The following is adapted from one lesson in my new course. I love this example of unity between ancient and modern ways of knowing, so I wanted to share it. Herbal Remedies From the topic “Cultural Differences” in the chapter “Depression” In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners believe depression is caused by a lack of vital energy (qi) which is …
Seriously?
In the new IB Psych curriculum we’ve been given 45 hours to teach “data analysis and interpretation.” No thanks. I’ll have a hard enough time staying awake in that let alone my students. Here’s a workaround that will give you 20 extra hours in your course. IB Psychology curriculums are convoluted and complicated beasts. Luckily, they’re filled with loopholes we …
The T-REX SAQ
The first two questions in IB Psychology Paper One (new syllabus) are designed to be “quick wins.” They’re 4 mark SAQs that can be answered in about 250 words. I want to keep things simple so students go into exams with confidence. I also love a good acronym. So here’s my T-REX SAQ structure that can answer any SAQ. Don’t believe me? …
How to use real world examples in the new SAQsOne topic - two possible answers
In the new IB Psychology course (first exams 2027), the first two questions in Paper One are SAQs. These are 150-250 word answers that explain a topic and use an example. Previously, supporting examples always had to be studies. Now you have the choice – a study or a real world example. In this post, we’ll look at the same …
Key Study: Rats in an fMRI (Brydges et al., 2013)A fun and fascinating study to highlight the Three Rs of animal research
Animal experimentation is contentious. Some argue they’re valuable and worthwhile, while others question their validity and ethicality. The fundamental issue with animal research is that animals cannot provide informed consent and most animals are euthanised at the end of the experiment. But what if researchers could use brain scanners on live rats so they didn’t have to kill them? That’s …
5 Things to Love About the New IB Psychology Curriculum
My natural disposition is to be a bit of a jumped up pr*#k who’s a bit too full of himself, so I’m trying to be more Jonathan Haidt and less Jordan Peterson these days. With this in mind, I recently went on a mental gratitude walk through the new guide and realised five things I love about it. #5: Learning …
Tips for Teaching Concepts in IB Psychology
Originally posted on MyIB forum and adapted here in case it helps. The biggest challenge facing IB Psychology students and teachers in the new curriculum is the introduction of the SIX CONCEPTS: change, measurement, perspective, causality, bias and responsibility. This adds a lot of research method content to an already content-rich course. So here are some ideas I’m playing with …
Does fluoride affect IQ?
You might have seen the debate about fluoride and IQ in the news recently. I didn’t know much about the subject, so I decided to spend a few hours deep diving into the research. Fluoride has been used since the 1930s to help protect teeth. It’s a mineral that strengthens tooth enamel reducing the chance of cavities. In many places, …
Travis Dixon’s New Textbook for the New IB Psych Curriculum: A Timeline
Thank you to everyone who has been posting and writing to me asking if I’ll be writing a new textbook for the new IB Psychology curriculum, due to published early 2025. The answer is: OF COURSE! With the new subject brief being published by the IB, it has allowed me to start writing (IB Psych Subject Brief). Northern hemisphere schools …
How to explain a psychological study
Whether it’s for an extended essay, a test or an exam, writing about psychological studies can be a challenging task. This post is designed to help you focus your attention and efforts so you can write the best explanations possible. We’ll begin by breaking down the studies and then look at some examples. The Short Answer 100-200 words Focus on …
The Working Memory Model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974)- A Simple Summary
At first glance the working memory model can be very complicated and overwhelming. This post will break it down into four simple steps so you can understand it. Step One: What is “working memory?” Step Two: What are the “slave systems?” Step Three: What is the “central executive?” Step Four: What is the “episodic buffer?” The Working Memory Model 1. …
Key Theory & Studies: The empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson et al. 1981 & 1982)An explanation of prosocial behaviour
Why do people help others? It’s a simple question but it intrigues psychologists because it doesn’t make sense evolutionarily speaking. In this post we look at one simple explanation: empathy. Why do we humans help one another when there’s nothing to be gained for ourselves? This seems to contradict what we know about evolutionary psychology – that we instinctively look …
Key study: Working memory and a dual task study on chess (Robbins et al. 1996)
Looking for a study that supports the working memory model? Here’s a good one. Working memory is the stuff we’re thinking about right now. The working memory model (WMM) was an elaboration of the multi-store model of memory (MSM) as it zooms in on the short-term store and explains how our short-term (working) memory actually works. If you can comprehend …
Can you bench-press your way out of depression?The relationship between strength and depressive symptoms.
The common explanation for increased rates of depression for boys and men is because they’re unwilling to seek help and talk about their feelings. Personally, I have my doubts about this explanation. An alternative explanation is that men are becoming physically weaker, and this is leading to the psychological problems. But what does the research say? Before we get to …
The Warrior / Worrier HypothesisA biological explanation of stress
The following is adapted from our textbook, Stress: A Student’s Guide for IB Health Psychology. Are some people naturally more stressed than others? The Warrior / Worrier hypothesis says yes. This theory identifies the specific gene that explains stress levels. The Basic Theory How do genes affect stress? How you respond to stress could be based on your COMT gene. …
#1 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Write Things Down
Only 3% of IB Psychologists will get a 7. That means if your goal is a 7, you need to be working harder than 97% of all other IB Psychologists. Are you? If you’ve read the other 9 exam tips, you might be. Following this final tip could be the decider. In my experience, there seems to be one factor …
#2 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Use Flashcards
Flashcards are the most effective way for remembering lots of information. That’s why it’s important to use them when studying for your exams. They’re great for things like key terms, studies and theories. You could use digital apps like Quizlet or make hard copies. If hard copy, you could use the Leitner System or the Three Pile System. How good …
#4 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Match Topics with Studies
Only 3% of IB Psychology students get 7s. There’s very little room for error if you’re aiming for top marks. The biggest error I see some students making is using the wrong studies. For example, the question might ask about social identity theory and someone writes about Bandura’s bobo doll study, or about Loftus and Palmer’s car crash study on …
#3 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Focus on Results
While psychological studies aren’t the only part of the IB Psychology exams, they’re very important. So make sure you’re focusing on the right thing. Some students spend all their efforts revising the aims and procedures of the experiments but miss the most important part – the results. By exam day you should be ready to write about 100-150 words on …
#5 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Ignore Command Terms
This tip is sure to cause a stir amongst some IB teachers as the command terms are like IB Gospel. In my early years of teaching I thought so, too. I had these plastered around the wall and thought they were the most important thing to know about the IB Psychology exams. However, over the years I’ve realised that they’re …
#6 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Write Plans, Not Essays
A popular but silly strategy for IB Psych exams is to pre-write essay answers for every.single.question and then try to memorise them. Worse yet, downloading or buying existing essays and trying to memorise them. This is much, much harder than planning your own revision strategy. A much better strategy, imho, is to write plans for each topic. Don’t worry about …
#7 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: 5 Minute Practice Exams
Practice makes permanent. The only problem is that the IB Psych exams are 3-5 hours long, so they’re very difficult to practise. There are also over 50 different topics to study, but only a few will be asked on the exam. So while it might be great doing a couple of practice exams, including your school’s mocks, it’s not good …
#8 Best Study Tip for IB Psych: Set Goals
You’ve heard it all before but trust me setting goals for the IB Psych exams leads to higher marks. This is because it helps you prioritise your revision helping you to focus on the right things. Every IB Psychology student is capable of achieving at least a 5, so all you need to do is decide if you’re aiming for …
Digital vs. Print Reading: Which one’s better?
Are you trying to study with your laptop and smartphone? You might even argue that you need your phone to study because that’s how you read your textbook. You might even be reading this digitally if your school has shifted to digital texts in favour of old-fashioned textbooks. In this post, we’ll see what the research says about reading digitally …
IB Psychology Exam Banks + Past Papers
The links below will take you to a list of the most probably exam questions you’ll be asked about each topic in IB Psychology. They also include questions from past papers. PAPER ONE SL/HL Paper 1: Biological approach (Link) Paper 1: Cognitive approach (Link) Paper 1: Sociocultural approach (Link) PAPER ONE HL Extensions Paper 1: HL Ext Bio Animal Studies …