The Specification: You must familiarise yourself with what the specification outlines as the examination follows this structure.
Component 2
Component 1
Notice the % each component is worth as well as the number of marks available. You must ensure you are studying each component accordingly.
Component 3
Where can I find the content to revise?Year 1
All your class notes from last year Your textbook from last year (the blue and black
one) The digital library in class The year 1 blog (psychology1logs.wordpress.com) Websites such as ‘SimplyPsychology’, ‘S-cool’ and
many others.Year 2
All your class notes Your current text book (the pink butterfly) Your textbook from last year (the blue and black
one) The digital library in class The year 2 blog (psychology2logs.wordpress.com) Websites such as ‘SimplyPsychology’, ‘S-cool’ and
many others.Additional activities to consolidate learning for year 1 and year 2 can be found in ‘Teaching activities’ under the heading of ‘Teaching and Learning Resources’ on http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-psychology-h167-h567-from-2015/
Where do I begin?
Look at the curriculum plans for year 1 and year 2. You should identify areas which are your strengths and those which are your weaknesses. You may wish to allow yourself more time to focus on your weaknesses when revising.You should not only revise the content you are good at or ones which hold your interest. You must revise everything.What do I do to study?Find which revision strategy works best for you; whether it be bullet points, lists, drawings, mind maps etc. You should use this to your advantage. Component 1: Research methodsYou should ensure you are strong in your ability to plan, conduct, analyse and report psychological research. This includes experimental and non-experimental methodologies and techniques.Component 2: Psychological themes through core studiesYou should ensure you are strong on your understanding on the following:
What each area is – ensure you know the buzzwords! You should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of what this area looks at.
What each theme is – make sure you can link this to the area and the core studies.
What each core study is
o Background information, aim(s), hypothesis/hypotheses, IV, DV, any extraneous or confounding variables, sample (Who? How they were gathered?), method, procedure, results, conclusions.
o You must also be able to evaluate each study. Use your GRAVE handout as a starting point.
o You should be able to compare each study in terms of the sample, method, procedure etc.
Component 3: Applied PsychologyYou should ensure you are strong on your understanding of
Issues in mental health Child Psychology Criminal Psychology
Where do I find exam questions to practice?http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-psychology-h167-h567-from-2015/Using the above website, you can find…
Past papers and mark schemes found under heading ‘Assessment Preparation’
Exemplar work found under the heading of ‘Teaching and Learning Resources’
When completing exam questions, use the mark scheme to mark your own work – this way you are able to see exactly where you lost marks. If you have any work you would like me to mark, please let me know.
Revision timetableBelow you will see a timetable for your revision. It shows the week commencing and the content which you could be revising during that week. ** It is not enough just to understand the content. Throughout each week you should be working on your exam technique through past papers – do NOT leave this until the last few weeks.** Do not only revise each topic in the set weeks provided. You should constantly be coming back to the content throughout your revision.Date Content Further detail and reference to
specificationTick if you fully understand
9.10.17 Experiments
Social Area
Research Methods and TechniquesExperiments – laboratory, field and quasi
Key theme: Responses to people in Need
Classic Study: Piliavin et al. (1969)
16.10.17
Observation
Social Area
Research Methods and Techniques
Observation – structured, unstructured, naturalistic, controlled, participant, non-participant, overt and covert
Planning and Conducting ResearchDesigning observations – behavioural categories, coding frames, time sampling and events sampling
Key theme: Responses to people in Need
Contemporary study: Levine et al. (2001)
23.10.17
Correlation
Cognitive Area
Research Methods and TechniquesCorrelation – obtaining data for correlational analysis, positive, negative and no correlation
Key theme: Attention Classic Study: Moray
(1959)30.10.17
Self-report
Cognitive Area
Research Methods and Techniques
Self-report – questionnaires and interviews (structured, semi-structured and unstructured)
Planning and Conducting Research
Designing self-reports – open questions, closed questions and rating scales
Key theme: Attention Contemporary study:
Simons and Chabris (1999)
6.11.17 Aims and hypotheses and How to Formulate
Developmental Area
Planning and Conducting Research
Research Aim and Question Hypotheses – null,
alternative, one-tailed, two-tailed
Key theme: Moral Development
Classic Study: Kohlberg
(1968)13.11.17
Populations, Samples and Sampling Techniques
Developmental Area
Planning and Conducting Research
Target Population and Sample
Sampling methods – random, snowball, opportunity and self-selected
Key theme: Moral Development
Contemporary study: Lee et al. (1997)
20.11.17
Experimental Designs
Biological Area
Planning and Conducting Research
Experimental Designs – repeated measures, independent measures and matched participants
Key theme: Brain Plasticity Classical Study: Blakemore
and Cooper (1970)27.11.17
Variables and how they are operationalised
Biological Area
Planning and Conducting Research
Variables and how they are operationalised – IV and DV, and control of extraneous variables
Key theme: Brain Plasticity Contemporary Study:
Maguire et al. (2000)4.12.17 Raw data
Individual Differences Area
Data Recording, Analysis and Presentation
Raw data – design of raw data recordings, use of raw data recording tables, standard and decimal form, significant figures, and estimations from data collected
Key theme: Measuring Differences
Classical Study: Gould (1982)
11.12.17
Levels and types of data
Individual Differences Area
Data Recording, Analysis and PresentationLevels and Types of data – nominal, ordinal and interval data, qualitative and quantitative data, and primary and secondary dataKey theme: Measuring Differences
Contemporary Study: Hancock et al. (2011)
18.12.17
Descriptive statistics
The Historical Context of Mental Health
Data Recording, Analysis and Presentation
Measures of Central Tendency – mode, median and mean
Measures of Dispersion – variance, range and standard deviation.
Ratio, percentages, fractions, frequency tables, line graph, pie charts, bar charts, histograms and scatter diagrams
Background Historical views of mental
illness Defining abnormality Categorising mental
disorders
1.1.17 Inferential statistics
The Historical Context of Mental Health
Data Recording, Analysis and PresentationParametric and non-parametric tests – Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon, Chi-Squared, Binomial Sign Test and Spearman’s Rho
Key Research Rosenhan (1973) On
being sane in insane places8.1.17 Methodologic
al issues Data Recording, Analysis and Presentation
The Historical Context of Mental Health
Representativeness, generalisability, demand characteristics, social desirability, researcher bias
Application Characteristics of an
affective disorder, a psychotic disorder and an anxiety disorder
15.1.17 Methodological issues
The Medical Model
Data Recording, Analysis and PresentationReliability – internal, external, inter-rater, test-retest, split half
Background The biochemical explanation
of mental illness, the genetic explanation of mental illness, brain abnormality as an explanation of mental illness
22.1.17 Methodological issue
The Medical Model
Data Recording, Analysis and PresentationValidity – internal, face, construct, concurrent, criterion, external, population and ecological
Key Research Gottesman et al. (2010)
Disorders in offspring with two psychiatrically ill parents
29.1.17 Methodological issues
The Medical
Data Recording, Analysis and PresentationEthical considerations, including the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct – Informed consent, right to withdraw, competence, responsibility, protection of participants, debrief, deception
Application
Model Biological treatment of one specific disorder
5.2.17 Report writing
Alternatives to the medical model
Report WritingSections and sub-sections of a practical report – abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references and appendices
Key Research Szasz (2011) The myth of
Mental Illness: 50 years later
12.2.17 Report writing
Alternatives to the medical model
Report WritingCiting academic references – a familiarity with citing academic research using the Harvard system of referencing
Application Non-biological treatment of
one specific disorder
19.2.17 How Science Works
Criminal Psychology
How Science WorksCause and effect, falsification, replicability, objectivity, induction, deduction, hypothesis testing, manipulation of variables, control and standardisation and quantifiable measures
What makes a criminal? Background: Physiological
and non-physiological explanations of criminal behaviour
Key Research: Raine et al (1997) Brain abnormalities in murderers indicated by positron emission tomography
Application: one biological strategy for preventing criminal behaviour
26.2.17 Criminal Psychology
The Collection and Processing of Forensic Evidence
Background: Motivating factors and bias in the collection and processing of forensic evidence
Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making
Application: real life5.3.17 Social Area
Criminal Psychology
Key theme: Responses to people in AuthorityClassic Study: Milgram (1963)
Collection of Evidence Background: Collection and
use of evidence from witnesses and suspects
Key research: Memon and Higham (1998) A review of the cognitive interview
Application: one strategy for police interviews
12.3.17 Social Area
Criminal Psychology
Key theme: Responses to people in AuthorityContemporary study: Bocchiaro et al. (2012)
Psychology and the courtroom Background: How juries can
be persuaded by the characteristics of witnesses and defendants
Key Research: Dixon et al. (2002) The Role of Accent and Context in Perceptions of Guilt
Application: one strategy to influence jury decision making
19.3.17 Cognitive Area
Key theme: MemoryClassic Study: Loftus and Palmer (1974)
Criminal Psychology
Crime Prevention Background: How the
features of neighbourhoods and how a zero-tolerance policy can influence crime
Key Research: Wilson and Kelling (1982) The Police and Neighbourhood Safety: Broken Windows
Application: At least one strategy for crime prevention
26.3.17 Cognitive Area
Criminal Psychology
Key theme: MemoryContemporary study: Grant et al. (1998)
Effect of Imprisonment Background: punishment
and reform as responses to criminal behaviour
Key Research: Haney et al (1973) Study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison
Application: at least one strategy for reducing reoffending
2.4.17 Developmental Area
Child Psychology
Key theme: External Influences on Children’s behaviourClassic Study: Bandura et al. (1961)
Intelligence Background: What
Psychologists mean by intelligence and what biological factors could affect intelligence
Key Research: Van Leeuwen et al (2008) A twin-family study of general IQ
Application: At least one method of assessing intelligence
9.4.17 Developmental Area
Behaviourist perspective
Child Psychology
Key theme: External Influences on Children’s behaviour Contemporary study: Chaney et al (2004)
Defining principles of perspective
Link to Bandura et al. and Chaney et al.
Pre-adult Brain Development Background: Brain
development and the impact of this on risk taking behaviour
Key Research: Barkley-Levenson and Galvan (2014) Neural representation of expected value in adolescent brain
Application: At last one strategy to reduce the risk of taking behaviours using knowledge of brain development
16.4.17 Biological Area
Child Psychology
Key theme: Regions of the BrainClassical Study: Sperry (1968)
Perceptual Development Background: Perceptual
development in children and how this can be studied in babies and animals
Key Research: Gibson and Walk (1960) The Visual Cliff
Application: At least one play strategy to develop perception in young children
23.4.17 Biological Key theme: Regions of the
Area
Child Psychology
BrainContemporary Study: Casey et al (2011)
Cognitive Development and Education
Background: Cognitive development in children and the impact of this on education
Key Research: Wood et al. (1976) The role of tutoring in problem-solving
Application: at least one cognitive strategy to improve revision of learning
30.4.17 Individual differences Area
Child Psychology
Key theme: Understanding DisordersClassical Study: Freud (1909)
Development of Attachment Background: the
development of attachment and babies and the impact of failure to develop attachments
Key Research: Ainsworth and Bell (1970) Attachment, Exploration and Separation: Illustrated by the Behaviour of One-year-olds in a Strange Situation
Application: At least one strategy to develop an attachment friendly environment
7.5.17 Individual Differences Area
Key theme: Understanding DisordersContemporary study: Baron-Cohen et al (1997)
Psychodynamic perspective
Child Psychology
Defining principles of perspective
Link to Freud
Impact of Advertising on Children
Background: The influence of television advertising on children and the stereotyping in such advertising
Key Research: Johnson and Young (2002) Gendered voices in children’s advertising
Application: At least one strategy to reduce impact of advertising which is aimed at children
14.4.17 Debates What each debate isComparing debatesLinking debates to core studies
Nature/nurture Free will/determinism Reductionism/holism Individual/situational Usefulness of research Ethical considerations Socially sensitive research Psychology as a science
21.4.17 onwards
Exam practice
Past papersExam style questions