IB Psychology Higher Level

This subject is broken down into 30 topics in 8 modules:

  1. Biological approach to understanding behaviour 4 topics
  2. Cognitive approach to understanding behaviour 4 topics
  3. Sociocultural approach to understanding behaviour 4 topics
  4. Approaches to researching behaviour 6 topics
  5. Abnormal psychology 3 topics
  6. Developmental psychology 3 topics
  7. Health psychology 3 topics
  8. Psychology of human relationships 3 topics
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  • 8
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  • 30
    topics
  • 10,640
    words of revision content
  • 1+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Psychology

Biological approach to understanding behaviour

The brain and behaviour

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The brain and behaviour

Understanding the Biological Approach to Behaviour through the Brain

The Brain's Structure

  • The brain is divided into distinct regions, each playing a key role in our behaviour.
  • The frontal lobe is associated with problem solving, reasoning, decision making, and planning.
  • The parietal lobe controls spatial awareness, touch sensation, and object manipulation.
  • Emotions, memory processing, and the flight or fight response are managed by the limbic system, which includes the amygdala and hippocampus.
  • The occipital lobe is primarily responsible for vision and visual perception.
  • The temporal lobe handles auditory processing and is also crucial for memory formation.

Neurotransmitters and Behaviour

  • Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit signals through neurons. Different neurotransmitters have different effects on behaviour and mood.
  • For instance, the neurotransmitter dopamine is associated with reward and pleasure, and its abnormal levels are linked with conditions like Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.
  • Serotonin regulates mood, appetite, and sleep. Low levels of serotonin are linked with depressive disorders.
  • Acetylcholine plays crucial roles in memory and learning. Reduced levels of this neurotransmitter are found in Alzheimer's disease patients.

Brain Plasticity

  • Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
  • Neuroplasticity allows neurons to compensate for injury or disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or changes in the environment.
  • Increased activity or stimulation can cause the brain to strengthen its connections, while decreased activity can cause the connections to weaken or disappear - a phenomenon known as use-dependent plasticity.
  • Neurogenesis, the process of producing new neurons in the brain, also contributes to the brain's plasticity.

Hormones and Behaviour

  • Hormones are chemical messengers released by glands in the body, having significant effects on behaviour and emotions.
  • Cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect memory, immune function, and the likelihood of developing mental illnesses.
  • Oxytocin, often referred to as the love hormone, promotes bonding and trust.

Genetics and Behaviour

  • Behavioural genetics studies the genetic and environmental influences on behaviour.
  • Twin studies often used to estimate the heritability of a trait or behaviour. Identical twins share 100% of their genes, making them ideal for such research.
  • Adoption studies are also used to determine the influence of genetics versus environment on the development of certain behaviours or psychological traits.

Course material for Psychology, module Biological approach to understanding behaviour, topic The brain and behaviour

Psychology

Approaches to researching behaviour

Analyising data

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Analyising data

Basics of Analysing Data

  • Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modelling collected data to discover useful information.
  • Intended to support decision-making and draw conclusions about the research.
  • Involves multiple phases: data cleaning, data transformation, data modelling, and drawing conclusions.

Types of Data Analysis in Psychology

  • Descriptive Analysis: Aims to summarise details of the data like its distribution, central tendency and dispersion. Techniques used include mean, median, mode and range.
  • Inferential Analysis: Aims to infer or predict behaviour or outcomes for populations based on the data obtained from a sample. This can include T-tests, correlation studies, chi-squared tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
  • Predictive Analysis: Uses data to predict future behaviour or outcomes. Mainly used in organisational, or business, psychology.
  • Causal Analysis: Identifies cause-effect relationships between variables. Experiments are usually the best way to perform causal analysis.

Importance of Analyzing Data

  • Allows researchers to test hypotheses and make inferences about the population.
  • Encourages generalisability of the study results.
  • Facilitates the understanding of complex behaviour by mapping data variables to certain psychological constructs.
  • Aids in forming the basis for further related research.

Challenges in Analysing Data

  • Complexity of the data due to multiple measurements, missing values, and outliers.
  • Risk of bias due to the researcher's preconceived notions or expectations.
  • Difficulty in balancing reliability and validity of the measurements.
  • Ethical considerations such as maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants' data.

Ethical Considerations in Data Analysis

  • Researchers must ensure that the privacy of the participant is maintained.
  • Handling of data must be done with integrity, without any falsification or selective exclusion of data.
  • Researchers should be transparent about their methods of analysis to allow for replication and scrutiny.
  • Participants' responses should always be reported accurately, respecting the autonomy and diversity of the participants' experiences.

Course material for Psychology, module Approaches to researching behaviour, topic Analyising data

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