Background Information The multi-store model of memory (MSM), while straightforward, seemingly common sense, and with plenty of empirical support, is not without its limitations. Do you really need to pay attention to, and rehearse, all sensory information in order for it to be transferred to your long-term memory? Take, for instance, experiences of traumatic or emotionally shocking events (e.g. Flashbulb …
The multi-store model of memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968)
50 years later and Atkinson and Shiffrin’s multi-store model of memory (aka the modal model) is still relevant today. This post summarizes the model in more detail than most introductory Psychology textbooks, which will give you the chance to distinguish your explanations from the rest. Background The multi-store model of memory (the MSM) is a product of the cognitive revolution …
MUST READ: IB Psych IAs are now marked differently
The first rule of IB examining is don’t talk about IB examining. I have broken this rule before by sharing valuable information with everyone (on the IB platform) and was kicked off marking. Watch video. I’ve waited patiently to see if the shocking change in the IB’s marking of IAs was reported in this year’s subject reports. It was so …
The answer to every question in psychology
I’m about to tell you the answer to every essay question in IB Psychology. It’s a simple two word answer. WARNING: you’re probably not going to like the answer. It may frustrate or disappoint you. You might think this is useless and no help whatsoever. If that’s your reaction, then you’re not ready for the IB Psychology exams. Or at …
The Prefrontal Cortex and Stress
The following information didn’t quite make the final cut of our new eBook: “Stress: A Student’s Guide to IB Health Psychology.” The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is important in stress because it’s connected with the amygdala through numerous neural networks. The PFC can increase or decrease amygdala activity depending on the thoughts generated by the PFC (i.e. how threatening we think …
Key study: Subjective social status and stress (Steen et al. 2020)
The following is adapted from our latest book for IB Health Psychology about Stress. Social status is correlated with numerous physical and mental health problems, including stress. Socioeconomic status (SES) is the most commonly studied and it’s a type of social status measured by income, education, and employment. However, when studying stress and teenagers subjective social status might be more relevant. This …
Exam Wheel of Fortune: IB Health Psychology
Click the wheel to get a practice question for IB Health Psychology. Use this for quick review by writing down the example/s and studies you would use if this came up in an exam. Travis DixonTravis Dixon is an IB Psychology teacher, author, workshop leader, examiner and IA moderator.
Key Studies: Workplace stress, status and the Whitehall Studies
This material was in the first draft of “Stress: A Student’s Guide to IB Health Psychology.” It was removed from the final edition in favour of studies about teenagers. The information is here instead as extra optional content for extended and/or interested students. Executive Stress Syndrome Hypothesis In the 1950s and 1960s, psychologists thought that high-ranking individuals had higher stress. …
How stress can kill: The HPA Axis & Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
This material was in the first draft of “Stress: A Student’s Guide to IB Health Psychology.” It was removed from the final edition and the information is here instead as extra optional content for extended and/or interested students. What is stress? In laboratory experiments stress can also be measured in multiple ways, including physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress …
Wheel of Fortune: Biological Approach Exam Questions
Click the “Wheel of IB Psych Exam Fortune” below to generate a random SAQ for the Biological approach. Scroll down to see some possible uses for this wheel. Ways to use this wheel: Find an SAQ to practice writing exam answers. Click the wheel and say the study you would use for the question. Check your notes to make sure …
Key study: Subjective social status and stress in teenagers (Rahal et al. 2019)
Social status is an important predictor of numerous mental and physical health problems. Generally speaking, the lower your social status, the more at risk you are for developing health problems, like chronic stress and heart disease. While socioeconomic status has been extensively researched, more modern studies are focusing on subjective social status. This is particularly relevant for understanding stress in teenagers. …
Example Exam Essay: Prevalence rates of one health problem (IB Health Psychology)
Discussing “prevalence rates” is easy when you’re writing about psychological disorders. That’s because these disorders have standardized diagnoses. You can calculate a specific % of the population who have depression, for example, and that is your “prevalence rate.” It might be more difficult in Health Psychology. For some health problems the same is true. Obesity, cardiovascular disease and addiction are …
Cognitive explanations of one health problem: Appraisals and stress
The following content is adapted from our eBook Stress: A Student’s Guide for IB Health Psychology. Stress is one health problem that students could explain for IB Psychology’s Paper Two. In this post we’ll look at the most common cognitive explanation of stress – cognitive appraisals. Humans are different from other animals in that stress can be caused completely by …
Key Study: Stress beliefs and health problems (Fischer et al., 2016)
The following information is adapted from our eBook: IB Health Psychology – A Revision Guide. Why do people develop physical health problems? One answer could be based on stress beliefs – if you think stress is bad you might be more likely to have health problems. This was one finding from the following study. Stress is correlated with a number …
Exam Question Bank: Paper 2: Health Psychology
The following are a list of practice exam questions for IB Psychology’s Health Option in Paper Two. This list contains past exam questions and some written with our best guess as to what the probable exam questions may look like. You could watch this as a video here. READ MORE IB Psychology Exam Question Banks Paper 1: Biological approach (Link) …
Key Study: Cognitive appraisals and the stress response (Lazarus, 1963)
The most influential cognitive explanation of stress is based on “cognitive appraisals” – how we assess the relevance and potential harm of a stressor. The following study is one of many that supports this explanation. Stress is a complex phenomenon that involves biological, psychological and environmental factors. Richard Lazarus was a pre-eminent psychologist in the field of stress research. Along …
IB Health Psychology | HOME PAGE
The following is a work in progress. Health Problems: Stress The following information focuses on the “health problem” of stress. Explanations of health problem(s) Biological explanations for stress COMT gene and the Warrior/Worrier Hypothesis (Blog / Video One/Two) Key study: Key study: The Hippocampus and Stress (Blog) The PFC and Stress (Blog) Cognitive explanations for stress Appraisals (Blog / Video) …
How to get free stuff with our new rewards programme
Looking for FREE IB Psychology resources? Follow the steps below or watch the video here. (1)Go to our online store and click the ‘Rewards Program’ button in the bottom right of the screen. (2) If you already have an account on our online store click the ‘Sign in here’ link, otherwise you’ll need to create an account on our online …
The 5 best theories for the IA
In this post I’ll outline the five theories I think are the best to base your experiment on. I’ll suggest some good studies that go with those theories. We always think about the IA based on the key study being replicated. But since the most important thing is the background theory or model, maybe that’s a better place to start. …
Psych IA: An Overview
The IB Psychology IA gives you the opportunity to become a real psychologist. You’ll work in a group to plan, prepare and conduct a psychological experiment on actual participants. Let’s start at the end… The Final Report Your final IA is 1,800 – 2,200 word report summarizing your experiment. It will have four major sections: Introduction Exploration Analysis Evaluation The …
What if you get the “wrong results?”
Your IA experiment didn’t work? You were hoping to “prove” your theory right and have the same results as the original weren’t you? Never mind, this can teach you a few valuable lessons and it won’t affect your marks. Here’s what you need to do. You’ll still need to conduct your descriptive and inferential statistics. You’ll also need to explain …
How to write your IA evaluation
If you miss one important detail you could lose marks. Read carefully so you can score 6/6 in the IA Evaluation. Of the four sections in the IA (Introduction, Exploration, Analysis and Evaluation), the Evaluation is the hardest to write. Fewer students score in the top mark band (5-6 out of 6) for this than any other section. In fact, …
Two-tailed or one-tailed test?
I can almost guarantee you’ll need a one-tailed test for your inferential statistics in the IB Psychology IA. Let’s see why. It’s one of the most common mistakes made in the analysis, but it’s so easy to avoid. Do you need a one or two-tailed inferential statistics test (e.g. MWU or Wilcoxon)? The Easy Answer If you have a one-tailed …
Correlational studies on PTSD
Correlational studies are one of the most commonly used research methods in the study of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In this post we’ll review WHAT correlational studies are, HOW they’re used to study PTSD and WHY they’re used. We’ll also review three key studies that can support this explanation. Research methods essays are the hardest to write, but that also …
Example Essay: Research methods (case studies) in the biological approach
Essays on research methods and ethical considerations are the hardest to write in IB Psychology exams. Here is an example essay on the use of case studies in the biological approach. Notice how the essay has a good balance between explaining the method (central argument), using studies (supporting evidence) and explaining limitations (counter-arguments). Read More: Example Essay: Technological Techniques 10 …