In the IB Psychology course there are a range of theories that students need to be familiar with. But it’s easy to dive straight into the complex assignments like evaluating these theories, and to overlook asking the simple questions. Here are just some of the theories that may be relevant* to the IB Psych’ course: Social Learning Theory Social Identity …
Example SAQ: Describe SIT
Social Identity Theory (SIT) is a theory that was proposed by Tajfel and Turner in the 1970s and that attempts to explain intergroup behaviours. More specifically, an original aim of SIT was to help explain situational factors in behaviour. The theory consists of four interrelated concepts: social categorization social identity social comparison and positive distinctiveness. These concepts outline the various …
What is Social Identity Theory?
The following is a brief description of Tajfel and Turner’s SIT. Updated March, 2021 What is Social Identity Theory? Social Identity Theory (SIT) is a theory proposed by Tajfel and Turner that attempts to explain intergroup behaviour, and in particular, conflict, prejudice and discrimination. The theory was an elaboration on Sherif’s Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT). RCT’s major claim was that …
What’s the difference between outline and describe?
There is none. Quite simply, in an exam sense there is no difference between outline and describe and so if you’re worried about “meeting the demands of the command term” and trying to understand the nuances between these, don’t bother. There is one difference – the definition. A “detailed” (describe) account versus a “brief” (outline) account. But if you think …
Biological Research Methods Example Essay (ERQ)
The following is an example essay about research methods used in the biological approach. It is by no means a perfect essay, but it would score well (14-16/22). The use of a human study instead of Rosenzweig would be one improvement, for example. Example Essay: Research Methods Biological Approach to Understanding Behaviour Paper One. Part B: Discuss how and why …
IB Psychology Past Exam Papers
Updated, July 2020 Past Psych specimen papers are available on the IB OCC website. If you’re a student, your teacher will be able to access these. You can also purchase these from the IB Online Store. See examples of Past Paper One questions in this video See examples of Past Paper Two questions in this video See examples of Paper …
Evaluating Psychological Research (Studies and Theories)
The term “research” in IB Psychology refers to theories and studies. It is absolutely essential to develop the skill of being able to THEORIES (Link) The above link will take you to a page that has some good guidelines on how to go about evaluating a psychological theory. STUDIES (Link) There are lots of ways to evaluate psychological studies. The …
Allocation Methods
What are the allocation methods used in independent samples experiments? The allocation method simply refers to how the researchers decide who receives what treatment in an experiment. There are two ways to allocate participants: a) Randomly b) Selectively Random allocation is when the researchers divide the participants and allocate them to certain groups using a random method. For instance, in an …
What are the design types in experiments?
Choosing the best research design for your experiment is an important part of the planning process. When conducting an experiment for the IB Psychology IA, you must think very carefully about which design is best for your purposes. Experimental Designs (MP, IS, RM) There are three design types of experiments: Independent Samples Repeated Measures Matched Pairs Independent Samples is when the …
What is a “controlled variable?”
A controlled variable is a variable that’s kept constant between the conditions of the experiment so that the only difference between the groups is the independent variable. Imagine you’re doing an experiment on yourself to see if drinking coffee in the morning gives you energy. On Monday you wake up, do yoga and then have a cup of coffee. At …
Stating an Aim Clearly
How is the aim of an experiment stated? Being able to clearly state the aim of an experiment, or any study, is important for when you want to clearly describe a study. It is also a key part of the internal assessment. Since the purpose (or aim) of conducting a “true” laboratory experiment is to investigate a cause and effect relationship between …
Operational DefinitionsHow to operationally define IVs and DVs
Updated May 2020 Operational definitions became important in Psychology when psychologists wanted to establish that psychological experimentation is truly scientific in nature. In this blog post, we’ll look at exactly what is an operational definition is and how to do it. This is a common error in IB Psychology IAs. Hopefully after reading this post, students will be able to …
Hypotheses
Updated June 2020 Writing good hypotheses in IB Psychology IAs is something many students find challenging. After moderating another 175+ IA’s this year I could see some common errors students were making. This post hopes to give a clear explanation with examples to help with this tricky task. Null and Alternative Hypotheses Null Hypothesis (H0) The term “null” means having …
Single and Double Blind Designs
How are single blind and double-blind techniques used in experiments? Before understanding about single and double-blind techniques, it is important that you understand the amazing power of the placebo effect. This is an interesting film about placebos and their effect. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRVCaA5o18&w=560&h=315] Single Blind: A single-blind design is when the participant doesn’t know if they are in the “treatment group” or the “control …
Confounding Variables
Sometimes factors other than the IV may influence the DV in an experiment. These unwanted influences are called confounding variables. In laboratory experiments, researchers attempt to minimize their influence by carefully designing their experiment so all conditions are exactly the same – the only thing that’s different is the independent variable. Here are some confounding variables that you need to …
Independent and Dependent Variables
What are independent, dependent variables? The DV is what is being measured. It is the effect in other words. The IV is what is being manipulated by the researcher. In other words, it is the factor that changes in the different conditions of the experiment. The aim of an experiment, therefore, is usually to investigate the effect of the IV on the DV. Take this …
The Experimental Method
What is an experiment? By far the most common research method used in psychology is the experimental method, so we’ll start here for our introduction into research methods unit. You are also going to research, plan, design, conduct and report about your own experiment idea. A study is an experiment when the relationship between two variables is investigated. A variable …
Ethics in Research
What ethical guidelines should researchers follow when conducting research? Modern psychological research in the West needs to follow ethical guidelines set out by research organisations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) or the British Psychological Society (BPS). These are important guidelines that ensure the human and animal rights to subjects involved in psychological research. Considerations when studying humans: Informed consent …
Introduction to Experimental Research Methods
Quantitative methods in psychology are those that deal with quantitative data; in other words they deal with numbers and statistics. The most common form of quantitative research is the experimental method. All the topics of study in this unit will help you build the skills and knowledge that are needed for you to complete the Internal Assessment, where you get …
Quantitative Research Methods Glossary
The following list is a pretty comprehensive list of key terms for research methods in psychology. Please post a comment/question if you notice double-ups, errors and/or omissions. “True” Experiment: this is an experiment that takes place in a controlled environment and the researcher/s manipulate the independent variable to create conditions (e.g. treatment and control groups) to measure the dependent variable. …
Evaluating Case Studies
GLT: Evaluate the use of case studies in qualitative research Here is a document that has links to information about 5 different famous case studies. We will use this in class to learn about case study methodology. Basically, in order to evaluate the use of case studies, you need to be able to: Define the term “case study” Describe …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Observation Methods (HL – Qualitative)
What you need to know… In order to complete this activity you need know about the different observation methods. You can read more about those observations here. It is important for Paper 3 answers that you can apply your knowledge to examples of research. This is a difficult critical thinking skill and is what separates good answers from excellent ones. …
Brain Imaging: All About MRI
Background Information The MRI was invented in 1977 and was a major breakthrough in brain research. MRIs can be used for any part of the body and you may have even had one yourself if you’ve suffered from an injury. However, in psychology they are used to study the brain and this is what our focus will be on. MRIs …
HM and his Hippocampus
Here’s an example SAQ that explains HM’s Case Study. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHrmiy4W9C0&w=560&h=315] You can find more information here… Here’s a wonderfully melo-dramatic re-creation video that tells the story of HM from before his operation to the conclusions of the case study on HM: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvx-mAUJL8&w=560&h=315] Here is a link to a website that you might find interesting. It is to do with …
Lesson Idea: Understanding the Approaches
This post is adapted from an earlier post. If you’re adopting a thematic approach to the IB Psychology course, you might be wondering: “won’t students get confused about what studies go with each topic?” It’s easy to think this since at first glance the thematic approach appears to be jumbled. But in this post I’ll outline a couple of very …