EFPA core topics matrix
Core domain
Core chapter(s)
Specific sections /additional coverage
Methods in psychology
Chapter 2: The methods of
psychology
History of psychology;
Overview of specialties and fields
in psychology
Chapter 1: Psychology - The
evolution of a science
Chapter 2: Methods of psychology
Neuropsychology;
Psychobiology
Chapter 3: Neuroscience and
behaviour
Chapter 17: Mental health
(medical and biological
treatments)
Cognitive psychology
Chapter 4: Sensation and
perception
Chapter 5: Memory
Validity and definition (p.48-50)
External validity (p.75-76)
Samples (p.50-51; p.76-77)
Manipulation (p.70-71)
Randomization (p.71-73)
The question of causality: correlation (p.61-70)
Ethics of research on humans and animals (p.80-82)
Qualitative research (p.77-80)
Sampling (p.50-60)
Methods for controlling participant expectations and experimenter
effects (p.58-60)
Empiricism (p.44-46)
Lessons from the history of psychology including reductionism,
structuralism (p.13-16)
The origins of ethical issues for psychology (p.80-82)
Human neuropsychology: memories and the brain (p.193-196)
The evolutionary elements of classical conditioning (p.239-242)
Action and behaviour: drugs and consciousness (p.344-347)
Biological aspects of sleep, dreaming and the mind (p.334-344)
The biology of emotion (p.393-402)
Biological basis of psychological abnormality (p.651-652; p.656; p.
659-661)
Effect of drug treatments on behaviour (p.674-677)
Source monitoring and misattributions (p.213-218)
Decision making (p.288-296)
Attention (p.328-332)
Social psychology
Developmental psychology
Chapter 6: Learning
Chapter 7: Language and thought
Chapter 8: Consciousness
Chapter 10: Emotion and
motivation
Chapter 11: Cognitive
development
Chapter 12: Social development
Chapter 14: Social relationships
Chapter 15 : Social groups
Chapter 11: Cognitive
development
Chapter 12: Social development
Intergroup processes, including prejudice (p.601-603)
Moral development (p.505-515)
Small group processes (p.603-611)
Productivity and cooperation (p.562-563)
Conformity (p.613-617)
Attraction (p.577-585)
Social cognition (p.489-497)
Social identity (p.594-596)
Cultural variation (p.595-596)
Research methods appropriate to the study of development (p.438444)
General theories of the nature and nurture of psychological
attributes (p.431-433)
Development during infancy, including cognitive development
(p.444-460)
Motor development (p.449-452)
Development of language (p.271-279)
Development of counting (p.455-464)
Cognitive change in the school years (p.504-505)
Social development during infancy (p.478-489)
Development of self and identity (p.500-505)
Self-concept and self-esteem (p.497-498; p.545-551)
Gender socialization (p.500-502)
Intersubjectivity and theories of mind (p.491-497)
Ageing (p.467-470)
Literacy and schooling (p.281-283)
Personality;
Differential psychology
Chapter 9: Intelligence
Chapter 10: Emotion and
motivation
Chapter 13: Personality
Chapter 16: Psychological
disorders
Chapter 17: Mental health
Work and organizational
psychology
Chapter 13: Personality
Chapter 14: Social relationships
Chapter 15: Social groups
Chapter 17: Mental health
Chapter 16: Psychological
disorders
Chapter 17: Mental health
Chapter 2: The methods of
Clinical and health psychology
Data and test theory;
Environmental effects on personality (p.521; p.530)
Biological effects on personality (p.528-530)
Temporal and situational consistency of individual differences
(p. 542-543; p.547-549)
Influence of personality on health and relationships (p.527-528)
Influence of personality on competency (p.544)
Emotion and motivation (p.391-426)
The self, and normal and abnormal personality development (p.545551; p.628-639; p.663-666)
Psychoanalytic theories (p.532-539; p.680-683)
Behavioural theories (p.523-532)
Social cognitive theories (p.541-544)
Humanistic-existential-phenomenological theories (p.539-541; p.689695)
The influence of genetic, environmental and cultural factors on
individual differences (p.6-7; p.358-360)
Environmental factors (p.116-117)
Genetic effects on intelligence (p.375-378)
History of mental and psychological testing (p.359-367)
The nature of intelligence (p.367-374)
Contemporary approaches to intelligence and their implications for
educational and social policy (p.362-367)
The Big Five factor model (p.526-527)
ICD-10 (p.631)
Samples (p.50-51 ; p.76-77)
Questionnaire theory;
Evaluation theory;
Introduction to methods: e.g.
experimental methods;
Qualitative and quantitative
methods;
Ethical codes and professional
ethics
psychology
Tests (p.47-77)
Evaluating results (p.61-74)
Drawing conclusions (p.74-77)
Introduction to quantitative methods (p.44-77)
Qualitative methods (p.77-80)
Ethical codes (p.80-82)