AS LEVEL
PSYCHOLOGY
SUMMER WORK
2014
Hello psychology students…
You have 4 areas to focus on over the summer holidays in order to
be best prepared for the AQA AS Psychology course at Whitley
Academy.
These areas include: key psychological approaches; research into
timeless key studies; research into models of memory; and your
own learning styles.
In order to complete the summer work you will have to purchase the
textbook below:
Enjoy the tasks and please, please, please complete them to the best
of your ability (it is only you who will directly benefit from this)!
Have fun, and I look forward to teaching you in September!
Miss L. Brown (PE) 
If you need me before then, add ‘Whitley Brown’ on Facebook (our very own psychology
Facebook page)!
TASK 1: Approaches
Four approaches… can be used to explain any behaviour at all.

Behavioural- blank slate

Psychodynamic- unconscious mind/ childhood

Cognitive- rational/irrational thoughts

Biological – genetic make-up
E.g. How can psychology explain WHY serial killers crime?? (Robert Napper)
*Using pages 228-269 create your own presentation on the above. Include answers to the
following questions:
-
What are the key terms in each approach?
-
What are the key points?
-
What studies are involved, and what do they show?
-
Which approach interests you the most and why?
-
Do you see any problems with any of the approaches?
TASK 2: Key studies
*Use ‘Youtube’/ books/ and internet to research the key studies below, and write a sentence on
each…

Milgram- Obedience

Zimbardo- Deindividuation

Bowlby- Attachment

Bandura- Vicarious conditioning

Baddely & Hitch- Memory

Watson & Raynor- Little Albert

Genie (case study)

Loftus and Palmer

Asch (1955)

Buss (1989)
TASK 3: Models of memory
Draw ‘the multi-store model of memory’ (P5) and ‘the working memory model’ (P20) three times
and begin reading around each model.
TASK 4: My learning style…
Extended research:

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.bps.org.uk/

http://psychwebinars.com/login-2/

http://www.apa.org/monitor/
Research methods.
Glossary of terms.
Key word
Quasiexperiment
Observation
Correlation
Case study
Questionnaire
Interview
Structured
interview
Semi-structured
interview
Unstructured
interview
Quantitative
Independent
variable
Dependent
variable
Extraneous
variables
Validity
Internal Validity
External Validity
Correlation co-
Definition.
An experiment that takes place in a field setting but the independent
variable is already set, i.e.: is not controlled by the investigator.
Where a researcher visits the participants and watches them in their natural
environment. Split into naturalistic and controlled observation.
A correlation refers to the measurement of a relationship between two or
more variables. The variables measured are known as co-variables.
A case study is an in-depth study of one individual or a group of people. The
fact that it focuses on a single case means that it is idiographic in nature.
Normally, a case study involves the production of a case in history. A case
study can be longitudinal or retrospective and by nature are individualistic
Participants are given a set of written questions which they have to fill in.
The participant is asked questions and their answers are either written down
or recorded.
An interview where all of the questions are prepared and they are rigorously
stuck to.
An interview where the general idea and outcome is written down but not a
set order. Questions are written down but not always stuck to and can be
asked in any order.
An interview where nothing is prepared apart from the topic of what the
interviewer is looking for.
Numerical data usually taken from questionnaires and self-report studies.
The independent variable (IV) is the variable that the researcher manipulates
and which is assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable (DV).
This is the outcome of the research. The dependent variable (DV) is the
variable that is affected by changes in the independent variable (IV).
An extraneous variable (EV’s) is the term for any variables other than the I.V
that might affect the DV. Where EV’s are important enough to provide
alternative explanations for the effects, they become confounding variables.
Does the research reflect a bigger picture of society? Was the sample size
large enough to make generalisations that are correct for the rest of society?
A research study has high internal validity if the outcome of the study is the
result of the variables that are manipulated in the study (all confounding
variables must be controlled).
The extent to which the findings can be generalised to the wider population
and to different situations.
A correlation co-efficient is a numerical representation of the strength and
efficient
direction of the relationship between two variables. A correlation coefficient
can range between -1.0 and +1.0. The number indicates the strength and of
the relationship i.e. - the extent to which the variables are related.
Consent
Confidentiality
Participants must know what they are being tested on and why?
All information and data collected on participants must be collected and
stored securely.
All participants must be kept anonymous when reporting and using the data.
Giving the participants numbers or codenames (e.g. participant x) is usually
used.
All participants must have the right to withdraw their information from the
research.
When a participant isn’t told the truth about the research.
When a participant acts a different way to normal when a researcher is
observing them.
Repeating a piece of research.
Questions that require only a yes or no answer or tick box answers that
require no further explanation. Questions that quantitative data is derived
from.
Questions that require further explanation either a written or spoken.
Anonymity
Right to
withdraw
Deception
Demand
characteristics
Replication
Closed questions
Open ended
questions
Leading
questions
Researcher bias
Reliability
Aim
Experimental
hypothesis
Alternative
hypothesis
Null hypothesis
Directional
hypothesis
Non- Directional
hypothesis
Questions which provide clues to the answer e.g. Where do you live
Coventry or Birmingham?
When the researcher influences the research with their own opinions or
wants.
Also known as replicability, can you replicate the research and get the same
results.
What you want to find out.
Predicts a relationship between variables.
There will be an association between parenting style and infant emotional
development.
which states that there will be no relationship between the variables being
tested
A directional hypothesis is more precise than a non-directional hypothesis
and specifically states the direction of the results. This is sometimes known
as a one-tailed hypothesis because it predicts the nature or the direction of
the outcome
A non-directional hypothesis is one in which the direction of the results is
not predicted. This is also known as a two-tailed hypothesis because the
direction of the result is not specified but could go in either direction- that is
Pilot studies
Sample
Random
sampling
Opportunity
sampling
Volunteer
sampling
Independent
groups design
Repeated
measures design
Matched pairs
design
Standard
deviation
it could be “more or less”.
A pilot study is a trial of the experiment. During the pilot study the
researcher needs to test the reliability of the data collection tool and make
any necessary changes before carrying out the full investigation. The
researcher would also test the validity of the data to be collected.
The different type of participants that you choose to research (for example
boys who are aged 13- 14.)
Sampling
Choosing people that you already know or you will find on the street. An
example of this is people who conduct surveys in town centres.
Asking people to volunteer to take part in research.
In an independent group design the participants take part in either the
control or the experimental condition.
In a repeated measures design every participant will take part in both
conditions of the independent variable, in effect each participant acts as
their own control. Thus if we were investigating the effect of organisation on
memory, the participant would take part in both the organised and the
unorganised condition.
In this design each participant in one of the experimental conditions is
matched as closely as possible with a participant in the other condition.
Examples of variables that they could be matched on include age, gender,
intelligence and personality traits. When the matching pairs have been
established they are randomly allocated to one or other of the conditions.
The SD measures how widely spread the values in a data set are around the
mean. The standard deviation allows us to see the consistency with which
the IV impacted on the DV.