FAQs
What does AQA A Level Psychology Forensic Psychology cover?
It covers defining and measuring crime, top-down and bottom-up offender profiling, Lombroso, genetic and neural explanations, Eysenck's personality theory, cognitive explanations, differential association theory, psychodynamic explanations and ways of dealing with offending.
Which paper is Forensic Psychology examined in?
Forensic Psychology is an option in Section D (Option 3) of AQA A Level Paper 3, Issues and Options in Psychology.
How do I evaluate custodial sentencing?
Discuss the psychological effects of prison such as stress, depression and institutionalisation, use recidivism rates as evidence of effectiveness, and compare custody with alternatives such as restorative justice.
