<![CDATA[IB Psychology - IB Psychology Blog]]>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:04:00 +1300Weebly<![CDATA[IB Psychology Paper 3 Practice]]>Sat, 09 Apr 2016 22:42:49 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/ib-psychology-paper-3-practiceTargeting your HL Paper 3 examination for IB Psychology Qualitative Research Methods

First you have to know, understand and have memorised the IB Psychology QRM content, next you have to practice applying that knowledge to the associated stimulus material. 

All IB Psychology Research Methods examinations follow the following structure. Approximately one page of stimulus material which outlines a piece of qualitative Psychological ​research (i.e., a study) followed by three 10 mark questions asking you to relate IB Psychology QRM learning outcomes to that piece of stimulus material.

IB Psychology has prepared an example Paper 3 examination question here for you to both familiarise yourself with and get in some valuable practice (IB Psychology exams are close now!).

IB PSychology Paper 3 exam stimulus material:

Results of a Focus Group with Ecstasy-Using College Students
KIRA B. LEVY, KEVIN E. O'GRADY, ERIC D. WISH, and AMELIA M. ARRIA Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA. 
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Just a little too happy?
This study examined ecstasy use in 30 college students who participated in one of four 60- minute focus groups with other participants who also had a history of ecstasy use.
 
To obtain a sample, fliers were posted on a large 35,000-student campus, inviting individuals who had used ecstasy on at least one occasion to anonymously contact the researcher via telephone or e-mail using a fictitious first name if they were interested in participating in a focus group about ecstasy. Four focus groups of six to 10 individuals were held in a private room on campus (one male-only, one female-only, and two mixed-gender).
 
Upon entering the room for the focus group, each participant was instructed to write the fictitious first name they had used during the telephone screening on a name-tag. Participants were instructed to only use their fictitious first name during the session to protect their identity.
 
After completion of a brief survey, the guidelines for the hour-long group discussion were reviewed. Participants were told that they could speak about their personal experiences or what they knew about other substance users, without disclosing anyone's identity. Participants then engaged in a group discussion led by a facilitator. The facilitator moderated the discussion by asking specific questions and permitting group members to respond to the facilitator and to each other. The amount of time allotted to each topic varied based on group feedback and the judgment of the facilitator. The facilitator introduced each of six main topics, but discussion was not limited to these topics. Responses were written down by the facilitator and a trained research assistant.
 
Most participants had a basic understanding of the contents of ecstasy pills, and the effects that ecstasy has on the brain and bodily functions. Participants reported positive effects on mood, social pressure, curiosity, availability, boredom, desire for an altered state of mind, desire to escape, self-medication, desire to have fun, and the ease of use of ecstasy in comparison to other drugs as reasons for initiating ecstasy use. Participants described their experiences of both the positive and negative effects (physical and psychological) that they attributed to their use of ecstasy. The majority was unaware of specific types of problems ecstasy could potentially cause and discounted its potential harm.
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At the conclusion of the group discussion, the moderator provided participants with a list of mental health resources and an informational hand-out about ecstasy containing a list of websites pertaining to substance use. 
Answer all of the following three questions, referring to the stimulus material in your answers:

1. Evaluate the use of a focus group for this study.                                                       [10 marks]

2. Discuss the sampling technique used for this study.                                                 [10 marks]

3. To what extent could findings from this study be generalised?                                 [10 marks] 
If you are aiming for full marks (and aren't you all?!) or even just the highest level mark band, it is of vital importance that you relate each of your answers to the stimulus material (i.e., the study the questions are based on).
Mark band descriptors for HL Paper 3 IB Psychology exam answers
A good IB Psychology QRM study guide
​Author: Derek Burton - Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[How to get a 7 in IB Psychology]]>Wed, 02 Mar 2016 23:31:04 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/how-to-get-a-7-in-ib-psychology
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The best 5 tips from experienced IB Psychology teachers on how you can achieve that IB Psychology 7.
The scary fact is, only four percent of IB Psychology students manage to get a 7 in each examination session. In the video below we show you how to become one of the elite! ​

How to get a 7 in IB Psychology​

Our video above covers these top 5 tips for achieving the IB Psychology 7:
  1. You already know the questions that can be asked in all 3 of your IB Psychology examination papers! (Yes, really.)
  2. The IB Psychology Paper 1 examination has three sections - DO NOT study for two of these! (Yes, really.)
  3. Aim for maximum marks in your IB Psychology IA. (Almost goes without saying.)
  4. Prepare and memorise model answers to ALL of the extended response questions you are going to target in IB Psychology exams. (But be smart about it!)
  5. ​Don’t ignore Qualitative Research Methods, because your IB Psychology teacher almost certainly will! (You need lots of practice with actual stimulus material - i.e., qualitative research)
​Author: Derek Burton - Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[How to cut your IB Psychology revision time by 50%!]]>Sun, 28 Feb 2016 20:58:51 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/how-to-cut-your-ib-psychology-revision-time-by-50
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We show you exactly what you can get away with when revising for your IB Psychology Paper 2 exams – the Options.
In the IB Psychology Paper 2 exam – the Options – there is much that you can leave out and still get maximum marks. The Paper 2 exam requires you to answer two extended response question (ERQs) if you are studying Higher Level IB Psychology, and one ERQ if you are studying Standard Level. Each ERQ is worth 22 marks and you should be targeting full marks in this exam. Paper 2 is the easiest exam in which to maximise your overall IB Psychology exam score. It’s the easiest exam for which to prepare model answers to exam questions and then practice these until you can regurgitate them perfectly and “wow!” your IB Psychology examiners.

Take a look at picture below left (click to enlarge). You will see that there are three questions associated with each option, of which you only need to answer one. You will know by now that each question asked in the IB Psychology examinations is straight out of the learning outcomes listed in the IB Psychology Guide (if not, please see one of most popular blog posts here).

Paper 2 exam questions

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Remember, the IB Psychology LOs listed in the Guide, are your actual exam questions.

Abnormal Learning outcomes

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Now if you have a look above right (click  to enlarge), at the learning outcomes associated with one of the IB Psychology options – Abnormal Psychology, you might think that there is quite a bit of preparation and revision that you need to do. 12 learning outcomes would equate to preparing and memorising 12 model answers, just for this one option, right? Wrong! Let me explain …

Firstly, within each option you have three essay question (ERQ) choices. Secondly, there has never been, nor is there likely to ever be, an IB Psychology exam where all three questions come from within a single subsection such as “Concepts and Diagnosis” or “Psychological Disorders” in the Abnormal option. This means that you can eliminate one ERQ from each of these sections. Thirdly, IB Psychology examiners can’t set an ERQ exam question based on a lower level command terms such as “explain”, “analyse” or “describe”. Very occasionally you will see exam question twisted and contorted to mix a lower level question term and a higher level command term. It hardly ever happens, you have other questions to choose from, so go ahead, cross these LOs off your list too.

Take a look below (again, click to enlarge) at how many Human Relationship LOs you will need to prepare model answers and revise for if you follow this advice. Instead of revising for 13 LOs, you now only need prepare and revise for six! And because you are now only focussing on six ERQ questions, you can prepare perfect 22/22 answers, commit them to memory and regurgitate them as soon as the IB Psychology Paper 2 exam begins. Genius! (At least your IB Psychology examiner will think you are!)

 FRom 13 → 6 Learning Outcomes!

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Remember, wwwPsychologyIB.com has model ERQ answers for the two most popular IB Psychology options – Abnormal and Human Relationships, and we guarantee you will be awarded 22/22 marks if you can replicate them in your exams.
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​Author: Derek Burton - Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[In IB Psychology exams, content is king]]>Sun, 10 Jan 2016 08:56:16 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/in-ib-psychology-exams-content-is-king
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How to get that elusive IB Psychology 7? Your Paper 1 and Paper 2 extended response answers must get very near to full marks in the IB Psychology examinations. To achieve full marks you need great content. 
Each of the extended response question (ERQ) answers in your IB Psychology exams will be marked out of a total of 22 marks and judged against only three criteria, of which, knowledge and critical thinking are key (see below). You can be awarded 9 marks for each of these criteria in each of your IB Psychology ERQ answers, that's two ERQs for SL students and 3 for HL IB Psychology students. That's a massive 36 (SL) or 54 (HL) marks, and as such, your answers to these two or three questions will make or break your entire IB Psychology career. Mess one of these ERQs up, and there's no coming back - your glorious vision of the IB Psychology 7 will lie shattered on the floor. No pressure then! You absolutely need to have great content practiced, memorised and rehearsed. Fortunately, before you even set foot in the exam room, you already know exactly what will be in your IB Psychology exam (see previous post).
IB Psychology ERQ examiner's marking criteria:
A. Knowledge and comprehension [9 marks]:The answer demonstrates detailed, accurate knowledge and understanding relevant to the question, and uses relevant psychological research effectively in support of the IB Psychology question response.
B. Evidence of critical thinking: application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation [9 marks]: The answer integrates relevant and explicit evidence of critical thinking in response to the IB Psychology exam question.
C. Organisation [4 marks]: The answer is well organised, well developed and focused on the IB Psychology exam question.
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One of the (less than) four per cent!
Remember, we take all of the guess work and all of the hard work out of IB Psychology with our especially prepared model IB Psychology exam answers.
An often quoted and always scary fact is that less than four per cent of IB Psychology students manage to achieve a 7. It just does not come with luck. Any student aiming to achieve the IB Psychology 7 must start preparing and memorising model answers to each learning outcome preceded with a command term focusing the student on synthesis and evaluation for one of the Paper 1 topics and each option being studied. Concepts, knowledge, relevant research and critical thinking and evaluations need to be prepared and practiced. You don't have time in the IB Psychology to think your way through a question, and, because you know what the question will be, there's no need to think in the exam because all of your thinking has taken place prior to the exam. 

Having great content in sufficient depth and breadth is the only way you will near full marks and gain the 7 in IB Psychology. Your answers need to be detailed, cover multiple research studies, define and explain key terms and discuss content in context. And, importantly, critical thinking should be planned for throughout each of your IB Psychology ERQs. It sounds like a lot, and it is, which is exactly why so few students manage lock in that IB Psychology 7.

Below, we have a model ERQ for the IB Psychology learning outcome in the socio-cultural level of analysis: Discuss two errors in attributions (for example, fundamental attribution error, illusory correlation, and self‑serving bias). You will see it covers a lot of content and that's good (as long as it's not repetitive), but you will also see that it leaves the IB Psychology examiner in no doubt as to whether or not she should be awarding full marks. And, as long as the hard work has been previously done by you, this response can easily be written in 60-70 minutes under exam conditions (notwithstanding your writer's cramp!).

IN The IB Psychology ERQ - Great content is required

Model IB Psychology ERQ answer
Discuss two errors in attributions (for example, fundamental attribution error, illusory correlation, and self‑serving bias)
This answer addresses what attributions are, and how people can make different types of attributions to explain their own and other people’s behaviour. This will be followed by an in-depth discussion, referencing relevant research, of two of the most common types of socio-cognitive errors people make in attributing the cause of behaviour to internal or external factors: the fundamental attribution error and the self-serving bias. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of each theory will be addressed in the conclusion.

There are different types of explanations people can make to explain behaviour. When people go to parties, what determines the extent to which they will socialise with others? Is it the kind of people they are, or the situation they find themselves in? We make these attributions about the causes of behaviour in two distinct and important ways:
  • Dispositional causes: When attributing the cause of people’s behaviour to their internal characteristics (they are shy, they are outgoing), we are making a dispositional attribution. The term disposition refers to someone’s beliefs, attitudes and personality.
  • Situational causes: When we attribute people’s behaviour to external factors (they don’t know anyone there) such as the immediate rewards and punishments in a social setting or social pressure, we are making a situational attribution.
Now that we know what dispositional and situational attributions are, we can examine the first of our attribution errors to be discussed here.

The fundamental attribution error (FAE)
Laypeople, like some psychologists, favour explanations of behaviour in terms of dispositional, rather than situational, factors. So if people behave kindly towards us (i.e. they greet us with a smile) we conclude they have a kind personality. And if they behave in a way that seems impolite to us (i.e. they do not greet us at all) we tend to think of them as rude. Instead of acknowledging the role played by situational determinants, we assume that other people’s behaviours reflect their dispositions. To the extent that we do so, we commit the fundamental attribution error. This term refers to a bias to attribute other’s behaviour to stable internal causes rather than external circumstances.

An experiment by Jones & Harris (1967) demonstrates the FAE. The researchers asked their participants to rad essays written by fellow students. The essays were about Castro’s rule in Cuba and were either supportive or critical of Castro. The participants’ task was to guess what attitude the writers of the essay really held towards Castro and his government. Half the participants were told that the essayists were free to choose whether to take a negative or positive view about Castro in their essay (choice condition). The other half were told that the essayists did not have any choice: the experimenter had assigned them in the pro-Castro or anti-Castro role (no choice condition).
As expected, participants in the choice condition assumed that the essays reflected the genuine attitudes of their writers. However, participants’ ratings seemed to indicate those in the no choice condition also though the essays reflected the genuine views of the authors. So despite the fact that it was made clear, that the essayist’s behaviour was severely constrained by the situation, observers still opted for an internal attribution.

An experiment by Gilbert & Jones (1986) went further by demonstrating that participants would hold speakers responsible for the views they express even when it was the participants themselves who had determined which side of the argument the speakers were allowed to argue. The FAE has been demonstrated in many studies. Yet there is evidence to suggest that dispositional attributions are far from inevitable.

In a study by Fein et al. (1990), US students read an essay about a character called Rob Taylor. In one of the conditions participants were told that Rob had been assigned to write either in favour or against some view. In this condition, the expected FAE was obtained. In a second condition, participants were led to believe that Rob’s essays expressed very similar views to those held by his professor and which, therefore, would be found pleasing by his professor. In this condition, no FAE was demonstrated. Commenting on this and similar studies, Fein (2001) argues that we resist making dispositional attributions in situations where we suspect others may have ulterior motives for their behaviours.

The may be a cultural bias in the FAE, in that culture seems to be a determinant in attribution style. In collectivist cultures (Japan and China for example) the emphasis is on the primary social relationships of an individual, e.g. family, social role, cultural activities. Whereas, in individualistic cultures (the US and the UK for example), the emphasis is on the individual as the primary cause of success and failure. Norenzayan et al. (2002) tested whether information given to Korean and American participants would influence their attributions. Wen participants only received information about individuals, both groups made dispositional attributions. When situational information was also provided, the Koreans tended to include this information in their explanations much more than the Americans did. This indicates that there may be universal feature in the FAE and that available information influences attributions, at least in some cultures.

In their explanation of the FAE, Gilbert & Malone (1995) argue that it involves a two-step attribution process. When we observe some behaviour, we draw an inference, based on largely automatic and unconscious processing, that the behaviour has been caused by some disposition. The second step is based on more controlled and conscious processing. During this step, we enquire into whether or not situational factors may have had an influence on the behaviour. We make the FAE as often as we do, Gilbert & Malone explain, for a simple reason: the first step always forms part of the attribution process, but we proceed only occasionally to the second step. In effect, the FAE happens either because we are involved in other tasks (not enough cognitive resources to think deeply about how best to explain some behaviour) or because we believe that for the behaviour under consideration the initial automatic step alone can result in the right explanation. Gilbert & Malone’s two-step explanation has received considerable experimental support.
The second attribution error that individuals make is termed the self-serving bias, and again, it is based on a distinct pattern of attributions people make on the basis of situational and dispositional causes; this time in relation to self and others.

The self-serving bias
Our attributions exhibit the self-serving bias (SSB) when we explain our successes on the basis of internal, dispositional factors and blame our failures to external, situational factors. Such biased attributions are viewed by many as serving the interests of preserving or increasing self-esteem.
Consider professional sport. As Lau & Russell (1980) sowed, professional athletes and coaches attribute 80% of their wins to internal factors (e.g. ability, skill, professionalism). Losses are far more likely to be attributed to external factors (e.g. bad luck, unfair refereeing). Studies with students have obtained very similar findings. Bernstein et al. (1979) found that students attributed their good grades to their intelligence and hard work, whereas bad grades tended to be attributed to bad teaching or bad luck.

Johnson et al. (1964) provide a good example of the SSB. In this study, participants (psychology students) taught two children how to multiply numbers by 10 and by 20. The teaching was done in two phases via a one-way intercom. The first phase involved teaching the children how to multiply by 10; the second phase, how to multiply by 20. After each phase, the children’s worksheets were made available to the participants to assess the learning progress of the children.
In fact, the worksheets had been marked in such a way that in both conditions, Pupil A gave the right answers to all the questions on both worksheets. Depending on condition, Pupil B either did badly on both tasks, or did badly on the first worksheet but improved on the second. The participants, therefore, had either failed or succeeded in teaching Pupil B the two tasks. What Johnson et al. found was that in the condition where Pupil B’s performance improved, participants explained the improvement as a success on their abilities as teachers. When Pupil B failed to improve, they attributed this to the pupil’s lack of ability.

Although SSB is widespread, there are exceptions. We are more likely to rely on self-serving attributions when we fail in a domain in which we cannot improve. However, as Duval & Silvia (2002) demonstrated, we are more likely to attribute our failure to internal causes if we believe we can do something to improve the situation in the future.

The emotional state we are in also affects our reliance on SSB: being in a bad mood may reverse the attributional pattern that characterises self-serving attributions. Furthermore, Abrahamson et al. (1989) demonstrated that depressed people often rely on an attributional pattern style that attributes success to external, and failure to internal, causes.

How can the attributional style that defines the SSB be explained? Zuckerman (1979) reviewed a number of studies of SSB and confirmed that the effect depends on a desire to maintain self-esteem. Evidence from cross-cultural studies is consistent with this interpretation. Heine et al. (1999), for example found that members of collectivist cultures (e.g. Japan) are far less likely to strive for positive self-esteem than individuals from individualistic cultures (e.g. USA). Consequently, the Japanese are found to be less likely to make self-serving attributions than Americans.

Further cultural considerations in the SSB have been found. Culture-specific attributional styles may be a natural part of enculturation and socialisation. Some argue that the SSB is primarily linked to individualistic cultures, but others believe it can be found in both individualistic and collectivist cultures. Kashima & Triandis (1986) showed slides from unfamiliar countries to American and Japanese students asked them to remember details. When the students were asked to explain their performance, the Americans explained their own success with internal factors, such as ability, and failure to external factors (i.e. the classic the SSB effect). The Japanese tended to explain their failure with lack of ability. This is called the ‘modesty bias’ and is a cultural variation of the SSB. Bond et al. (1982) argued that a possible explanation for the modesty bias in collectivist cultures could be a cultural norm in Chinese societies to maintain harmonious personal relationships. A person who makes self-effacing attributions could be expected to be better liked.

Miller & Ross (1975) proposed that several uses of self-serving attributions are rational and not based on the need to enhance self-esteem. They argue that what seems to be self-serving biases often arise because effort often changes with success but not with failure. If trying harder does not improve performance, then it is reasonable to conclude that something about the task is the obstacle. However, if trying harder does improve performance, then success is logically attributable to your trying.
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In conclusion, each of these attribution theories are well supported by empirical research and each has considerable explanatory power in explaining the different types of attribution patterns that are commonly observed when people are attributing cause for the own and others behaviours. The strengths of the FAE are that the theory has promoted understanding of common errors in explanations of what happens in the world. Further, it has proven to be very robust and has been supported by many research studies. However, it has its limitations too. Firstly, it is culturally biased with too much focus on individualism. Secondly, research on the theory has been conducted in laboratories and with heavy emphasis on student samples – this leads to problems in generalising findings. The great strength of the SSB is that this theory can explain why some people (mostly from individualistic cultures) explain their failures as being caused by situation factors. However, its major limitation is that it is also culturally biased, in that it cannot explain why some cultures emphasis a self-effacing attribution – the modesty bias.
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[How is this even possible?!]]>Fri, 01 Jan 2016 03:02:52 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/how-is-this-even-possible
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IB Psychology students, welcome to the very, very strange world of the placebo.​
Our last IB Psychology blog post on nocebos generated a tonne of responses, and also a lot of questions. Some of our IB Psychology students concerned themselves with the fact that while we focused on the nocebo effect, we paid scant attention to the placebo effect ... it was almost as if we were assuming that every student of IB Psychology already had a good in-depth understanding of placebos and the placebo effect. And, to be honest, to some extent we were. The placebo effect is integral to the abnormal option and should feature heavily across multiple IB Psychology learning outcomes, including:
  • To what extent do biological, cognitive and sociocultural factors influence abnormal behaviour?
  • Evaluate psychological research (that is, theories and/or studies) relevant to the study of abnormal behaviour.
  • Examine biomedical, individual and group approaches to treatment.
  • Evaluate the use of biomedical, individual and group approaches to the treatment of one disorder.
It really should be common knowledge. The placebo also takes a starring role in the IB Psychology CLOA learning outcome: To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion? Where it features centrally in Schachter and Singer's (1962) two-factor theory of emotion. This piece of research can also be used in any of the IB Psychology exam questions that ask you to evaluate research or ethics at either the cognitive or biological level of analysis. So, as the astute amongst you have already worked out, you get quite good bang for your buck in the IB Psychology examinations by learning about placebos (work smarter, not harder!). So what are they?

Simply put, a placebo, as defined in IB Psychology, is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, and is used as a control in testing new drugs. However, that simple definition misses so much about the inner workings of the human mind. Placebo ares really, really strange beasts and they throw a whole lot of tricky questions at our knowledge and understanding of the human brain. See the must see video below.

WELCOME to the STRANGE world of the placebo

Without a doubt, placebos are one of the most interesting and perplexing concepts IB Psychology throws up. The concept also makes for a great IB Psychology Extended Essay, especially when confined a specific concept - such as the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of depression. However, our focus here is on using the placebo effect in your IB Psychology abnormal option to help you achieve that elusive IB Psychology 7! To that end, here are some key concepts that can be memorised and included in your ERQs:
Kirsch et al. (2002) found that there was a publication bias in research into the effectiveness of SSRI in depression. In fact, if the results of all studies (including the ones that had not been published) were pooled together it would seem that the placebo effect accounted for 80% of the antidepressant response. A placebo is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, and is used as a control in testing new drugs. Of the studies funded by pharmaceutical companies, 57% failed to show a statistically significant difference between antidepressant and a neutral placebo. This and similar studies cast doubt on the serotonin hypothesis, not to mention the ethics of drug companies. However, it is still widely promoted by pharmaceutical companies and presumably believed by the 10% of Americans taking these SSRIs to treat depression.
Leauhter et al. (2002) examined changes in brain function during treatment with placebo. The study examined brain function in 51 patients with depression who either received placebo or an active antidepressant medication. An EEG was used to compare brain function in the two experimental groups. The design was double-blind and ran over none weeks. The study used two different SSRI, which were randomly allocated to participants.
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Results showed a significant increase in activity in the prefrontal cortex nearly from in the beginning in the trial in the placebo group. The pattern was different from the patients who were treated with the SSRI but patients in both groups got better. This indicates that medication is effective, but placebo is just as effective. The findings from the study are intriguing. The difference in activity in the brain indicates that the brain is perhaps able to heal itself since there was a positive effect for both groups. Believing that they are being treated could be enough for many patients.
These concise and informative key paragraphs above, if reproduced in your IB Psychology exams, will have the examiner ticking all of the knowledge and critical thinking boxes available to her - ensuring you maximum marks!
​Remember, we take all of the guess work and all of the hard work out of IB Psychology with our especially prepared model IB Psychology exam answers.
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Placebo or real? ... and more importantly, does it even matter?!
​The 60 Minutes segment embedded above provides the IB Psychology student with much insight into the role of placebos in medical research and just how much of the effects of antidepressant medications is probably attributable to the placebo effect (not to mention the pharmaceutical industry exploiting this in highly unethical ways). 
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[Placebos and Nocebos]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2015 08:34:34 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/placebos-and-nocebos
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Any IB Psychology taking the Abnormal option knows about placebos, do you also know about nocebos?
Placebos are weird​ (do you know that branded placebos work better than unbranded ones?), nocebos are weirder. Take for example the man who was on a clinical trial for a depression medication. He presented to Accident and Emergency one night after swallowing a whole bottle of the meds he had been prescribed exhibiting all of the signs and symptoms of an overdose of antidepressants. It was serious, he was hyperventilating, his blood pressure plummeted and he collapsed at reception. No trace of the drug could be found in his system and it was only hours later that another doctor arrived and was able to inform everyone that the man was overdosing on sugar pills - he had been assigned to the placebo condition on the clinical trial. His recovery was swift! Welcome to the strange world of the nocebo.
A nocebo (Latin for "I will harm") is something that should be ineffective but which causes symptoms of ill health. A nocebo effect is an ill effect caused by the suggestion or belief that something is harmful. Examples include:
  • More than two thirds of college students who were told that a nonexistent electrical current passing between two electrodes on their head would cause headaches, subsequently reported a headache. 
  • Japanese researchers tested boys who reported being allergic to a particular plant. One arm of each boy was brushed with the allergenic plant and boys were informed that it was an innocuous plant. Simultaneously, the other arm wa brushed with an innocuous plant and the boys were informed that it was the allergenic plant. Within minutes, the arms brushed with the innocuous plant (which the boys believed they were allergic to) developed rashes and blisters,
  • In one of the largest and most prestigious longitudinal studies, women who believed that they were at risk of developing heart trouble were up to four times as likely to die of a heart attack then women with matched risk factors, but who didn't believe they were at risk.
  • Could it also account for those individuals who believe they are wifi sensitive or report that wind turbines, that nobody hear, are causing health problems?; i.e., if you think you are being negatively by something, then your brain makes sure that you are!
PictureRemember, we take the hard work out of IB Psychology - with complete sets of model examination answers!
"Okay Mr Burton, all very interesting I guess, but how do we use it in our IB Psychology exams?", I hear you ask. Well, apart from the fact that that it makes a fascinating topic to explore in the IB Psychology extended essay, it also fits in very well with the IB Psychology Abnormal option in at least three learning outcomes:
  • Describe symptoms and prevalence of one disorder
  • Analyse etiologies  of one disorder
  • Examine biomedical, individual and group approaches to treatment.
It could also wow your IB Psychology examiner in your IB Psychology Paper 1 examination - when  you are answering the Biological Level of Analysis (BLOA) ERQ: "Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behaviour." Here, when you discuss the placebo effect in relation to the neurotransmitter serotonin, why not amaze you marker with your knowledge of how the mysterious human brain works and use the nocebo effect as additional support for your argument (just keep it short!).

We could imagine it going something like this: "... Just as the placebo effect is said to account for much of the efficacy of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in many patients, so too could the nocebo effect cause the drug not to work in certain individuals. For example, if a patient prescribed an antidepressant such as Prozac believed that they did not really work and that that they had lots of harmful side effects, then that belief itself, would cause a detriment to the individual - the nocebo effect."

There is no examiner in the history of IB Psychology who wouldn't stop and read those few sentences twice and think to themselves that this student not only knows her stuff, but is a top notch critical thinker too.
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[Smart IB Psychology Short Answer Questions]]>Sat, 31 Oct 2015 17:18:16 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/smart-ib-psychology-short-answer-questions
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Helping IB Psychology students nail their three IB Psychology examination short answer response questions
Writing the 8 out of 8 IB Psychology SAQ response is challenging and opinions differ as to how it is best achieved. Though a standard introduction, conclusion or evaluation is not an absolute requirement the response does need to be focused.
Find below my personal list of handy hints that I share with my  IB Psychology students:
  • Make sure you understand the command term and know the difference between explain or discuss or whatever you might be asked to demonstrate your understanding of the  IB Psychology learning outcome
  • Define the keywords in the  IB Psychology SAQ and integrate the definitions into a “In other words…” sentence.
  • Make sure you use the words from the question in your answer at least two or three times. If the  IB Psychology SAQ is about physiology use this word rather than brain or body.
  • Use studies to support your explanations. Give a brief summary of the study and then explain why this is relevant.
  • Take every opportunity to evaluate the study but do not just outline every strength and limitation, only the relevant ones. For example there is no need to discuss ethical considerations with the Davidson meditation study from the BLOA but the small sample size is relevant as it makes generalising his finding that cognition can change brain physiology more limited.
  • Aim for a short introduction and conclusion. These can be just one sentence in length. If you are asked about two hormones or two studies or two neurotransmitters make sure you have two body paragraphs. 
Of course, IB Psychology has taken all of the hard work and guesswork out of writing the perfect IB Psychology examination answers, both SAQs and ERQs. Have a look at our two key IB Psychology resources.

A perfect IB Psychology SAQ exam anser

Explain how emotion may affect one cognitive process
​A flashbulb memory is a highly detailed, exceptionally vivid 'snapshot' of the moment and circumstances in which a piece of surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) news was heard. The ‘flashbulb’ terminology indicates the event will be registered like a photograph; i.e., it will be accurate in detail. The defining feature an FBM is not the memory of the event, but memory of its reception context – the circumstances of the news’ reception.

It is assumed that they are highly resistant to forgetting; i.e., the details of the memory will remain intact and accurate because of the emotional arousal at the moment of coding. For example, some individuals can report in exceptional exactly when and how they heard the news of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the USA in 2001, as well as exactly what they were doing at the time and their exact feeling and reactions in response to the news – i.e., an exceptionally detailed and vivid memory almost twenty years after the fact. There is a posited relationship between strong emotion at the time of encoding and the exceptional details of these memories.

Brown and Kulik (1977) – research on FBM

Aim: To investigate whether shocking events are recalled more vividly and accurately than other events.

Procedure: 80 US participants were asked questions about 10 events. Nine of the events were mostly assassinations or attempted assassinations of well-known American personalities (e.g., JF Kennedy, Martin Luther King). The tenth was a self-selected event of personal relevance and involving unexpected shock. Examples included the death of a friend or relative or a serious accident.
Participants were asked to recall the circumstances they found themselves in when they first heard the news about the 10 events. They were also asked to indicate how often they had rehearsed (overtly or covertly) information about each event.

Results and conclusion:
  • Participants had vivid memories of where they were, what they did, and what they felt when they first heard about a shocking public event
  • The participants also said they had FBMs of shocking personal events
  • The results indicated that FBM is more likely for unexpected and personally relevant events. This lead the researchers to suggest ‘the photographic nature of FBM’
  • Brown & Kulik suggest that FBM is caused by the physiological emotional arousal (e.g., activity in the amygdala).
Evaluation: The reliance on retrospective data questions the reliability of this study. People tend to interpret an event from their current perspective. Research indicates that although FBM is emotionally vivid it is not necessarily accurate in regard to details. Neisser is particularly critical towards the idea of FBMs, as certain memories are very vivid precisely because they are rehearsed and discussed after the event. Any piece of information that is repeatedly reviewed and rehearsed is going to be remembered in much better detail – which most models of memory predict.

​However, findings from this study are clearly consistent with Brown & Kulik’s theory. Additional support comes from a study by Conway et al. (1994) who studied FBMs of both UK and non-UK citizens of the unexpected resignation of a famous (or infamous) British Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher. Data was collected at several points including a few days after the resignation and after 11 months. They found that 85% of UK citizens and considerably fewer non-UK citizens had an FBM at 11 months.
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[Bomb proof IB Psychology classroom experiments]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2015 17:22:14 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/bomb-proof-ib-psychology-classroom-experiments
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Classroom experiments so easy and fool-proof, they're child's play!
We all know that classroom Psychology experiments are win-win for everyone, as long as they work (i.e., produce the desired results). Students love being involved in demonstrations of their minds in action. Teachers love the way that experiments produce deep learning that is necessary to achieve the IB Psychology 7 come examinations. This IB Psychology classroom experiment is a very effective way to teach a concept that isn't necessarily the most intuitive to grasp - Craik and Lockhart's (1972) Levels of Processing model of memory. Best of all, it always works - money back guarantee! Use this classroom experiment to teach the Cognitive Level; of Analysis (CLOA) IB Psychology learning outcome: Evaluate two models or theories of one cognitive process [memory]. 

Craik and Lockhart's (1972) Level of Processing

​There is nothing to this core IB Psychology CLOA experiment really.. Do the experiment in the first half of your IB Psychology class and before you introduce the learning outcome. Download the instruction sheet below and make enough copies for your class - half the class will receive the first student instruction sheet and the other half, the second student instruction sheet.

​You read the script and have students record their answers. Next, you read the questions and have students answer on a separate piece of paper. Finally, you read the answers and have students mark their neighbour's responses. Record the results in a spreadsheet and use the data projector to display the results. Allow 30 minutes, including discussion time of the results.
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[Highlighting Critical Thinking in ERQs ]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2015 22:20:59 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/highlighting-critical-thinking-in-erqs
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Critical thinking is the hardest part to master in answering the IB Psychology extended response questions.
Getting the critical thinking component right in your IB Psychology exams is usually the final piece of the puzzle that needs to fall into place before full marks can be awarded.
Let us show you how it's done ...
The following IB Psychology essay is an exemplar of how critical thinking can be used in an essay for the Paper II IB Psychology examination. It answers the question: Discuss the role of communication in the maintenance of relationships, an ERQ related to the Human Relationships option in the IB Psychology course.

All of the text in dark blue font is an example of critical thinking in IB Psychology (you will need to see the embedded PDF, or download it). The flags and the corresponding comments are clarifications of why this is a good example of critical thinking.

Notice in the IB Psychology ERQ that three pieces of research (studies and/or theories) are used to make the argument - but then there are two paragraphs that take a holistic approach to the question. This is the "discussion" which is what the command term is asking the student to develop in the essay response.

Discuss the role of communication in the maintenance of relationships.

Communication plays a key role in all aspects of human relationships. It plays a role in our attraction to others, the way we solve problems and how much we trust one another. Marriage counsellors often focus on communication as a way to improve a relationship, but often problems in a relationship are complex. Communication may be a symptom, rather than a cause of the end of a relationship.

Research by Bradbury & Fincham found that couples engage in "relationship enhancing strategies" - that is, when a partner attributes good things to the disposition of their partner, and bad things to situational factors. This helps to maintain the relationship because it can enhance the sense of self-esteem of the partner. Couples in crisis tend to use distress-maintaining patterns - that is, they attribute good things to situational factors and bad things to disposition - meaning that the partner is unlikely to change. Although Bradbury & Fincham have documented this trend in relationships, it is difficult to determine if this is a cause or a symptom of the health of a relationship.

Gottman argues that it is not what we say, but how we say it. Our facial expressions communicate how we really feel about our partners. Gottman has couples come into his lab and then he codes their facial expressions under two conditions – discussing a non-threatening topic and discussing a controversial topic. Gottman argues that there are four “horses of the apocalypse” that help to predict if a relationship will end: criticism, defensiveness, contempt and stonewalling. Gottman argues that if a partner shows contempt during a discussion, this is a sign that the relationship is heading for divorce. One of the problems with this research, however, is that when Gottman tells couples that they are expressing these emotions, it may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. In addition, most of the couples that come to him for help are already in severe crisis. This may mean that the high predictive validity of his research has more to do with the fact that at least one of the partners may have already decided to end the relationship.

A final way that we use communication in relationships is disclosure – or the sharing of personal information with a partner. This is the basis of Social Penetration theory. This builds trust. Research has shown that we like people who disclose personal information. Although this seems logical, it is difficult to determine a cause and effect relationship between disclosure and the health of a relationship. It may be more likely that disclosure is the result of a healthy relationship than the cause of one.

There are many concerns about the study of the role of communication in relationships. First, how does a psychologists “observe” communication in a relationship? Often self-reported measures are used  – such as a questionnaire – to determine what the normal communication patterns are. This is difficult because the actual communications cannot be verified, so it is up to the perception of the person filling out the questionnaire. The information is open to distortion, especially if there is anger between the two partners. It can also be open to distortion if questions are asked about the history of the relationship. The peak-end rule argues that we tend to remember the most recent part of our relationship (the end) and specific events that stand out as rather exceptional (the peak). So, if the relationship is in bad shape, then the partners may only think about recent communication and this may distort their perception of the way that they have communicated throughout the relationship.

Another question is who is actually studied. A lot of the research done on communication is done on couples that are struggling with their relationship. Although some prospective research is now being done, traditionally it has been done with couples in counselling. Research should be done that looks at couples from the beginning of their relationship to truly measure how communication affects relationships long-term. It is also possible that although it is usually done with couples having problems, that the sample is also biased in other ways. A lot of the research is done on Western couples. In addition, the couples seek counselling, which may indicate a certain level of education or socioeconomic status. Finally, there is the problem of bidirectional ambiguity – that is, we cannot tell if the communication style leads to the quality of the relationship, or vice versa. It could be that there is a correlation, but no causation in either direction. Most importantly, the way we communicate is only one facet of a relationship. It is a reductionist approach to assess the health of a relationship only on communication styles.

The study of communication has led to successful strategies in marriage counselling that have helped people save their marriage by becoming more aware of how and what they say. However, labs like Gottman’s may communicate information to a couple – such as, she actually finds him disgusting – that may help to end the relationship. In this sense, the psychologist may validate one or both partners’ perceptions of the state of the relationship and decide to get divorced. Clearly more research is necessary.
IB Psychology ERQ Model answer: 
Discuss the role of communication in the maintenance of relationships.
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Take the hard work out of preparing your IB Psychology model ERQs
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
]]><![CDATA[The solution to social anxiety?]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 04:43:22 GMThttps://www.psychologyib.com/ib-psychology-blog/the-solution-to-social-anxiety
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... and a nice way to add some critical thinking to your IB Psychology Abnormal ERQ!
We wouldn't recommend it, but you may find your IB Psychology teacher approaching the Abnormal Psychology option by teaching you about anxiety disorders, rather than affective or eating disorders. Anxiety disorders can be fun to study (e.g., look at these funny phobias) but research and theory can be difficult to discuss in depth and detail. However, IB Psychology students, if you find yourself in a classroom where anxiety disorders are the focus of the Abnormal Option, then we have a great way to incorporate that all important critical thinking into your extended response answers (i.e., that 22 mark essay question you are required to answer in your IB Psychology Paper 2 exam).

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of mental disorders in the United States. Social Anxiety Disorder (social phobia) is a subset of anxiety disorders. A whopping 15 million individuals in the US, or  6.8 per cent of the total population suffer from social anxiety. It's equally prevalent between men and women, and individual onset is typically around 13 years of age. Lots of people live with it for a long time before seeking help. 36 per cent of those with social anxiety disorder live with the disorder for over 10 years before seeking help.
What social anxiety feels like
The IB Psychology learning outcomes, which we all know by now are the examination questions, right? (see previous post), in the Abnormal option will ask students to learn and answer the following examination questions:
  • Examine biomedical, individual and group approaches to treatment.
  • Evaluate the use of biological, individual and group approaches to the treatment of one disorder.
  • Discuss the use of eclectic approaches to treatment.
  • Discuss the relationship between etiology and therapeutic approach in relation to one disorder.
Now we're not going to run you through the model answers to each of these four IB Psychology exam questions here. Our model answers focus on the affective disorders (depression). But we are going to show you how to incorporate that all important critical thinking and craft a perfect response, yourself. 

The majority of the content you will need to discuss and evaluate in the treatment of anxiety disorders will be psychotherapy and drugs. You will likely look at cognitive behavioural therapy.
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The complete set of model answers to ALL of the IB Psychology ERQs
Of course, you will need to be able to fully discuss and evaluate concepts, theories, models and studies relevant to anxiety treatments. But also, a great way to show the IB Psychology examiner that you are able to engage in and demonstrate your ability to think critically around this topic is to incorporate the study below into your answer.

TRew and Alden (2015)

Unsurprisingly, socially anxious people often avoid social interactions. They will go out of their way to limit their opportunities to engage in social interactions ("Sorry, I'm washing my hair that night, thanks.") and reduce the number of social interactions they engage in, such as the number of people they will interact with at a party they haven't been able to get out of.

These two researchers found that people who were socially anxious were able to mingle more easily with other people in social situations if they busied themselves with acts of kindness. They split their participants into three groups. One group was asked to perform three acts of kindness for two days each week. THis could be mowing a neighbours lawns, giving to charity or cooking dinner for friends. Another was asked to engage in a social interaction three times for days each week. The final group was just asked to record what they had done each day.

I know what you're thinking (and please make it clear to the IB Psychology examiner!), getting people to do acts of kindness forces those with social anxiety to go out there and interact with the people they're performing kind acts for.

TRew and Alden (2015)
However, these socially anxious participants in the study could perform their acts of kindness - mowing lawns, giving to charity without engaging in any social interactions whatsoever and still experience the same positive effects. In fact, the same positive effects have been found by doing something as simple as feeding coins into the expiring parking meters of strangers.

Traditional cognitive behavioural therapy works by the therapist asking her patient to imagine social situations while practicing mental relaxation techniques, to the point where they no longer feel intimidated by the thought of social interactions. This is then followed by a set of baby steps towards small scale social interaction (asking someone for the time, talking about the weather at the water cooler, etc.) while practicing the same relaxation techniques. Continuing on until the patient is comfortable in larger social situations like an office party or joining a club.

The acts of kindness study shows how cognitive behaviour therapy can be effectively and quickly modified. Social anxiety, by and large, is the result of individuals thinking about themselves too much. When they are in social situations they are monitoring their behaviour and constantly judging themselves as to how they might be being perceived by others they're interacting with. Stressful stuff. The Trew and Alden study shows that the best cognitive therapy is to get them doing nice things for others. This stops them thinking about themselves by forcing them to think of others instead. Once they're thinking about themselves less, they become naturally more relaxed in the presence of others. Boom! everyone's a winner ... the anxiety sufferers, the people receiving these acts of kindness, even you, as you receive full marks for critical thinking in your IB Psychology exam!
Do something nice for someone before you go to your next party
Author: Derek Burton – Passionate about IB Psychology
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