Lecture Notes: AQA GCSE Psychology Paper One

Introduction

• Overview of AQA GCSE Psychology Paper One by Dr. Roblox.
• Focus on understanding key case studies, concepts, and keywords.
• Resources available: website with multiple-choice questions and additional study materials.

Topic 1: Memory

Types of Long-Term Memory

1. Episodic Memory

   • Recollection of personal experiences and specific events.
   • Conscious recall, autobiographical (e.g., holidays).
   • Associated with the right prefrontal cortex.

2. Semantic Memory

   • General knowledge and facts.
   • Conscious recall, understanding concepts (e.g., sky is blue).
   • Associated with the left prefrontal cortex.

3. Procedural Memory

   • Memory of motor skills and actions (e.g., riding a bike).
   • Subconscious recall, involves motor areas.

Memory Processing

• Encoding: Transforming sensory input to neural code.
• Storage: Memories stored in various brain regions (hippocampus, neocortex, amygdala).
• Retrieval: Accessing stored memories through cues or free recall.

The Multi-Store Model of Memory

• Sensory Register: Initial stage, brief storage.
• Short-Term Memory: Limited capacity (7±2 items), 20-30 seconds duration.
• Long-Term Memory: Unlimited capacity and duration.

Serial Position Effect

• Primacy Effect: Better recall of initial items (processed into LTM).
• Recency Effect: Better recall of items at end of list (still in STM).

Case Study: Murdoch's Serial Position Curve

• Demonstrated primacy and recency effects.
• Strengths: Establishes cause and effect.
• Limitations: Artificial task (word lists).

Reconstructive Memory

• Memory is not an exact recording, but reconstruction.
• Influenced by schema, beliefs, and previous experiences.

Case Study: Bartlett's War of the Ghosts

• Showed how cultural schemas affect memory recall.

Factors Affecting Memory Accuracy

• Interference: New information affects recall.
• Context: Physical/emotional state at encoding.
• False Memories: Influenced by suggestions and expectations.

Topic 2: Perception

Sensation vs Perception

• Sensation: Detection of sensory stimuli.
• Perception: Organization and interpretation of sensory data.

Visual Cues and Constancies

• Monocular Cues: Height, relative size, occlusion, linear perspective.
• Binocular Cues: Retinal disparity, convergence.

Gibson's Direct Theory of Perception

• Emphasizes direct perception without mental processing.
• Affordances and invariant information from environment.

Visual Illusions

• Occur due to ambiguity, misinterpreted depth cues, fiction, size constancy.

Gregory's Constructivist Theory of Perception

• Perception as an inference process influenced by visual cues and past experience.
• Supported by cultural studies (e.g., Hudson's 2D images study).

Factors Affecting Perception

• Perceptual Set: Influenced by culture, motivation, expectation.

Case Studies

1. Gilchrist and Nesberg Study: Hunger affects perception of food brightness.
2. Bruner and Min 10 Study: Expectations influence letter/number recognition.

Topic 3: Development

Early Brain Development

• Brain Stem, Thalamus, Cerebellum, Cortex: Each has distinct functions and development rates.

Nature vs Nurture

• Genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) influences on development.
• Interaction of factors affects behavioral and cognitive outcomes.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

• Stages: Sensory-motor, Pre-operational, Concrete operational, Formal operational.
• Concepts of assimilation and accommodation.

Case Studies

1. McGarrigal and Donaldson’s Naughty Teddy: Conservation understanding in children.
2. Hughes’s Policemen Doll Study: Reduction of egocentricity in children.

Effects of Learning on Development

• Dweck's Mindset Theory: Fixed vs growth mindset impacts learning.
• Influence of praise on self-efficacy.

Learning Styles

• Verbalizers vs Visualizers; criticism of learning styles as beneficial.

Topic 4: Research Methods

Hypothesis Formulation

• Null vs Alternative Hypothesis: Testing validity of research claims.

Types of Variables

• Independent, Dependent, Extraneous Variables

Sampling Methods

• Random, Opportunity, Systematic, Stratified Sampling.
• Importance of representativeness and randomization.

Research Design

• Quantitative Methods (Experimental, Surveys, etc.) vs Qualitative Methods (Interviews, Case Studies).

Correlation

• Measures relationship strength/direction; does not imply causality.

Ethical Considerations

• Informed consent, confidentiality, protection from harm, debriefing.

Data Handling

• Distinction between primary/secondary and quantitative/qualitative data.
• Normal distribution characteristics.