The most important thing to know when studying for the IB Psychology exams are the topics. The IB Guide published by the IB has these listed. Unfortunately, the guide is a bit confusing in its layout and it’s not easy to see quickly and easily waht the topics are. That’s why I put them in this post. Download the following …
Key Study: Schema Theory & the Superwoman Self-schema
Schema theory is one of the most important theories in cognitive psychology, but it can also be one of the more difficult theories to understand. The best way, I’ve found, to understand schema theory is to look at as many real-life examples as possible. In this post, we’ll look at a fascinating example – the AfricanAmerican Superwoman self-schema. A schema …
How to study for Paper 1 in IB Psychology3 Steps to Prepare for Section B: Essays
In yesterday’s post, I explained 7 simple steps for studying for Paper 1, Section A (SAQs) in IB Psychology. Now it’s time to look at how we can use that foundation to prepare for Section B – the essays. Studying for Paper 1 in IB Psychology is simple, but it’s not easy. Make sure you start your revision a few …
How to study for Paper 1 in IB Psychology7 Simple Steps to Prepare for Section A: SAQs
One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How should I study for the IB Psychology exams?” Unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest questions to answer. In this post, I’ll do my best to plan out some really simple steps that might help for Paper 1. We’ll start easy and get harder so no matter what your …
Power Distance and Plane Crashes: The Gladwell Hypothesis
I recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent book “Outliers.” In this book, Gladwell gives an interesting psychological explanation for why some countries have higher rates of plane crashes than others. The “Gladwell Hypothesis,” as it has come to be known, suggests that plane crashes can be explained by looking at cultural values. In particular, the cultural dimension of “power distance.” Power …
3 Easy Lesson Ideas: Reflecting on the IB Psych Course
As many of us come to the end of our IB Psychology courses, it’s important to take some time to reflect on everything we’ve learned. This simple lesson idea is a good way for students to do that. It also provides some feedback for the teacher. Someone once asked me, “what’s the highest aspiration you have for your teaching?” It …
Health Project Week 4Week 4 - Interviews
Week 4 is time to reflect and try something a little different. We’re going to conduct qualitative interviews on our classmates to learn about their experiences in this project. There are a few reasons I’ve chosen this activity. One reason is to have students keep in touch with other, another is that it can be done without screens (if you …
Health Project Week 3Week 3 - Analysis and Report
After two weeks of collecting data on health habits and their effects, it’s now time to write up the report. Read more: Health Project Week 4 Health Project Week 3 Health Project Week 2 Health Project Week 1 Health Self-Experimentation Project Intro The Importance of Routine Teachers: Feel free to adapt or amend any of this work in any way …
Health Project Week 2Week 2 - Treatment Condition
In Week 1 the main job was collecting data on a range of health habits (sleep, diet, exercise) and their possible effects. This week, you’re going to choose one of those habits that you want to improve. If you can do better this week, that will be your manipulation of your independent variable. We’ll then see in Week 3 if …
Health Project Week 1Week 1 Instructions - Control Condition
Week 1 is focused mainly on gathering a range of data on health habits (sleep, diet, exercise) and their psychological effects. The big job for students is to figure out what they’re going to measure and how. Read more: Health Project Week 4 Health Project Week 3 Health Project Week 2 Health Project Week 1 Health Self-Experimentation Project Intro The …