OCR A Level Psychology
OCR A Level Psychology Environmental Psychology Exam Questions
Free OCR A Level Psychology exam questions for Environmental Psychology, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers stressors in the environment, biological rhythms, recycling and conservation, ergonomics, the built environment, and territory and personal space.
Environmental Psychology exam questions
1 question pack 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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A-Level Psychology Flashcards for 2027 Onwards
Every answer is written in mark scheme wording, so you learn exactly what examiners give marks for. Then test yourself with the questions on this page.
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About OCR A Level Psychology Environmental Psychology
Environmental Psychology is one of the four options on OCR A Level Psychology Paper 3, Applied Psychology. It studies how the physical environment affects behaviour and wellbeing, and how psychology can be used to change environmental behaviour. The six topics are stressors in the environment, biological rhythms, recycling and other conservation behaviours, ergonomics and human factors, psychological effects of the built environment, and territory and personal space. Each has background content, key research and an application. The option links to biological psychology and to individual and situational explanations, and exam questions often ask you to suggest or evaluate a strategy for a scenario.
What you need to know
- Stressors in the environment Noise, crowding and temperature as stressors. Key research is Black and Black (2007), who found residents exposed to high aircraft noise reported more stress and had a higher risk of hypertension.
- Biological rhythms Circadian rhythms and the effects of shift work and jet lag. Key research is Czeisler et al. (1982), who found that shift workers on a phase-delay rotation with longer intervals between shift changes reported better sleep, health and productivity.
- Recycling and conservation Key research is Lord (1994), a quasi-experiment that varied recycling messages and their source; a negatively framed message from a personal source produced the most recycling.
- Ergonomics: human factors Design that reduces human error. Key research is Drews and Doig (2014), who found ICU nurses interpreted patient data faster and more accurately using a configural vital sign display.
- Built environment Effects of urban living and natural views on health. Key research is Ulrich (1984), who found gall bladder surgery patients with a view of trees had shorter post-operative stays and needed fewer strong painkillers than those facing a brick wall.
- Territory and personal space Types of territory and personal space zones. Key research is Wells (2000), who found office personalisation was linked to employee wellbeing, with women personalising more than men.
Common mistakes in Environmental Psychology
- Describing Czeisler et al. as reducing shift work; they changed the direction and speed of rotation rather than removing shifts.
- Saying Ulrich's patients were randomly allocated to rooms; it used existing records with matched pairs, so other variables may have played a part.
- Confusing ergonomics with general workplace stress instead of design that fits human capabilities.
- Writing that Lord found positive messages most effective; negative messages from personal sources were most effective.
- Proposing an application without explaining how it is based on the background or key research.
Try three Environmental Psychology exam-style questions
1. Outline the key research by Ulrich (1984). (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Records of 46 patients recovering from gall bladder surgery in a Pennsylvania hospital were examined; 23 had a window view of trees and 23 a view of a brick wall, matched on factors such as age and gender; patients with the tree view had shorter post-operative stays; received fewer negative comments from nurses and took fewer strong painkillers.
2. Explain how research into biological rhythms can be applied to shift work. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Czeisler et al. showed that shift rotations working with the body clock reduce disruption; employers can rotate shifts forwards (phase delay) from mornings to afternoons to nights; and rotate them less often, for example every 21 days, giving the circadian rhythm time to adjust.
3. Explain one strategy to increase recycling based on psychological research. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Lord (1994) found that messages stressing the negative consequences of not recycling were effective, especially from a personal source; a council could ask neighbours to leave personal notes explaining the harm caused by not recycling; this uses social influence and loss framing to change behaviour.
Environmental Psychology FAQs
What does OCR A Level Psychology Environmental Psychology cover?
It covers stressors in the environment, biological rhythms, recycling and conservation behaviours, ergonomics, psychological effects of the built environment, and territory and personal space, each with background, key research and application.
Which paper is Environmental Psychology examined in?
Environmental Psychology is one of the four options in Section B of Paper 3, Applied Psychology.
Which key research should I learn for Environmental Psychology?
Learn Black and Black (2007), Czeisler et al. (1982), Lord (1994), Drews and Doig (2014), Ulrich (1984) and Wells (2000).
