One way of evaluating studies in psychology is to consider whether or not the study might have ethical issues. When evaluating ethics, many students want to jump straight to condemning studies by saying something like, “This study was unethical because…” I would refrain from making such condemnations and using this definitive language because it’s often very hard to completely write-off …
What should we include in a mock exam? (Year One)
The guidance in this post is going to be most helpful for teachers who are: teaching a two year course using our textbook, IB Psychology: A Student’s Guide …and are following a similar course structure to the one I’ve proposed here. (i.e. Criminology, Social Influence and Quantitative Methods covered in Year One). Here’s what I include in my End-Of-Year Exam for …
Free flashcard maker
When it comes to revising for tests and exams, it’s hard to go past flashcards as an excellent way to review. While digital versions, such as quizlet, have their benefits, I personally have always preferred to have hard-copies in my hands. But who has the time to spend hours and hours writing out flashcards? What if you’ve got messy handwriting? …
Exam Review: Why I’m pleased I didn’t teach the command terms (Paper 2)
I realize that critiquing the inconsistent use of command terms in IB Psychology assessments is like shooting very confused fish in a very small barrel, but I just can’t help myself. Was anyone else surprised to see the command term “Explain” in Paper 2 this year for the Abnormal Option? Here’s the question in question: Explain, with reference to psychological …
How to go beyond “describing” and into “application” of studies
One of the most common mistakes IB Psychology students make is they don’t explain studies, i.e. they don’t apply the study to show how the study is relevant to the question. Instead, students summarize aims, methods and results and that’s it. This is description. What’s missing? An applied conclusion. Describing a study = summarizing aims methods conclusions Explaining a study = summary …
7 exam tips for evaluating studies
When you’re preparing for your exams and you’re aiming for a 7, here are some tips that will help you study smarter, not harder. Tip #1: Ignore internal validity, including… Hawthorne effect Screw you effect Demand characteristics Participant expectancy effect I think you should avoid focusing on internal validity factors when you’re trying to explain limitations. Why? Here are a …
Sociocultural etiologies of bulimia nervosa (and studies)
Background Information Research has shown that body dissatisfaction is widespread amongst Western teenage girls and adult women. Furthermore, body dissatisfaction has been found to be an independent predictor of disordered eating. This makes it a significant risk factor in the development of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and other eating disorders. Body dissatisfaction: being unhappy with one’s body. It’s usually measured by comparing …
Cognitive etiologies of bulimia nervosa (and studies)
Introduction Potential risk factors for the development of bulimia nervosa (BN) include those related to thought patterns (i.e. cognition) like body dissatisfaction, idealization of thinness, distorted body images and what people perceive others to prefer in terms of body weight and shape. These thought patterns could then lead to behaviours that could lead to the development of BN, like dieting …
Flashbulb Memory Studies
Here is a summary of evidence to use when discussing Brown and Kulik’s FBM theory: SUPPORTING EVIDENCE Brown and Kulik conducted a study to test their theory using 80 American participants – 40 African American and 40 caucasian. They were asked questions about 10 events, 9 being very famous public events (e.g. assassinations of public figures like JFK and MLK) …
Lesson idea: Understanding research methods (with worksheet)
Research methodology is best understood when it’s made concrete and practical. Talking about concepts in the abstract will make it hard for students to comprehend. So this lesson idea is a simple way of getting students to think about research methods in a practical way. It will only work towards the end of a research methods unit when they already …
Subscribe to our brand new YOUTUBE channel
I have to apologize for being a bit slow on blog posts these days – I’ve been busy getting Grade 12s ready for upcoming exams. But I’ve also been busy with our brand new youtube channel. I love creating materials that make life a little easier for teachers and students, so it’s great now I can make video tutorials that …
Paper 3 Review Pack Now Ready!
Download FREE preview here! The pack contains everything you need to get a 7 in Paper Three. Example answers (with examiner comments) Practice papers Key terms glossary Explanation of all learning outcomes Tips on how to write exam questions Don’t let Paper Three bring you down!!! Paper Three is the one that most IB Psychology students struggle with and it …
Lesson Idea: Understanding thematic analysis
The aim of the activities in this lesson is to help students understand the process and purpose of conducting a thematic analysis in qualitative research. It is not necessary to study how qualitative data is analyzed in the new IB Psychology curriculum, but it could be useful to help deepen your understanding of qualitative methods (and it could be used in …
Help us, we’re drowning!
There’s a lot of content in the IB Psychology course and if your not careful, this can have a negative impact on student understanding and the development of their critical thinking skills. I’ve written about this extensively, but as I’m playing around with screencasting and making video tutorials, I thought with the help of visual aids I’d try explaining how …
Teacher Support Pack Quantitative Research Methods
Visit our online store to download a free preview of the quantitative methods pack, or download the entire resource! (LINK) This unit takes about 20 lessons and will help prepare your students for: The IA Paper 1 and 2 HL: Paper 3 This is a great unit to teach right before your students try the IA and after they have had some time …
FREE TRIAL: Try the themantic approach with these free resources…
Do you want to try the themantic approach but you’ve already started linear? No worries. These resources can help you trial teaching IB Psych’ by combining core and options topics, and it won’t cost you any time, effort or money. In fact, it could save you all three! As teachers get deeper into this new syllabus, many are realizing the …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a difficult concept for students to grasp. Using the study below can be a good way to help students understand how and why reflexivity is used in qualitative studies. Note: this task has been developed for the “old” syllabus. Task #1: Making Predictions Explain the aim of the study summarized below. Student’s think-pair-share about what research method they …
What is “reflexivity?”
Updated July 2020 What is reflexivity? Reflexivity is the process of continual reflection upon the research process by a researcher; at the heart of reflexivity is the idea of self-awareness. Students need to be able to “explain the use of reflexivity in qualitative research,” which means defining the term and explaining how and why it’s used in qualitative studies and using …
Kahoot: Qualitative Methodology (Old Syllabus)
This Kahoot quiz covers a selection of key terms from the qualitative research methods in the old syllabus. This can help prepare for Paper 3. The quiz focuses on general concepts, such as generalizability, transferability, participant expectations, as well as methodology (interviews, case studies and observations). Play the quiz HERE! We’re currently working on a Paper 3: Qualitative Methods Revision …
How do you “explain the problem/issue” in essay introductions?
In the new IB Psychology curriculum, students have to “explain the problem/issue raised in the question” to get 2 marks for their essays (Paper 1, Part B and Paper 2). But what does this mean and how do you do it? In this post, I’ll explain what I think it means and will show a simple framework for how students …
What is a “narrative interview?”
This material is the for the “old syllabus.” Students in the new IB Psychology syllabus (first exams May, 2019), do not need to know about narrative interviews (but they do need to know about unstructured interviews). What is a narrative interview? A “narrative” is a spoken or written summary of connected events. So a narrative interview asks questions that require …
Lesson Idea: Analyzing Focus Group Interviews
Using real examples of qualitative studies is an effective way of teaching qualitative research methods and concepts. It also helps with developing students’ ability to apply their knowledge to stimulus material (i.e. they learn how to use details from the text to support their answers). Note: this task has been developed for the “old” syllabus, but could be adapted for …
IA: Final Submission Guidelines
This post is designed to help you make sure that you’re following the basic IA requirements before submitting your final draft. The following guidelines come from the e-coursework handbook from the IB. This information is relevant as of March, 2018. Please always refer to official IB documentation and ask your DP Co-ordinator for the latest updates. Formatting Guidance The following …
Lesson Idea: Generalizability (External Validity)
The Task Read the following fictional summaries of how people have applied results from psychological studies. Identify one or more reasons why the application is misguided and might not work. #1 Social Media and Anxiety: One study in the USA showed a correlation between social media and anxiety so a school in Japan has banned the use of social media. #2 Music Class …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Sampling Methods
Task: Read the following summaries of studies and how they got their samples. Identify the type of sampling method used. Was it: (a) Random (b) Self-selected/volunteer (c) Opportunity Mental Health and War: A psychologist studying the effects of war on mental health got a list of all enlisted soldiers in the countries army using public census records. They assigned a number to …