Welcome to IB Psychology
Summary
TLDRThis script offers an insightful overview of the IB Psychology course, emphasizing its relevance to understanding human behavior and cognition. It covers the biological, socio-cultural, and cognitive approaches, exploring topics like criminal behavior, prejudice, memory, and decision-making. The course also delves into extension topics for HL students and a variety of option subjects, including abnormal psychology and developmental psychology. The importance of research methodology and ethical considerations in psychological studies is highlighted, along with tips for success in the course, such as consistent study habits and delaying gratification.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and cognition, focusing on how and why we think and act the way we do.
- 🌿 The biological approach in psychology examines factors like brain activity, hormones, and genetics to understand behavior.
- 🌐 The socio-cultural approach explores how social and cultural factors influence behavior, such as prejudice and discrimination.
- 🧠 The cognitive approach delves into mental processes like memory and decision-making, aiming to enhance learning and cognitive functions.
- 🐵 High-level students studying the biological approach also explore animal research and its role in psychological studies.
- 📱 The socio-cultural approach at the college level examines the impact of technology on cognition, like studying with smartphones.
- 🌍 The effects of globalization on culture and behavior are studied under the social-cultural approach at the higher level.
- 📚 Optional topics in IB Psychology include abnormal psychology, human relationships, health psychology, and developmental psychology.
- 🔍 Research methodology is a贯穿整个课程的主题, emphasizing the importance of understanding and critically evaluating psychological research methods and ethical considerations.
- 👥 The internal assessment gives students the opportunity to conduct their own psychological experiments, applying research methods learned throughout the course.
- 📈 Consistent, ongoing study and delaying gratification are key strategies for success in IB Psychology, as opposed to last-minute cramming.
Q & A
What is the main focus of IB Psychology?
-IB Psychology focuses on the scientific study of behavior and cognition, exploring how and why we think and act the way we do.
What are the three main approaches to understanding behavior and cognition in IB Psychology?
-The three main approaches are the biological approach, which looks at factors like brain activity, hormones, and genetics; the socio-cultural approach, which considers external environmental, social, and cultural factors; and the cognitive approach, which delves into mental processes like memory and decision-making.
How does the biological approach in IB Psychology use criminology as a theme?
-The biological approach examines the biological basis of criminal behavior, exploring whether there are biological factors such as brain abnormalities, hormone levels, or genetics that might predispose individuals to criminal behavior.
What is the 'warrior gene' mentioned in the context of the biological approach?
-The 'warrior gene' is a term used to describe a genetic predisposition that might make someone more prone to violence.
How does the socio-cultural approach in IB Psychology address prejudice and discrimination?
-The socio-cultural approach looks at how external factors such as upbringing, socialization, and media influence can lead to prejudice and discrimination against individuals from different groups.
What are the two key cognitive processes emphasized in the cognitive approach of IB Psychology?
-Memory and decision-making are the two key cognitive processes emphasized in the cognitive approach, with a focus on how they affect learning and behavior.
What additional topics do high-level students explore in each of the three approaches?
-High-level students delve into animal research in the biological approach, the effects of technology on cognition in the socio-cultural approach, and globalization in the cognitive approach.
What are the core options in IB Psychology and what behaviors do they focus on?
-The core options in IB Psychology include abnormal psychology, human relationships, health psychology, and developmental psychology, each focusing on specific behaviors and psychological disorders.
Why is the study of research methodology important throughout the IB Psychology course?
-Research methodology is crucial as it teaches students how to critically evaluate and analyze psychological research methods to determine the validity, usefulness, reliability, and ethical considerations of the knowledge gained.
What is the internal assessment in IB Psychology and how does it work?
-The internal assessment involves students conducting their own psychological experiment, replicating a study based on existing theory, gathering and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions to understand human behavior.
What advice does the speaker give for succeeding in IB Psychology?
-The speaker advises students to study a little bit often throughout the course, delay gratification, set goals, and balance instant sources of entertainment with long-term priorities for success in IB Psychology.
Outlines
🧠 Introduction to IB Psychology
This paragraph introduces the IB Psychology course, emphasizing its relevance to understanding human behavior and cognition. The course explores three approaches to psychology: biological, socio-cultural, and cognitive. The biological approach examines factors like brain activity, hormones, and genetics to explain behavior, often using criminology as a theme. The socio-cultural approach investigates how social and cultural factors influence actions, with a focus on behaviors like prejudice and discrimination. The cognitive approach delves into mental processes like memory and decision-making, aiming to enhance learning strategies. High-level students also cover extension topics like animal research, technology's impact on cognition, and globalization. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the practical applications of psychology in everyday life.
📚 Deep Dive into Psychology's Core and Options
The second paragraph delves into the specifics of the IB Psychology course, discussing the core topics and elective options. It mentions the study of psychological disorders in abnormal psychology, personal relationships and social dynamics in human relationships, and health psychology's focus on stress and coping mechanisms. Developmental psychology is also introduced, covering growth factors from early childhood to early adulthood. The paragraph stresses the importance of research methodology and ethical considerations in psychological studies. It outlines the internal assessment, where students conduct their own experiments, and the external assessment, which includes a written examination. The speaker advises consistent study habits and the importance of delaying gratification for success in the course, suggesting that psychology's insights are not only academic but also practical for daily life.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡IB Psychology
💡Biological Approach
💡Socio-Cultural Approach
💡Cognitive Approach
💡Research Methodology
💡Internal Assessment
💡Abnormal Psychology
💡Human Relationships
💡Health Psychology
💡Developmental Psychology
💡Ethical Issues
Highlights
IB Psychology explores how and why we think and act the way we do, emphasizing its relevance to everyday life.
The course is structured around three approaches: biological, socio-cultural, and cognitive.
Biological approach examines brain activity, hormones, and genetics to understand behavior, using criminology as a theme.
Socio-cultural approach investigates how social and cultural factors influence behavior, such as prejudice and discrimination.
Cognitive approach delves into memory and decision-making processes, aiming to enhance learning strategies.
High Level (HL) students extend their studies with topics like animal research in biology and technology's impact on cognition.
Options within the course allow for focused study on specific behaviors like abnormal psychology, human relationships, and health psychology.
Abnormal psychology covers the diagnosis, explanation, and treatment of psychological disorders.
Human relationships explore social responsibility, group dynamics, and personal relationships, including love and marriage.
Health psychology examines factors influencing health and how to promote well-being, such as stress management.
Developmental psychology focuses on the factors affecting growth and development from early childhood to early adulthood.
Research methodology is a贯穿整个课程的主题, emphasizing the importance of understanding how psychological knowledge is obtained and its ethical considerations.
Internal assessment tasks involve conducting a psychological experiment, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions.
The course's practical applications are highlighted through topics like studying with smartphones and coping with stress.
Advice for success in IB Psychology includes consistent study habits and delaying gratification to achieve long-term goals.
The speaker encourages students to engage with the material regularly and avoid last-minute cramming for effective learning.
Psychology as a subject is positioned as highly relevant, offering insights into everyday behaviors and mental processes.
Transcripts
ever find yourself sitting in class and
think when am i ever going to use this
well in ib psychology you won't because
we are studying how and why we think and
act the way we do and what's more
relevant and important than that
welcome to the wonderful world of ib
psychology if you're contemplating
considering taking this for a subject
i'm going to explain the whole course in
less than 10 minutes so you can make an
informed decision if you're just about
to start the course then again i'll give
you the nice overview so you know what
to expect and how to do well and maybe
you've already started the course this
will give you a nice refresher and could
even help you see the bigger picture
which will help you get ready for your
exams psychology is the scientific study
of behavior and cognition how and why do
we think and act the way we do so ib
psychology tries to answer that question
by looking at three particular
explanations the biological approach
looks at biological factors what's
happening in our brain our hormones and
our genetics to understand behavior and
i like to teach this approach using
criminology as my theme so we look at
the biological basis of criminal
behavior are there biological factors
that might increase the likelihood
someone's going to become a criminal
like abnormalities in their brain or
their hormone levels or their particular
genetics there is it's called the
warrior gene which might make someone
more violent the socio-cultural approach
looks at external environmental social
and cultural factors that can explain
behavior for example one of the most
common behaviors social psychologists
try to understand is prejudice and
discrimination why do people treat
others so horrendously if they belong to
a different group is that based on the
being raised by appearance how we're
raised or
learning from our parents and our
friends in our school or maybe things we
get from the media is it to do with the
groups that we belong to is this why
people become prejudiced and
discriminate and so we look try to
understand behaviors from that social
cultural perspective now the cognitive
approach it's a little bit misnamed it's
called the cognitive approach to
understanding behavior and cognition but
really it's the cognitive approach to
understanding cognition it's a deeper
look into that the cognitive the mental
thinking aspect of psychology so two
important processes are memory and
decision making and so i'm working on a
new unit now called how to learn right
so we can use this like psychological
science of learning and memory to our
advantage to figure out how to become
better learners what more important
thing to learn about in school and we
can look at a range of factors that
might affect our learning right like how
we remember rehearse how we think and
also factors like emotion now in
decision making we study how do we make
good decisions and what can affect that
decision making process and the biases
in our decision making like confirmation
bias now for each of these three
approaches high level students have an
additional extension topic that's one
way hl and sl differ in the biological
approach you'll go deeper into animal
research and how and why animals are
used in psychology in the college of
approach you look at the effects of
technology on cognition particularly and
i like to teach that in a unit i call
studying with your smartphone which is
all about the pros and cons of using
smartphone and computer technology to
try to study
and the social cultural approach is
uh globalization the process of cultures
becoming more alike through trade and
immigration and the exchange of ideas
very relevant in today's modern world so
that's the core now we get to the
options and so while the core gives us
those three explanations for behavior
and cognition the options really
provides us with the particular
behaviors to focus on and then we choose
which variables we use to explain them
so for example we have an order of
popularity abnormal psychology human
relationships health psychology and
developmental psychology in abnormal
psychology you'll learn about
psychological disorders how do we
diagnose them how do we explain them how
do we treat them and so psychological
disorders you might study are things
like ptsd or depression phobias anxiety
i used to like to teach about
post-traumatic stress disorder because
there's a lot of relevant information
there about stress but i'm working on a
new unit called depression and it's
called the rise in teenage depressive
depression because since 2010 it's been
a steep rise in the rates of anxiety and
depression particularly teenagers and so
i think it's really valuable to explore
why that is then we have human
relationships now this is divided into
three particular topics social
responsibility group dynamics and
personal relationships my favorite is
personal relationships i teach that in a
unit called love and marriage it's all
about why do we fall in love who do we
find attractive and why how do we stay
in level stay married and then why do
couples break up and get divorced social
responsibility is about how and why we
might help each other or why we don't
help each other in need and group
dynamics is more about prejudice
discrimination conflicts between groups
how psychology is similar to abnormal
psychology and that you're going to
understand the explanations of a health
problem what factors can make us healthy
or unhealthy and then how do we promote
and improve people's health so i've just
finished materials on stress and how to
cope with stress what else could be more
relevant for ib students than learning
about stress where it comes from and how
to cope but other problems you might
study are obesity or addiction or sexual
health developmental psychology is all
about the factors that influence our
development as we're growing up so
what's happening between the ages of
early early childhood from zero years
old to our adolescents which ends in our
early twenties so what factors here are
influencing our development in that
important time this is probably the
least popular of the options not because
it's not as interesting but i think the
way it's structured in the guide it
makes it a little tricky to prepare for
the exams it's not to say you can't do
excellent in the exams with this option
but i like to take some of the topics
here and spread them out in other parts
of the course so we can get the most
interesting stuff without having to
choose it as a whole separate approach
now the topic that runs right the way
through the course is research
methodology the key question in
psychology is how and why do we think
and act the way we do well then the
research methods is about how do we know
and how we know in psychology is through
the research but we have to be able to
critically evaluate and analyze the
methods used to figure out is that
knowledge valid and useful and will be
reliable and we also have to couple that
with ethical issues
you might be familiar with some of the
really famous
psychological studies that
do a lot of psychological harm and
damage and even modern animal studies we
can argue is that right is that ethical
to try to gain knowledge about humans by
causing harm and suffering to others so
it's a really important question to
address so for every topic in the core
and options we have to figure out and
understand the methods and the ethics
but for high level students you'll be
assessing that in paper three so that
covers the external assessment the
internal assessment is your chance to
conduct your own psychological
experiment so you'll work in a group of
two to four students you'll select a
study to replicate base it on an
existing theory and then you're going to
run your psychology experiment gather
the data analyze the data right after
report draw some conclusions run some
statistical tests and see if your
results can tell us something about
human behavior and then we have it the
whole course we've got the core the
options research methods and the
internal assessment why study psychology
you ever find yourself sitting in class
and think when am i ever going to use
this well in ib psychology you won't
because we are studying how and why we
think and act the way we do and what's
more relevant and important than that
just take studying with your smartphone
how that affects our mind our ability to
focus and concentrate when you're going
to use that every day you're going to
use that thinking about health and
stress how to cope with stress same
thing with relationships how to how to
improve relationships how do we use
communication effectively in
relationships
how does your belonging to groups
influence
your relationships with people around
you and how you treat other people
all of this is so relevant in a day to
day setting which is why psychology is
such a great subject to learn about my
best advice for doing well in ib
psychology is many a little makes a
nickel nickel was a big amount those
that do well are those that do a little
bit often throughout the whole duration
of the course i'm going to try to show
you my youtube stats from like the week
leading up to the exams and it's like
everyone's watching these minute videos
at the last minute and i get it because
i'm a psychology teacher so i know how
people work and how and why they think
and act and procrastinate but
it's really important that if you want
to do well that's not the approach to
take that would be like me entering the
mr universe not that that's going to
happen and then but thinking all right
i'm going to look like annie
do nothing and then the day before the
competition go to the gym for five hours
and lift a bunch of weights
it's not gonna make a difference that's
not how your brain works that's not how
learning works that's not the psychology
of studying
so
my best advice is just do a little bit
often and another really important
psychological tip the secret to success
is delaying gratification if you can
delay
instant gratification and wait till
later on you're going to be more
successful in life and you might learn
about some studies that explore that in
this course how that's relevant here is
well there's
constantly surrounded by things that
could stimulate us and just detract us
and entertain us we have to be able to
switch that off and go wrong i've got a
goal here i want to get a 7 and i'd be
psychology so i'm not going to spend my
time on social media or i'm going to
limit it and i'm going to make sure that
i can take good care of my health and my
brain and my ability to focus and yeah
i'm going to spend time and socialize
with my friends but i've got to balance
that with my other priorities and so if
you want to do well it might be about
setting goals and delaying
and removing those instant sources of
gratification around you to figure out
and look more long-term for the rewards
that are going to come later on if you
just want to enjoy psychology that's
easy just show up open the book listen
to your teacher and you'll have a great
time all right that was it i hope that
was helpful i'm trying to get all my
psychology content up onto youtube so
it's coming in book form and blog form
and videos and so it's accessible in a
range of different formats so don't
forget hit subscribe if you'd like to
see notifications of the new videos i'm
making and if you got a request for
something for me to make please leave a
comment or if this was helpful leave a
comment as well alright if you're
thinking about psychology i hope you
take it and if you've already started
good luck and let me know how i can help
cheers bye
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