Lesson Idea: Kahn the Caveman

Travis DixonAbnormal Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Teaching Ideas

This lesson comes from the PTSD unit/chapter and will help students understand an evolutionary explanation of the effects of stress (emotion) on memory. It also helps consolidate learning about fear conditioning, which is a key concept in the study of PTSD. Kahn the Caveman! Kahn is living 40,000 years ago. He’s part of a hunter-gatherer tribe living in Southern Europe. …

Key Study: FBM across cultures by Kulkofsky et al. (2011)

adminCognitive Psychology, Social and Cultural Psychology

Relevant Topics: Emotion and Cognition & Cultural Dimensions This study compares flashbulb memory (FBM) formation across different cultures. It can be used to show the effects of one cultural dimension (individualism and collectivism) on behaviour (FBM formation). If you’re using FBM theory to explain how emotion can affect cognition, this could also be used in an essay as a counter-argument …

Essay Writing Tips: Three Rules of Three

Travis DixonAssessment (IB), Revision and Exam Preparation

If you’re learning how to write essays in IB Psychology or looking for good tips to pass on to your students, I would suggest the following “Three Rules of Threes.” #1: Three Parts to an Essay Every good essay has three parts (excluding the introductions and conclusions): Central argument/s Supporting Evidence Counter argument/s The central argument is where you address …

Can perceptual illusions teach us tolerance?

Travis DixonGeneral Interest

Warning: This post is me rambling and thinking out-loud. “I don’t know how on Earth you can see a black and blue dress, when that’s clearly white and gold.” “Are you mad. What? What? You’re messing with me, right? They’re definitely grey and blue sneakers. Where the heck are you seeing pink and white?” These were some of the things …

So you want to assess ethical considerations?

Travis DixonResearch Methodology, Teaching Ideas

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 …