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Covers the whole AQA GCSE Psychology (8182) specification: memory, perception, development and research methods for Paper 1; social influence, language, thought and communication, brain and neuropsychology, and psychological problems for Paper 2.

Memory

Paper 1 Section A

  • Processes and structures of memory3.1.1
    • Explain encoding, storage and retrieval, and episodic, semantic and procedural memory
    • Describe the multi-store model: sensory, short-term and long-term stores, with their coding, capacity and duration
    • Explain primacy and recency, and describe and evaluate Murdock's serial position curve study
    LessonPractice
  • Memory as an active process3.1.1
    • Explain the theory of reconstructive memory and effort after meaning
    • Describe and evaluate Bartlett's War of the Ghosts study
    • Explain how interference, context and false memories affect the accuracy of memory
    LessonPractice

Perception

Paper 1 Section B

  • Sensation, depth cues and Gibson's direct theory3.1.2
    • Tell sensation from perception
    • Explain the monocular cues (height in plane, relative size, occlusion, linear perspective) and the binocular cues (retinal disparity, convergence)
    • Describe and evaluate Gibson's direct theory, with motion parallax, as the influence of nature
    LessonPractice
  • Visual illusions, Gregory's theory and factors affecting perception3.1.2
    • Explain illusions by ambiguity, misinterpreted depth cues, fiction and size constancy, with the six named examples
    • Describe and evaluate Gregory's constructivist theory as the influence of nurture
    • Explain perceptual set and the effects of culture, motivation, emotion and expectation, with the Gilchrist and Nesberg and the Bruner and Minturn studies
    LessonPractice

Development

Paper 1 Section C

  • Development: the brain, Piaget, and learning3.1.3
    • Describe early brain development (brain stem, thalamus, cerebellum, cortex) and the roles of nature and nurture
    • Explain Piaget's stages, assimilation and accommodation, egocentrism and conservation, with the naughty teddy and policeman doll studies
    • Explain Piaget's theory in education, Dweck's mindset theory with praise and self-efficacy, learning styles and Willingham's criticism
    LessonPractice

Research methods

Paper 1 Section D · Papers 1 and 2

  • Designing research: hypotheses, variables, sampling and methods3.1.4
    • Write null and alternative hypotheses, and identify independent, dependent and extraneous variables
    • Select samples by random, opportunity, systematic and stratified sampling, and weigh each
    • Weigh experiments (laboratory, field, natural; independent groups, repeated measures, matched pairs), interviews, questionnaires, case studies, observations and correlations
    LessonPractice
  • Research procedures, ethics and data handling3.1.4, 3.1.4.1
    • Explain standardisation, randomisation, counterbalancing, and controlling extraneous variables; judge reliability and validity
    • Apply the British Psychological Society's ethical issues and the ways of dealing with each
    • Handle data: quantitative and qualitative, primary and secondary, percentages, ratios, mean, median, mode, range, tables, charts and the normal distribution
    LessonPractice

Social influence

Paper 2 Section A

  • Conformity and obedience3.2.1
    • Explain how group size, anonymity, task difficulty, personality and expertise affect conformity, and describe and evaluate Asch's study
    • Explain Milgram's agency theory: agency, authority, culture and proximity
    • Explain Adorno's authoritarian personality as a dispositional factor in obedience
    LessonPractice
  • Prosocial behaviour and crowds3.2.1
    • Explain how the presence of others, the cost of helping, similarity to the victim and expertise affect bystander intervention
    • Describe and evaluate Piliavin's subway study
    • Explain social loafing, deindividuation, culture, personality and morality in crowd behaviour
    LessonPractice

Language, thought and communication

Paper 2 Section B

  • Language, thought and animal communication3.2.2
    • Compare Piaget's view that language depends on thought with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
    • Explain how language may affect recall of events and recognition of colours
    • Describe the functions of animal communication and Von Frisch's bee study, and the properties of human language animals lack
    LessonPractice
  • Non-verbal communication3.2.2
    • Define verbal and non-verbal communication; explain eye contact, body language and personal space
    • Explain Darwin's evolutionary theory and the evidence that non-verbal behaviour is innate
    • Explain the evidence that non-verbal behaviour is learned, and describe and evaluate Yuki's study of emoticons
    LessonPractice

Brain and neuropsychology

Paper 2 Section C

  • The nervous system and neurons3.2.3
    • Describe the central and peripheral (somatic and autonomic) nervous systems and the fight or flight response
    • Describe and evaluate the James-Lange theory of emotion
    • Explain sensory, relay and motor neurons, synaptic transmission, excitation and inhibition, and Hebb's theory
    LessonPractice
  • The brain and neuropsychology3.2.3
    • Describe the four lobes and the cerebellum, and localisation of motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory and language areas
    • Describe and evaluate Penfield's study of the interpretive cortex and Tulving's gold memory study
    • Explain CT, PET and fMRI scans, and how stroke or injury can affect behaviour
    LessonPractice

Psychological problems

Paper 2 Section D

  • Mental health and depression3.2.4
    • Describe the characteristics of mental health, how the incidence of problems changes over time, and their effects on individuals and society
    • Distinguish unipolar depression, bipolar depression and sadness, and diagnosis with the International Classification of Diseases
    • Explain the biological and psychological explanations of depression, antidepressants and CBT, and Wiles' study
    LessonPractice
  • Addiction3.2.4
    • Distinguish addiction (dependence) from substance misuse, and diagnosis with the International Classification of Diseases
    • Explain the genetic explanation with Kaij's twin study, and peer influence
    • Evaluate aversion therapy and self-management programmes, with reductionist and holistic perspectives
    LessonPractice

Independent practice for AQA GCSE Psychology (8182). Not affiliated with or endorsed by AQA.

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