IB PSYCHOLOGY Home 2013 Cohort Planner 2014 Cohort Planner Document repository Search this site Extended Essay in Psychology > 17 Suggested titles Effective learning for Year 11 and 12 IB Psychology Introducing psychology Resources for all topics Using technology in your studies Core 1 Biological level of analysis 01 Principles which define the BLOA 02 Principles that define the BLOA demonstrated in research 03 How and why research methods are used at the BLOA 04 Ethical considerations related to research studies at the BLOA 05 Studies related to localization of function in the brain 06 Effects of neurotransmission on the brain 07 Functions of hormones in human behaviour 08 Effects of the environment on physiological processes 09 Interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behaviour 10 Brain imaging technologies 11 Genetic inheritance influences behaviour 12 Evolutionary explanations of behaviour 13 Ethical considerations in research into genetic influences on behaviour Core 2 Cognitive level of analysis 1 Principles that define the CLOA 10 Technology used to investigate cognitive processes 11 Cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion 12 Emotion affects cognitive processes 2 Principles that define the CLOA may be demonstrated in Suggested titles · What do we know about the relationship between stress and physiological illness and can we use that knowledge to cope with stress? · To what extent does psychology provide valid explanations for altruistic behaviour · What effect do autistic siblings have on their non-autistic siblings? · Is it possible to determine what causes autism? · Which interventions are most efficient in helping autistic children towards a better daily functioning? · The difficulties of finding specific genetic factors that can predict a risk for Autism. · To what extent does psychology provide valid explanations for altruistic behaviour? · A comparison of the effectiveness of individualised counselling and family counselling in the treatment of anorexia. · What are the effects of the disruption of the circadian cycle by jetlag and how can the effects be avoided? · The extent to which biological (or socio-cultural) factors explain the origin of homosexuality. · To what extent do parents’ discipline style influence the temperament of the children? · Montessori schools: based on a humanistic approach to education are they also in line with cognitive theory? · To what extent has Criminal Profiling improved investigation methods in cases of homicide? · To what extent are the causes of anorexia the result of cultural factors? · To what extent is Schizophrenia no longer a viable Psychological construct? · Is hypnosis an effective treatment for pain relief? · An evaluation of the effectiveness of subliminal advertising on buying habits. Psychology of Sport and Exercise What levels of psychological arousal are most effective for players in team sports? What methods are available to combat crippling anxiety in competitive sport? Why exercise hurts: an exploration of the processes and functions of fatigue and pain How effective can exercise be in combating clinical depression? How does participation in team sports influence the development of social skills in 12-16 year old school students? To what extent does personality affect an elite sportsman’s performance? Psychology and Education How far is intelligence determined by heredity or how far is it malleable? What are the pros and cons of ‘hothousing’ young children, as a way to develop precocious talent? What is the relationship between precocious talent and adult achievement? (eg in Music) How far can children be taught to excel in the visual Arts? Do children who have attended some form of pre-schooling when under the age of 5 yrs have an educational advantage when they start school? Is the UK government new national curriculum for the under-5’s ‘a threat to all toddlers?’ What is the right age to start (formal) school ? Which method of teaching reading works best? Why is dyslexia almost unknown in Italy? What is the source of the advantage that Chinese children appear to have in Mathematics? Is it true that the stages of cognitive development are universal in all cultures? ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’. What effects do different disciplinary styles and policies in schools have on the behaviour and development of children? To what extent does violence in the televised media have the potential to increase the level of aggression within children? A cross-cultural comparison ( e.g. China/UK ) of the effects of schooling on motivation to learn and educational achievement A study of the effectiveness of an unusual form of schooling ( e.g. ‘Montessori’ nurseries; Rudolph Steiner schools , ‘Summerhill’) Should boys and girls be educated differently? research 3 How and why particular research methods are used at the CLOA 4 Ethical considerations related to research studies at the CLOA 5 Schema theory 6 Models of memory 7 Biological factors affect cognitive processes 8 Social or cultural factors affect cognitive processes 9 Reliability of memory Core 3 Sociocultural level of analysis 1 Principles that define the SCLOA 10 Compliance techniques 11 Conformity to group norms 12 Factors which influence conformity 13 Culture and cultural norms 14 Role of cultural dimensions on behaviour 15 Emic and etic concepts 2 Principles that define the SCLOA may be demonstrated in research 3 How and why research methods are used at the SCLOA 4 Ethical considerations related to research studies at the SCLOA 5 Situational and dispositional factors explain behaviour 6 Errors in attribution 7 Social identity theory 8 Stereotype formation and their effects on behaviour 9 Social learning theory Extended Essay in Psychology Aims Nature of the extended essay Extended Essay in Psychology 01 Nature of the extended essay 02 Aims 03 Assessment objectives 04 Responsibilities of the school 05 Responsibilities of the supervisor 06 Responsibilities of the student 07 Advice to students from examiners What are the causes of gender and subcultural differences in educational achievement in the UK (or elsewhere) and what can or should be done? How do ‘smart drugs’ affect the brain? What are the ethical issues in the increasing use of ‘cognitive enhancers’ to boost academic performance? Dysfunctional behaviour and effectiveness of treatments and therapies Where children have been taken into care because of family problems, is it always better in principle to aim to return children to the biological mother? How important is fathering to children? Are single-parent families inevitably dysfunctional? Is depression an illness or a dysfunctional way of thinking? What are the benefits and risks of SSRI drugs? Is autism ‘an extreme form of the male brain’? – How far is it true that autism has a biological basis? How well does the lack of a ‘theory of mind’ account for the characteristic problems of individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)? A comparison of different therapeutic interventions in ASD ‘Oppositional Defiant Disorder’ – a label for children adults can’t control? -Exploration of the arguments and ethical issues around prescribing drugs to children with ADHD and related problems How do individuals respond to traumatic life experiences? Is it necessary to face past horrors or is it better to deny and suppress in terms of leading a reasonably happy or successful future life? ( NB exemplars need to be restricted to a specific context ) Social and Organizational Psychology and applications How far can psychology help us overcome prejudices? Do we all have the potential within us to do evil? How far can the committing of war atrocities be explained by Milgram’s obedience account? Can psychology help us to understand how to resolve conflict ( exemplars could be from industrial relations or conflicts between nations ) and negotiate peace ? What is the best way to be happy at work? Is happiness compatible with productivity? Is there any evidence that companies which treat their workers well are more commercially successful? What functions does work fulfill for the individual? What are the psychological consequences of current increases in job-insecurity and unemployment arising from the ‘credit-crunch’ ? How do the main sources of stress or job satisfaction differ between employees in two different employment sectors ( e.g. finance vs teaching ) ? Are there any common characteristics of ‘good leaders’ or do leaders n eed to exercise different personal qualities or styles of behaviour in different spheres? ( e.g. factory manager, vs army commander ) Are leaders born or made? Are leaders really necessary? Criminal Psychology Pathways to crime: an analysis of the interaction of biological factors and early life experience in ‘turning to crime’ Can prison work? : an evaluation of the effectiveness of the UK ‘thinking skills programme ‘ Can empathy be taught? An evaluation of the ‘Restorative Justice’ initiative in the UK (Nurseries or prisons? A cost-benefit analysis of the effectiveness of an early intervention programme ( e.g. UK ‘Sure-Start ‘ or ‘YIP’s) How far can eye (or ear) witness testimony be trusted and what are the implications for the conduct of court proceedings? Can children be trustworthy witnesses? To what extent is it possible to make a correct profile of a criminal? How far can psychological theories and research be applied to help juries make fair decisions? Creating safe communities: an analysis of the psychology of ‘environmental crime prevention’. What advice can psychologists give to the police force on how to treat ethnic minorities fairly and avoid ‘institutional racism’? Cognitive and Neuro-Psychology How can stroke victims be helped to recover their cognitive functions or compensate for missing functions ? ( e.g memory loss) How far does current research using fMRI and PET scanning techniques support a modular theory of the organisation of the brain? (This essay might need to be limited in scope by drawing exemplars from one cognitive function, e.g. memory OR language ) Is the brain organised differently in bilingual people? How far can the brain recover and reorganise itself after stroke or brain-damage in early life? Is the capacity for language really unique to humans? Is it true that dolphins are as intelligent as humans? How could this be tested? How much can we learn about brain organisation from clinical case –studies? ( again , might need to restrict exemplars to one cognitive domain) 08 Researching and writing the extended essay 09 Formal presentation of the extended essay 10 The use of media and other materials 11 The viva voce (concluding interview) 12 Assessment 13 Assessment criteria 14 Regulations 15 Choice of topic 16 Treatment of the topic / ethics 17 Suggested titles 18 Introductions 19 Sample essays Internal Assessment - Experimental research Experimental Research Option 1 Abnormal psychology 1 Influence of biological, cognitive and sociocultural factors on abnormal behaviour 11 Eclectic approaches to treatment 2 Psychological research relevant to the study of abnormal behaviour 3 Concepts of normality and abnormality 4 Validity and reliability of diagnosis Comments on Aggression Mirror neurons – To what extent can parents prevent aggressive behavior in children. No nature v. nurture! Nature v. nurture is overly reductionist and usually do not earn high marks. More topics suggested in the past: What do we know about the relationship between stress and physiological illness and can we use that knowledge to cope with stress? To what extent does psychology provide valid explanations for altruistic behaviour? What effect do autistic siblings have on their non-autistic siblings * Is it possible to determine what causes autism? Which interventions are most efficient in helping autistic children towards a better daily functioning? The difficulties of finding specific genetic factors that can predict a risk for Autism A comparison of the effectiveness of individualized counselling and family counselling in the treatment of anorexia What are the effects of the disruption of the circadian cycle by jetlag and how can the effects be avoided? The extent to which biological (or socio-cultural) factors explain the origin of homosexuality To what extent do parents' discipline style influence the temperament of the children? Montessori schools: based on a humanistic approach to education are they also in line with cognitive theory? To what extent has Criminal Profiling improved investigation methods in cases of homicide? To what extent are the causes of anorexia the result of cultural factors? To what extent is Schizophrenia no longer a viable Psychological construct? Is hypnosis an effective treatment for pain relief? An evaluation of the effectiveness of subliminal advertising on buying habits The Contribution of Peer Pressure and Media Violence on the Columbine High School Shootings Nature or Nurture: The Development and Capacity of Musical Ability in a Child Synesthesia: a Study of a Sixth Sense The Psychology Behind Causes in Juvenile Criminal Behavior Psychological effects of Accutane (Should Accutane be taken off of the market for its possible effects of depression and suicide?) How Gender Differences Exist Among Teens and How They Affect Peer Pressure An In-Depth Analysis and Evaluation of the Cognitive Emotion Prejudice-The Cause of the Battle Between Angels and Demons 5 Cultural and ethical considerations in diagnosis 9 Biomedical, individual and group approaches to treatment Comments Anorexia Nervosa Depression Option 2 Developmental psychology 1 Influence of biological, cognitive and sociocultural factors on human development 2 Psychological research relevant to developmental psychology 3 - 4 Cognitive development 5 - 8 Social development 9 - 13 Identity development Qualitative research methodology 1 Qualitative and quantitative data 10 - 12 Interviews 13 - 15 Observations 16 - 18 Case Studies 2 Strengths and limitations of You do not have permission to add comments. qualitative research approach 3 Generalising findings from qualitative research 4 Ethical considerations in qualitative research 5 Sampling techniques in qualitative research 6 Participant expectations and researcher bias in qualitative research 7 Credibility in qualitative research 8 Triangulation and its effect on credibility 9 Reflexivity in qualitative research Sitemap Sign in | Recent Site Activity | Report Abuse | Print Page | Powered By Google Sites
