All 12 Psychology topics for Edexcel International AS & A Level, grouped the way the exam is. Each topic has a few flashcards to test yourself; the full sets are free in Socrates AI.
AS
What is obedience?
Following a direct order from a person in authority.
What is conformity?
Changing behaviour or beliefs to fit in with a group.
What was the procedure of Milgram's (1963) obedience study?
Participants were told to give increasing electric shocks to a 'learner' (a confederate) when he answered wrongly; the shocks were fake.
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What is prejudice?
A negative attitude towards a group or its members, not based on experience or reason.
What is social identity theory (SIT)?
Tajfel and Turner's theory that people gain self-esteem from group membership, favouring their in-group over out-groups.
What are the three stages of social identity theory?
Social categorisation, social identification and social comparison.
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What is the cognitive approach?
The study of internal mental processes such as memory, perception and thinking.
What is the multi-store model of memory?
Atkinson and Shiffrin's model with a sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory; rehearsal moves information to LTM.
What are the capacity and duration of short-term memory?
Around 7 ± 2 items (Miller) and about 18–30 seconds without rehearsal.
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What is a hypothesis?
A precise, testable prediction about the outcome of a study.
What is the difference between a directional and a non-directional hypothesis?
A directional hypothesis predicts the direction of a difference or relationship; a non-directional one predicts only that there will be one.
What is the independent variable (IV)?
The variable the researcher manipulates or changes.
What is quantitative data?
Numerical data.
What is qualitative data?
Non-numerical data such as words, descriptions and meanings.
What is the difference between primary and secondary data?
Primary data is collected by the researcher for the study; secondary data already existed.
AS
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
The brain and spinal cord.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
All the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, divided into somatic and autonomic systems.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical messenger released at a synapse that passes signals between neurons.
What is the behaviourist approach?
The view that behaviour is learned from the environment through conditioning.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning by association: a neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus comes to produce a conditioned response.
In Pavlov's study, what were the UCS, NS and CR?
UCS: food; NS: the bell; CR: salivation to the bell alone.
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What is attachment?
A close, two-way emotional bond between an infant and a caregiver.
What is Bowlby's monotropy theory?
Infants form one primary attachment which is special and more important than others.
What is the critical period according to Bowlby?
The first 2.5 years of life, during which attachment must form or later development may be harmed.
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A Level
What is criminological psychology?
The study of the causes of criminal behaviour, and how offenders are treated and identified.
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy explanation of crime?
Labelling someone as criminal leads others to treat them that way, and they come to act as labelled.
How does social learning theory explain crime?
People learn criminal behaviour by observing and imitating role models who are rewarded for it.
A Level
What is the DSM?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used to classify and diagnose mental disorders.
What is the ICD?
The World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases, which includes mental disorders.
Give four definitions of abnormality.
Statistical infrequency, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health.
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What is the nature–nurture debate?
Whether behaviour is caused mainly by genes (nature) or by environment and experience (nurture).
What is the interactionist approach?
Behaviour results from the interaction of nature and nurture, e.g. the diathesis–stress model.
What is the free will versus determinism debate?
Whether behaviour is freely chosen or caused by internal or external factors beyond our control.
What is a hypothesis?
A precise, testable prediction about the outcome of a study.
What is the difference between a directional and a non-directional hypothesis?
A directional hypothesis predicts the direction of a difference or relationship; a non-directional one predicts only that there will be one.
What is the independent variable (IV)?
The variable the researcher manipulates or changes.
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