Paper 1: compulsory topics (1PS0/01)

Topics

Choose a topic to revise

Sample objectives

What this unit covers

• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess early brain development, with attention to the development of: forebrain; midbrain; hindbrain; cerebellum; medulla, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess the role of education and intelligence, with attention to piaget’s theory of cognitive development, and the four stages of cognitive development, and evaluate its supporting evidence and limitations: sensorimotor; pre-operational; concrete operational; formal operational; schemata/schemas; assimilation; accommodation; equilibrium, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess the effects of learning on development using carol dweck’s mindset theory, and evaluate its supporting evidence and limitations: fixed mindset; growth mindset; ability and effort, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess the effects of learning on development using daniel willingham’s learning theory, and evaluate its supporting evidence and limitations: factual knowledge precedes skill; the importance of practice and effort; strategies to support cognitive development; strategies to support physical development; strategies to support social development, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess piaget and inhelder (1956) three mountains task, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess gunderson et al. (2013) parent praise to 1-to 3-year-olds predicts children's motivational frameworks 5 years later, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 1: Development: Explain and critically assess morality issues in psychology and the individual, with attention to: the meaning of ‘morality’ and ‘moral(s)’; pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional stages of morality; the use of content, theories and research drawn from cognitive development to explain development of morality, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess the structure and process of memory and information processing: input; processing; output; encoding; storage; retrieval, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess the features of short-term and long-term memory, with attention to: duration; capacity, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess retrograde and anterograde amnesia, with attention to: the meaning of ‘retrograde amnesia’; the meaning of ‘anterograde amnesia’; the symptoms of retrograde amnesia; the symptoms of anterograde amnesia, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess the active process of memory through the theory of reconstructive memory (bartlett, 1932), and evaluate its supporting evidence and limitations: how schemas are formed; how schemas influence memory, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess the structure and process of memory through the multi-store model of memory (atkinson and shiffrin, 1968), and evaluate its supporting evidence and limitations: sensory register; the capacity of short-term memory; the duration of short-term memory; the capacity of long-term memory; the duration of long-term memory; role of attention in memory; role of rehearsal in memory, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess bartlett (1932) war of the ghosts, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess peterson and peterson (1959) short-term retention of individual verbal items, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 2: Memory: Explain and critically assess the reductionism and holism debate, with attention to: the meaning of ‘reductionism’ and ‘reductionist’; the meaning of ‘holism’ and ‘holistic’; the use of content, theories and research drawn from human memory to explain the reductionism and holism debate *this study can be replicated and therefore provides an opportunity for students to carry out an ethical, investigative practical activity to aid their understanding of the, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the symptoms and features according to the international classification of diseases (icd) of; depression; addiction, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess how the incidence of mental health problems changes over time, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess how mental health problems affect individuals and society, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the influence of genes as an explanation, with attention to supporting evidence and limitations of each explanation; depression; addiction, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the use of cognitive theory as an explanation of depression, with attention to supporting evidence and limitations of the explanation, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the use of learning theory as an explanation of addiction, with attention to supporting evidence and limitations of the explanation, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt) as a treatment, with attention to supporting evidence and limitations of each therapy; depression; addiction, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the use of drugs as a treatment, with attention to supporting evidence and limitations of each treatment; depression; addiction, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess caspi et al. (2003) influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-htt gene addiction, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess young (2007) cognitive behavior therapy with internet addicts: treatment outcomes and implications, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 3: Psychological problems: Explain and critically assess the nature and nurture debate, with attention to: the meaning of ‘nature’; the meaning of ‘nurture’; the use of content, theories, and research drawn from psychological problems to explain the nature and nurture debate, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess the structure and function of the brain, with attention to: temporal; occipital; frontal; parietal lobes; cerebellum, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess the lateralisation of function in the hemispheres, with attention to: asymmetrical function; role of the left hemispheres; role of the right hemispheres; role of the corpus callosum; supporting evidence and limitations of lateralisation as an explanation of sex differences between males and females, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess what neurons and synapses are, with attention to: function of neurotransmitters; synaptic functioning; how neurons and synapses interact; understand the role of the central nervous system, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess the impact of neurological damage on cognitions and behaviour, with attention to: the meaning of ‘visual agnosia’; the meaning of ‘prosopagnosia’; the symptoms of visual agnosia; the symptoms of prosopagnosia; the impact of damage to the pre-frontal cortex, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess damasio et al (1994) the return of phineas gage: clues about the brain from the skull of a famous patient, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess sperry (1968) hemisphere deconnection and unity in conscious awareness, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology: Explain and critically assess how psychology has changed over time, with attention to: • the use of content, theories, and research drawn from studying the brain to explain how psychology has changed over time, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess the meaning of: obedience; conformity; deindividuation; bystander effect, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess factors affecting bystander intervention, with attention to: personal factors; situational factors, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess conformity to majority influence and factors affecting conformity to majority influence, with attention to: personality; the situation, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess obedience to authority and factors affecting obedience to authority figures, with attention to: personality; the situation, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess the behaviour of crowds and the individuals within them and the effect of collective behaviour, with attention to; pro- and anti-social behaviour, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess possible ways to prevent blind obedience to authority figures, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess piliavin et al (1969) good samaritanism: an underground phenomenon?, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess haney, banks, and zimbardo (1973) a study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.
• Topic 5: Social influence: Explain and critically assess social and cultural issues in psychology, with attention to: know the meaning of ‘society’ and ‘social issues’; know the meaning of ‘culture’; the use of content, theories, and research drawn from social influence to explain social and cultural issues in psychology, applying psychological evidence, research methods, ethical reasoning and evaluation where relevant.