Social Identity Theory has been applied to explain many different behaviours. In particular, it has been used to explain prosocial behaviour - that is, the willingness to help someone in need of help.The study of helping behaviour is important as it helps us to better understand how people react in an emergency situation. However, it is not possible to carry out research in the field. Therefore, studies...

The following sample is a response to the question: Discuss a sociocultural approach to one health problem. Discuss asks students to consider the way that the sociocultural approach addresses a problem - and to not to simply evaluate research.The sample response is an example of an exemplary response that should receive top marks. Comments about the essay are included below.The highlighted areas of...

The following activity is an assessment I do at the end of my research methods unit. It is a first attempt at something that begins to feel like an internal assessment. Students carry out an experiment together and then write up the responses for homework. Both the activity and sample answers are included below.The taskIn class, we carry out the following experiment.To begin with, I randomly draw...

One of the ways to make it easier for students to choose their IA experiment for replication is to give them a limited menu of choices. By giving them a menu of options, it guarantees that you are familiar with the studies that they are going to replicate and you know that you can access the original study.The following is an alternative menu of studies that could be replicated for students for their...

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 focuses on the role of neurotransmission in human behaviour - specifically, on memory.In keeping with the rest of the content of this mini unit on the biology of memory, acetylcholine will be the primary example given. However, there are other examples of neurotransmission affecting behaviour throughout the course; for example, dopamine and addiction; serotonin and depression; or serotonin...

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 chapter looks at the fundamentals of psychology. What is psychology and how do psychologists do their job? The focus of this chapter is on research methods. It is important to understand research methods so that you can evaluate studies in psychology. You may find yourself referring back to these chapters throughout the course to remind yourself of the strengths and limitations of the research...

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....

The following lesson looks at biological theories with regard to Major Depressive Disorder. The lesson starts by finding out what students already know and surfacing any misconceptions about the disorder. It also involves "meeting" some people with the disorder before delving into the biological origins of depression.Remember that the research used here can be applied on Paper 1. This includes...