Specification points

Edexcel AS Psychology 8PS0

113 points in 4 topics, with Edexcel's codes and titles.

Codes and titles are read by a script from Edexcel's published specification and have not been checked by a person. What each point covers is in the specification itself: Edexcel’s specification.

1 Social psychology

1.1 Content
1.1.1 Theories of obedience, including agency theory and social impact theory
1.1.2 Milgram's research into obedience
1.1.3 Factors affecting obedience and dissent
1.1.4 Explanations of prejudice
1.1.5 Factors affecting prejudice (and discrimination), including individual differences (personality), situation and culture
1.1.6 Individual differences in obedience/prejudice
1.1.7 Developmental psychology in obedience/prejudice
1.2 Methods
1.2.1 Designing and conducting questionnaires and interviews, considering researcher effects
1.2.2 Unstructured, semi-structured and structured interviews, open, closed (including ranked scale) questions
1.2.3 Alternate hypotheses
1.2.4 Random, stratified, volunteer and opportunity techniques
1.2.5 Analysing quantitative data
1.2.6 Analysis of qualitative data using thematic analysis
1.2.7 BPS code of ethics
1.3 Studies
1.3.1 Sherif et al. (1954/1961) Intergroup conflict and cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment
1.3.2 Burger (2009) Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today?
1.3.3 Reicher and Haslam (2006) Rethinking the psychology of tyranny
1.3.4 Cohrs et al. (2012) on prejudice
1.4 Key questions
1.4.1 A key question for society
1.4.2 Applying social psychology to the key question
1.5 Practical investigation
1.5.1 Social psychology practical research

2 Cognitive psychology

2.1 Content
2.1.1 The working memory model (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974)
2.1.2 Multi-store model of memory
2.1.3 Explanation of long-term memory – episodic and semantic memory (Tulving, 1972)
2.1.4 Reconstructive memory (Bartlett, 1932), including schema theory
2.1.5 Individual differences in memory
2.1.6 Developmental psychology in memory
2.2 Methods
2.2.1 Designing and conducting experiments, including field and laboratory experiments
2.2.2 Independent and dependent variables
2.2.3 Experimental and null hypotheses
2.2.4 Directional (one-tailed) and non-directional (two-tailed) tests and hypotheses
2.2.5 Experimental and research designs: repeated measures, independent groups and matched pairs
2.2.6 Operationalisation of variables, extraneous variables and confounding variables
2.2.7 Counterbalancing, randomisation and order effects
2.2.8 Situational and participant variables
2.2.9 Objectivity, reliability and validity (internal, predictive and ecological)
2.2.10 Experimenter effects, demand characteristics and control issues
2.2.11 Quantitative data analysis
2.2.12 Decision making and interpretation of inferential statistics
2.2.13 Case studies of brain-damaged patients including HM
2.3 Studies
2.3.1 Baddeley (1966b) acoustic and semantic similarity
2.3.2 Schmolck et al. (2002) semantic knowledge in HM
2.3.3 Steyvers and Hemmer (2012) Reconstruction from memory in naturalistic environments
2.3.4 Sebastián and Hernández-Gil (2012) Developmental pattern of digit span in Spanish population
2.4 Key questions
2.4.1 A key question for society
2.4.2 Applying cognitive psychology to the key question
2.5 Practical investigation
2.5.1 Cognitive psychology practical research

3 Biological psychology

3.1 Content
3.1.1 Central nervous system and neurotransmitters
3.1.2 Recreational drugs and synaptic transmission
3.1.3 Brain structure and aggression
3.1.4 Evolution, natural selection and aggression
3.1.5 Biological versus psychodynamic explanations of aggression
3.1.6 Hormones and aggression
3.1.7 Individual differences
3.1.8 Developmental psychology
3.2 Methods
3.2.1 Correlational research
3.2.2 Analysis of correlational data
3.2.3 Other biological research methods
3.3 Studies
3.3.1 Raine et al. (1997) brain abnormalities in murderers
3.3.2 Li et al. (2013) heroin addiction and the brain
3.3.3 Brendgen et al. (2005) twins and social aggression
3.3.4 Van den Oever et al. (2008) heroin relapse
3.4 Key questions
3.4.1 A key question for society: biological psychology
3.4.2 Applying biological psychology to the key question
3.5 Practical investigation
3.5.1 Biological psychology practical research

4 Learning theories

4.1 Content
4.1.1 Classical conditioning
4.1.2 Pavlov (1927) experiment with salivation in dogs
4.1.3 Operant conditioning
4.1.4 Properties of reinforcement, including primary and secondary reinforcement and schedules of reinforcement
4.1.5 Behaviour modification including ‘shaping’ behaviour
4.1.6 Social learning theory
4.1.7 Social learning ‘stages’ of attention, retention, reproduction and motivation (reinforcement)
4.1.8 Bandura (1961, 1963) original Bobo doll experiments
4.1.9 Bandura (1965) Bobo doll experiment with vicarious reinforcement
4.1.10 How learning theories explain the acquisition and maintenance of phobias
4.1.11 Treatments for phobias
4.1.12 Individual differences from environmental influences
4.1.13 Developmental psychology
4.2 Methods
4.2.1 Human research
4.2.2 Animal research
4.2.3 Analysis of data
4.2.4 Scientific status of psychology
4.3 Studies
4.3.1 Watson and Rayner (1920) Little Albert: Conditioned emotional reactions
4.3.2 Becker et al. (2002) television and eating in Fiji
4.3.3 Bastian et al. (2011) Cyber-dehumanization: Violent video game play diminishes our humanity
4.3.4 Capafóns et al. (1998) fear of flying
4.4 Key questions
4.4.1 A key question for society: biological psychology
4.4.2 Applying learning theories to the key question
4.5 Practical investigation
4.5.1 Learning theories practical: observations