Exam Question Bank: Paper 1: Cognitive Approach

Travis DixonAssessment (IB), Cognitive Psychology, Revision and Exam Preparation

Whether you're a student looking for help with studying or a teacher writing mock exams, these questions should help.

Disclaimer: These questions are not IB “official” questions and are written with our best guess as to what the probable exam questions may look like. Therefore, not every possible question is covered.

READ MORE  IB Psychology Exam Question Banks

    • Paper 1: Biological approach (Link)
    • Paper 1: Sociocultural approach (Link)
    • Paper 1: HL Ext Bio Animal Studies (Link)
    • Paper 1: HL Ext Cog Technology & Cognition (Link)
    • Paper 1: HL Ext Soc/cult Globalization (Link)
    • Paper 2: Human Relationships (Link)
    • Paper 2: Abnormal Psychology (Link)

Cognitive Approach

The following table is taken from “IB Psychology: A Revision Guide” (Link).

Screen Shot 2019-04-18 at 9.49.18

The exam questions will be based on the topic and content headings as shown above (Note: terms in italics will only be asked from May 2020 onwards).

Exam Questions

TOPIC Content SAQs Essay Questions

Cognitive Processing

Models of memory
  • Describe one model of memory.
  • Outline one study related to one model of memory.
  • Contrast two models of memory.
  • Evaluate one model of memory.
  • Evaluate one study related to one model of memory.
  • Discuss models of memory.
Multi-store model
  • Outline the multi-store model of memory.
 SAQ term only
Working memory model
  • Describe the working memory model.
  • Explain how one study supports the working memory model.
 SAQ term only

Schema theory
  • Explain schema theory.
  • Describe how one study relates to schema theory.
  • Evaluate schema theory.
  • Discuss one or more studies related to schema theory.
Cognitive schema
  • Explain one study related to cognitive schema.
 SAQ term only

Thinking and decision making
  • Explain one theory or study related to  thinking and decision-making.
  • Describe one theory of thinking and decision making.
  • Evaluate one theory or study related to  thinking and decision-making.
  • Discuss one theory of thinking and decision making.
Rational (controlled)
  • Describe one example of rational (controlled) thinking.
 SAQ term only
Intuitive thinking (automatic)
  • Outline one example of intuitive (automatic) thinking.
 SAQ term only
   

Reliability of cognitive processing.

 
  • Outline one study on the reliability of one cognitive process.
  • Discuss the reliability of one cognitive process.
  • Evaluate one or more studies on the reliability of one cognitive process.

Reconstructive memory
  • Explain one theory or study relevant to reconstructive memory.
  • Describe how one study demonstrates reconstructive memory.
  • Evaluate one theory or study relevant to reconstructive memory.

Bias in thinking and decision making

  • Explain one bias in thinking and decision making.
  • Explain how one bias in thinking and/or decision making can be shown in one study.
  • Discuss one  or more biases in thinking and decision making.
  • Discuss one biases in thinking and decision making.
   

Emotion and cognition

The influence of emotion on cognitive processes
  • Explain the influence of emotion on one cognitive process.
  • Explain how one study demonstrates the influence of emotion on cognition.
  • Explain how emotion may affect one cognitive process.
  • Discuss the influence of emotion on one cognitive process.
  • To what extent does emotion affect cognition?
  • Discuss how emotion may affect one or more cognitive processes?

Research Methods & Ethical Considerations

Questions about research methods and ethics will be based on the three “topics” for the cognitive approach (cognitive processes, the reliability of cognitive processes and emotion and cognition).

Research Methods

Short Answer Questions

  • Outline one research method used to study cognitive processes.
  • Describe the use of one research method used to study cognitive processes.
  • Explain how and why one research method is used to study the reliability of one cognitive process.
  •  Explain the use of one research method used in the cognitive approach to understanding human behaviour.

Essay Questions

  • Discuss one research method used to study cognitive processes.
  • Evaluate one or more research methods used to study cognitive processes.
  • Evaluate the use of one research method used to study the reliability of cognitive processes.
  • Evaluate how and why one research method is used to study the effects of emotion on cognition.
  • Discuss the use of one or more research methods used in the cognitive approach to understanding human behaviour.

Ethical Considerations

Short Answer Questions

  • Outline one ethical consideration related to studies on cognitive processes.
  • Explain one ethical consideration relevant to studies on the effects of emotion on cognition.
  • Explain one ethical consideration relevant to one study on the reliability of cognitive processes.
  • Outline one ethical consideration related to studies in the cognitive approach to understanding human behaviour.

Essay Questions

  • Discuss one ethical consideration relevant to studies on cognitive processes.
  • Discuss one ethical consideration relevant to one study on the reliability of cognitive processes.
  • Discuss ethical considerations relevant to research on the effects of emotion on cognition.
  • Discuss one or more ethical considerations relevant to research on cognitive processes.
  • Discuss one or more ethical considerations related to research in the cognitive approach to understanding human behaviour.

Order your copy at https://store.themantic-education.com/

Notes

Paper One has two sections – A and B. In Section A you have three compulsory short answer questions, one from each approach (biological, cognitive and sociocultural). In Section B, you have three exam questions, also one from each approach and you answer only one. This means you should prep all core approach topics for SAQs and you can choose one approach for essays.

  1. For short answer questions, because you can use the command terms interchangeably (outline, describe, explain) their selection for the above questions has been random.
  2. The italicized terms above (e.g. cognitive schema) are the SAQ additional terms. It’s often difficult to predict how these will be phrased in IB exam questions.

Disclaimer: These questions are not IB “official” questions and are written with our best guess as to what the probable exam questions may look like. Therefore, not every possible question is covered.