Psychout@seoulforeignschool
The workbook is designed to help you study the key concepts of the IB psychology
programme. Each learning outcome is potentially a final exam question. When
completing each section make sure you include key theories and theorists. Try to
include dates. Remember this is an excellent revision resource. Keep it safe.
This workbook makes up 20% of your 2nd quarter grade. The marking criteria and
grades are as follows:
This work book has been completed to an
excellent standard
This workbook has been completed to a
very good standard
This workbook has been completed to a
good standard
This workbook has been completed to a
satisfactory standard
This workbook is generally of a poor
standard
The workbook has not been submitted or is
of an unacceptable standard.
99 to 100%
A+
94-98 %
A- to A
85 to 93%
B- to B+
76 to 84%
C- to C+
70 to 75%
D- to D+
Below 70 Fail.
Final grade:
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Please refer to the following command terms to help you understand and
focus on the learning outcomes.
Command terms associated with assessment objective 1: Knowledge and
comprehension.
Define
Describe
Outline
State
Give the precise meaning of a word, phrase concept or physical
quality.
Give a detailed account
Give a brief account or summary
Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without
explanation or calculation.
Command terms associated with assessment objective 2: Application and analysis.
Analysis
Apply
Distinguish
Explain
Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or
structure.
Use an idea, equation, principle, theory or law in relation to a
given problem or issue.
Make clear the differences between two or more concepts or
items.
Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.
Command terms associated with assessment objective 3: Synthesis and evaluation.
Compare
Compare and
contrast
Contrast
Discuss
Evaluate
Examine
To what extent
Give an account of the similarities between two (or more) items or
situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout
Give an account of the similarities between two (or more) items or
situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout
Give an account of the similarities between two (or more) items or
situations, referring to both (all) of them throughout
Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of
arguments, factors or hypotheses. Opinions or conclusions should
be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.
Make an appraisal by weighing up the strength and limitations.
Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the
assumptions and interrelationships of the issue.
Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept.
Opinions and conclusions should be presented clearly and
supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument.
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Learning outcomes: General framework (applicable to all topics in
the option)
6.1 Introduction: What is developmental psychology?

Discuss the extent to which biological, cognitive, and social factors influence
human development.

Evaluate psychological research relevant to the study of developmental
psychology.
Important notes from the examiner: You need to bear these two learning
outcomes in mind throughout your work on this chapter. It is a good idea to
keep notes on them as you go.
Keep a record of what factors in each level of analysis influence
developmental psychology and any strength and limitations of these factors.
Each time you read a study or theory described in enough detail, consider its
strengths and weaknesses and keep a record of the names of researchers you
consider to be important.
6.2 Cognitive development
Learning outcomes:

Evaluate theories of cognitive development.

Discuss how social and environmental variables may affect cognitive
development.
6.3 Social development
Learning outcomes:

Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of
relationships.

Discuss potential effects of deprivation of trauma or childhood on later
development

Define resilience
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
Discuss strategies to build resilience.
6.4 Identity Development.
Learning outcomes.

Discuss the formation and development of gender roles

Explain cultural variations in gender roles

Describe adolescence

Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of
identity during adolescence.

Examine psychological research in adolescence.
The key reading for each outcome can be found @ Law et al (2001) IB Diploma
Psychology. Chapter 6 P, 182-216. John Crane (2009) Psychology Course
Companion. Chapter 6 P,182-219. Psychology @ Seoul Foreign School.
http://psychout50.edublogs.org/ Tab heading ‘Developmental Psychology’.
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Developmental Psychology
6.1 Introduction: What is developmental psychology.

Discuss the extent to which biological, cognitive, and social factors influence
human development.

Evaluate psychological research relevant to the study of developmental
psychology.
Developmental psychology deals with the lifelong process of change and it is the
study of how and why people change over time in the way they behave, think and
relate to others. Developmental psychology focuses on developmental areas such
as, identity, attachment and adolescence. Psychologists assume it is important to
understand the context to which early experience may influence later life, and if
there are critical periods for acquiring certain behaviours during the process of
development. Knowledge about the influence of biological, cultural and cultural
factors in peoples lives is helpful for families and also in professional childcare and
education.
There are areas of controversy in developmental psychology. For
example, the impact of environmental or biological influences on the development
of the child and the extent to which these influences interact; the notion of resilience
and why different children react differently to stressors in the environment; the
origins of gender identity and the interaction between culture and biology in the
formation of gender roles.
6.2 Cognitive development.
Learning outcomes:

Evaluate theories of cognitive development.

Discuss how social and environmental variables may affect cognitive
development.
Cognitive development psychology focuses on how cognitive processes (such as
reasoning, perception, memory, intellectual development) change over time.
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Researchers in this area question how these changes can account for behavior
shown at different ages. The main area of debate is why these changes occur over
time – what are the main deterministic forces behind them? The nature side of the
debate looks at the effect of maturation – the unfolding behaviours under the
influences of genetic predisposition. The nature side of the debate looks at the
effects of the environment such as diet, parenting styles, culture and education.
Jean Piaget
One of the main theorists in cognitive psychology is Jean Piaget. Piaget described
him-self as a epistemologist which is the study and scope and limitations of
knowledge and deals with question such as:
 What is knowledge?
 How is knowledge acquired?
 What do people know and how do they know what they know?
TOK: Question.
Think about the scope and limitations of cognitive
development in relation to the above.
Cognitive Development
His view of how children's minds work and develop has been enormously influential,
particularly in educational theory. His particular insight was the role of maturation
(simply growing up) in children's increasing capacity to understand their world: they
cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so. His
research has spawned a great deal more, much of which has undermined the detail of his
own, but like many other original investigators, his importance comes from his overall
vision.
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He proposed that children's thinking does not develop entirely smoothly: instead, there
are certain points at which it "takes off" and moves into completely new areas and
capabilities. He saw these transitions as taking place at about 18 months, 7 years and 11
or 12 years. This has been taken to mean that before these ages children are not capable
(no matter how bright) of understanding things in certain ways, and has been used as the
basis for scheduling the school curriculum. Whether or not should be the case
is a different matter. http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
State the two types of adaption.
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Summerise Piaget’s stages of development
Briefly evaluate Piaget’s theory.
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Vygostsky theory of cognitive development.
Discuss Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development
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Evaluate Vygotsky’s theory
Social and environmental variables.
Diet
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Parenting
6.3 Social development
Learning outcomes:

Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of
relationships.
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
Discuss potential effects of deprivation of trauma or childhood on later
development

Define resilience

Discuss strategies to build resilience.
An introduction to Attachment Theory.
Attachment theory describes several behavioural systems, the function of which is to
regulate human attachment, fear, exploration, care-giving, peer-affiliation and sex.
Attachment is defined as any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining and
retaining proximity to a differentiated other. The primary caregiver is the source of the
infants stress regulation and, therefore, sense of safety and security. Attachment theory
emphasises the role of the parent as mediator, reflector and moderator of the childs mind
and the childs reliance on the parent to respond to their affective states in ways that are
contingent to their internal experience, a process often referred to as secure base/safe
haven functioning. Within the close parent-child relationship neural networks dedicated
to feelings of safety and danger, attachment and the core sense of self are sculpted and
shaped. These networks are conceptualised as internal working models of
attachment.
Characteristic patterns of interaction operating within the familys
caregiving-attachment system give rise to secure, insecure and disorganized patterns of
attachment. These discrete patterns have been categorized using the Strange Situation
research procedure, which observes the young childs behaviour when separated and
reunited with his or her primary caregiver. Attachment patterns are represented in the
childs internal working models of self-other relationships. Secure attachment is promoted
by the interactive regulation of affect, which facilitates the recognition, labelling and
evaluation of emotional and intentional states in the self and in others, a capacity known
as reflective function or mentalization. The recognition of affects as having dynamic,
transactional properties is the key to understanding behaviour in oneself and in another.
The child comes to recognize his or her mental states as meaningful self-states via a
process of parental affect mirroring and marking. Secure children are able to use
sophisticated cognitive strategies to integrate and resolve their fear of separation and
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loss.
When the parent is unavailable, inconsistent or unpredictable, the infant develops
one of two organized insecure patterns of attachment: avoidant or ambivalent-resistant.
These defensive strategies involve either the deactivation or hyper-activation of the
attachment system. Deactivation is characterized by avoidance of the caregiver and by
emotional detachment. In effect, the avoidant child immobilizes the attachment system by
excluding thoughts and feelings that normally activate the system. Hyper-activation is
manifested by an enmeshed ambivalent preoccupation with the caregiver and with
negative emotions, particularly anger. However, in common with the avoidant child, the
ambivalent child appears to cognitively disconnect feelings from the situation that
elicited the distress.
Bowlby’s attachment theory.
Briefly discuss Bowlby’s attachment theory
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Discuss the role in future relationships
Deprivation and trauma. Early development and adult disease prevalence.
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Genetics and parenting.
Resilience.
According to schoon and Bartley (2008), there is consistent evidence to suggest serious
harm can be caused by the experience of poverty and adverse life events. Factors such as
socio-economic disadvantage, material hardship and family breakdown greatly increase
the risk of developing later problems such as education failure, behavioural problems
psychological distress or poor health. However, Schoon and Bartley argue that some
people seem to be more able to ‘beat the odds’ to do well despite the experience of
adversity.
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Resilience refers to the process of avoiding adverse outcomes of doing better than
expected when confronted with major assaults on the developmental process.
Examiners hint
If a question asks you to discuss strategies to build resilience, your first task is to
define resilience even though it has not been explicitly asked for.
Discuss strategies to build resilience
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6.4 Identity development.
Learning outcomes.

Discuss the formation and development of gender roles

Explain cultural variations in gender roles

Describe adolescence

Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of
identity during adolescence.

Examine psychological research in adolescence.
What is gender.
Gender role refers to a schema or a set of behaviours, rights, duties and obligations of
being male or female.
Examiners hint
In a question asking you to discuss the formation of gender roles or explain cultural
variations in gender roles, your first task should be to define gender roles.
Discuss the formation and development of gender roles. Explain cultural
variations in gender roles.
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What is gender?
Social learning theory
Cognitive development theory
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Biology based theories
Rough and tumble play
Other evidence.
Adolescence.
Adolescence is typically defined as the transitional period between childhood and
adulthood. It can also be defined from a Piagetian perspective as the period in
which formal operational thought develops. This allows or the consideration
within the individual of new beliefs and possibilities.
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Adolescence
Cognitive approach
Socio-cultural approach
Biological approach
Psychological research
Erikson’s approach.
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Evaluation of Erikson
Marcia’s approach
Evaluation of Marcia
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Gender differences in identity development.
Practice questions.
To what extent do biological, cognitive and socio-cultural factors influence
development?
Evaluate one psychological theory relevant to psychological development.
Discuss how social and environmental variables may affect cognitive
development. Use empirical research to support your nswer.
Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of
relationships. Use empirical research to support your answer.
Assessment criteria for paper 2:
A knowledge and comprehension.
Marks
0
Level descriptor
The answer does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1-3
The answer demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding that is of
marginal relevance to the question. Little or no psychological research is used in
the response.
4-6
The answer demonstrates limited knowledge and understanding relevant to the
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question or uses relevant psychological research to limited effect in the
response.
7-9
B
The answer demonstrates detailed, accurate knowledge and understanding
relevant to the question, and uses relevant psychological research effectively in
support of the response.
Evidence of critical thinking: Application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation
Marks
Level descriptor
0
The answer does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1-3
The answer goes beyond description but evidence of critical thinking is not linked
to the requirements of the question.
4–6
The answer offers appropriate but limited evidence of critical thinking or offers
evidence of critical thinking that is only implicitly linked to the requirements of the
question.
7–9
The answer integrates relevant and explicit evidence of critical thinking in
response to the question.
C Organization
Marks
Level descriptor
0
1-2
The answer does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
The answer is organized or focused on the question. However, this is not
sustained throughout the response.
The answer is well organized, well developed and focused on the question.
3-4
Maximum marks for the paper 22.
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