Are we always in control of our thoughts, or can they be influenced by invisible forces? The art of persuasion and subtle manipulation is a fascinating field of study in psychology. In this post, we’ll look at how people can manipulate our cognitive biases to influence our decision-making. One of the more interesting cognitive biases is the “anchoring effect.” The anchoring …
Globalization & Behaviour Part ThreeImmigration and Terrorism
It seems like a simple question – how does globalization influence behaviour? But the explanation is actually quite tricky since globalization itself is a rather abstract concept. Because of this, we need to find concrete examples. In the first two posts in this series we focused on changes in cultural dimensions and television through Westernization (see links below). This final …
Globalization & Behaviour Part TwoDoes Western TV cause eating disorders?
How does globalization influence behaviour? First we need to understand what globalization is and how it occurs. In the second post in this series, we review the definition of globalization and examine another potential example of its influence on human behaviour – through Western TV, the thin ideal and eating disorders. Globalization is often referred to as Westernization because the …
How does globalization influence behaviour?Part I: The rise of Japanese individualism and its effects on happiness
A simple way to understand how globalization has influenced human behaviour is to look at how some cultures values have changed over time. It is important to note that globalization is often referred to as Westernization, as the result is most frequently cultures adapting more Western values. In the first post in this globalization series, we are going to look …
Key Study: Conformity Across Cultures (Berry, 1967)
Conformity is one of the most popular topics in psychology. Not surprisingly, it’s also one of the most studied. The origins of conformity studies go back to Solomon Asch’s famous “line length” experiments. Almost as old is Berry’s now classic study that asked the question: why do different cultures have different rates of conformity? Conformity is the act of behaving …
Biological Approach “Additional Terms”IB Psych Paper 1 Review
In the new IB Psychology guide they “clarified” their expectations by adding a number of new terms to the syllabus. For the biological approach, this has added significant content and quite a bit of confusion. This post aims to simplify the requirements and help you find the right studies for the right examples. You can get this post as a …
IB Psych Key Terms Quiz – THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH
You can prepare for IB Psychology by asking three simple questions: What is…? How does…? …but…? The first question tests your knowledge, the second tests your deeper understanding of the topic and the third tests your critical thinking. The following quiz is designed to test your ability to answer the first question. (Scroll down for the answers) Read More Understanding IB …
Biological Approach: Key Terms Glossary
Knowing the meaning of key terms is one of the first steps in learning (and revising) any topic in Psychology. The following is a list of key terms and their definitions for the Biological Approach in IB Psychology. You can download a quiz to test your knowledge of these terms HERE. Glossary The biological approach to understanding human behavior: Trying …
Let’s STOP the research methods madness!
“What was the research method of (x’s) study?” Along with, “Is this a good EE question…”, it’s the most common question IB Psych teachers ask. But we shouldn’t have to and we need to put an end to the research methods madness. Why? Well, let me count the ways (or if you’d rather just read some exam tips, scroll to …
Describe vs. Explain: Is there a difference?Understanding command terms with REAL examples of exam answers
Describe and Explain mean different things. Obviously. But when they’re used in short answer questions in IB Psychology, do they really require different answers? In this post I’ll put forward my argument for my the command terms in SAQs are irrelevant and how a generic structure can be used to score top marks. Those of you who have read my posts …