The following study is a study of neuroplasticity that demonstrates how a repeated action can lead to the growth of neural networks - and then the cessation of that activity can lead to neural pruning.This study may be used for an SAQ/ERQ on neuroplasticity, the ethics/resarch methods used in the study of the brain and behaviour, or an SAQ on either the formation of synapses or neural pruning.BackgroundBiologists...

One of the great questions of health psychology is why we see an increase or decrease in the level of a health problem. There is also the question why some groups seem to have a higher prevalence of a health problem than other groups. Finally, there is the question of the role that "globalization" is playing in the spread of health problems - for example, the spread of the fast food industry....

The following worksheet can be used to have HL students focus on the study carried out by Norasakkunkit and Uchida (2014) on hikikomori.Hikikomori literally means "pulling inward, being confined." The condition affects both adolescents and adults. The key symptom is they withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation, including staying in their rooms for years without...

This lesson on the role of sociocultural factors in obesity is actually a revision of how we started the unit. In the introduction to obesity lesson plan, several different factors were discussed - all of them sociocultural: fast food, sedentary lifestyle, Internet usage and environmental stressors.The goal of this lesson is to have students think about the strengths and limitations of these arguments...

Essential understandingsOur behaviour is influenced by others, even when we believe that we are acting independently.We have both an individual and a social identity which influences our behaviour.Behaviours are learned through our interaction and observation of others.Stereotypes affect behaviour.The sociocultural approachPsychologists recognize that human behaviour can only be fully understood if...

This lesson plan is an introduction to the cognitive approach and our first cognitive process to be studied - memory. The following ppt presentation is used to start the lesson. This is an 80-minute lesson. Intro to cognitive approach pptIntroductory PowerpointI start this lesson with an introduction to the cognitive approach. I have them sit in pods to start of this lesson, but they could also simply...

The following lesson introduces the Working Memory Model. In addition to learning about the model, we explore what is meant by multi-tasking. This lesson takes two to three 80-minute periods.For this lesson, you will need the following Powerpoint presentation. Working memory model pptEvidence to support the modelTo start off the class, I begin by asking students if there are any types of tasks that...

The following lesson introduces the Schema theory - its strengths and limitations. It is also a precursor to the lessons on reconstructive memory and the reliability of cognitive processes. This lesson takes two 80-minute periodsThe following Powerpoint was developed together with Anna Yakutonok from the Prague British School. It may be used together with the lesson plan below. Schema theory pptTask...

The following set of practice papers are not official IB papers. As of the creation of this page, there is only one specimen paper available. All of the papers are created here by me, based on examiner experience.The questions for the papers are always the same. An explanation of the questions is given below.For each exam, there is a set of sample responses. Remember that in the new curriculum the...

This section of the site is devoted to materials that may be used to organize and assist students in the setting up and carrying out of the internal assessment. The section includes suggestions for experiments to replicate, reminders of restrictions for the internal assessment, planners and checklists, as well as samples of IA's which students should consult before starting their report writing....