Paper 3 Practice: Individualism and Happiness in a Japanese Workplace

Travis DixonAssessment (IB), Qualitative Research Methods, Revision and Exam Preparation

The best way to prepare for Paper 3 is to do lots of practice. The study below is designed to replicate what you will see on Paper 3.  Read more: Paper 3 Practice: Trauma and the September 11 Attacks Practice Paper 3: Observation of Hospitals Paper 3: Guided Answer Paper Three Questions 1a,b,c: Details IB Psychology HL Paper 3 Practice …

Feeling stressed? Here’s how you can cope.

Travis DixonAssessment (IB), General Interest

It’s a stressful time for everyone. The latest news that the IB has cancelled exams will be causing massive amounts of stress for many students (and teachers). Here are some ways you can cope.  Stress is caused by things happening to us (stressors) and how we think about those things (appraisals). In psychology jargon, we call this top-down or bottom-up …

Exams Cancelled – May 2020
And why the IB made the right decision

Travis DixonAssessment (IB)

I understand that a lot of teachers and students will be incredibly disappointed by this announcement, perhaps even angry, especially if you’re living in a country that is relatively unaffected by the coronavirus. It’s natural to question the IB’s announcement and perhaps even be angry. Heck, I’m the first to raise issues with a number of policies and practices rolled …

Paper 3 Practice: Trauma and the September 11 Attacks

Travis DixonAssessment (IB), Qualitative Research Methods, Revision and Exam Preparation

The best way to prepare for Paper 3 is to do lots of practice. The study below is designed to replicate what you will see on Paper 3.  Read more: Practice Paper 3: Observation of Hospitals Paper 3: Guided Answer Paper Three Questions 1a,b,c: Details IB Psychology HL Paper 3 Practice The stimulus material below is based on a qualitative …

Key Study: Gandhi and the Anchoring Effect
Strack & Mussweiler, 1997

Travis DixonCognitive Psychology, Key Studies, Studies and Theories

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 Three
Immigration and Terrorism

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, IB Psychology HL Extensions, Social and Cultural Psychology

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 Two
Does Western TV cause eating disorders?

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, IB Psychology HL Extensions, Social and Cultural Psychology

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

Travis DixonIB Psychology HL Extensions, Social and Cultural Psychology

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)

Travis DixonSocial and Cultural Psychology, Studies and Theories

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 …