GCSE Psychology OCR

This subject is broken down into 44 topics in 7 modules:

  1. Criminal Psychology 4 topics
  2. Development 5 topics
  3. Psychological Problems 6 topics
  4. Social Influence 4 topics
  5. Memory 4 topics
  6. Sleep and Dreaming 5 topics
  7. Research Methods 16 topics
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  • 7
    modules
  • 44
    topics
  • 15,328
    words of revision content
  • 1+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Psychology

Criminal Psychology

Key Concepts

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Key Concepts

Theories of Crime

  • Understanding the term crime: the breaking of laws or rules to which some governing authority can prescribe a penal consequence.
  • Biological explanations of crime: these include genetics and neurological factors.
  • Psychological theories of criminal behaviour underline the importance of learning and experiences, such as Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.
  • Appreciating sociological theories of crime like the Social-Bond Theory which concentrates on the relationship between the individual and society.

Forensic Psychology

  • Unraveling forensic psychology: a branch of psychology that deals with understanding criminal behaviour, helping law enforcement agencies to resolve criminal activities.
  • Understanding the role of a forensic psychologist, which includes assessment, counselling and intervention design.
  • Familiarity with psychological profiling: a method used by forensic psychologists to predict and profile the character traits of unknown criminal subjects or offenders.

Eye Witness Testimony and Memory

  • Understanding eye witness testimony (EWT): an account given by people who have witnessed a significant event or crime.
  • The strengths and weaknesses of EWT, how it can be influenced by the Misinformation Effect and the leading questions created by the psychologist Elizabeth Loftus.
  • Understanding how the cognitive Interview technique can improve the reliability of witness recall.

Rehabilitation and Treatment

  • Looking at the purpose of sentencing: punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation, reparation and protection of the public.
  • Understanding the principles behind rehabilitation: to change an offender's behaviour and make a positive contribution to society, reducing rates of recidivism.
  • Familiarity with the different types of treatment programmes for offenders, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and cognitive skills programmes.

Research Methods

  • Understanding different research methods: from experimental methods to observation and case studies.
  • Knowledge of ethics in research, including informed consent, protection from harm, confidentiality and the right to withdraw.
  • Understanding validity and reliability in research: a valid research study is one that measures what it intended to measure; a reliable study produces consistent results.

Course material for Psychology, module Criminal Psychology, topic Key Concepts

Psychology

Memory

Techniques Used for Recall

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Techniques Used for Recall

Techniques Used for Recall

Mental Rehearsal

  • The process of mentally going over information to make it stick (rehearsal) is paramount in memory recall.
  • Prolonged rehearsal can lead to long-term memory storage.

Elaborative Rehearsal

  • Links new information to existing memory through elaboration.
  • Increased association with existing memory enhances potential for retrieval.
  • Elaborative rehearsal is considered more beneficial than maintenance rehearsal.

Use of Cues

  • Cues help us retrieve memories by providing triggers or reminders.
  • The power of cues is massively demonstrated in the theory of context-dependent memory and state-dependent memory.

The Method of Loci

  • An ancient technique for memory enhancement which uses visualisations of familiar spatial environments to promote recall.
  • Using this method, the individual attaches the details they wish to remember to specific locations, and navigates these spatial environments in their mind to retrieve the information.

Chunking

  • Chunking involves breaking long strings of information into more manageable 'chunks'.
  • Chunking reduces the cognitive load and helps us recall the information more easily.

Mnemonics

  • Mnemonics are memory aids that use vivid imagery and organisational devices.
  • These can be in form of acrostics, acronyms, rhymes, or images and can greatly aid in recall.

Spaced Repetition

  • Diversifies the timing and intensity of study sessions to exploit the psychological spacing effect.
  • Spaced repetition can be more effective than one intense cramming session.

Testing

  • Regular self-testing forces the brain to retrieve and recite information and improves long-term recall.
  • The act of testing both measures knowledge and facilitates long-lasting learning.

Overlearning

  • Continual rehearsal of information after it has been learned can also facilitate memory recall.
  • The more the information is rehearsed past the point of mastery, the more likely it is to be retained. This is referred to as overlearning.

Course material for Psychology, module Memory, topic Techniques Used for Recall

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