A-Level Psychology Year 2REVISION PLAN

Name:

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