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Edexcel GCE Psychology Unit 1: Cognitive and Social Psychology
Edexcel GCE Psychology Unit 1: Cognitive and Social Psychology
Psychology
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What to know before starting
Ethics
Tips for answering questions
How this guide works
Cognitive psychology layout:
Definitions
Methodology:
Lab studies
Field Studies
Natural Studies
2 Theories of Memory:
Multi-Store Model of Memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968)
Levels of Processing Theory (Craik and Lockhart 1972)
2 Theories of Forgetting:
Cue Dependant Theory of Forgetting (Tulving 1975)
Repression (Freud 1894)
2 Studies in Detail:
Godden and Baddeley (1975)
Craik and Lockhart (1975)
Key Issue:
Unreliability of Eye Witness Testimony.
Prescribed Practical:
Replication of Craik and Tulving.
experiment.
Opportunity sample: Where you use the people available at the time.
Reliability: Whether, when you repeat something you get the same results. If you do the aspirin experiment say on January
1st 2013 and then February 1st 2013, March 1st 2013 ... to December 1st 2013 and you get the same results each time then
you can say the results are reliable. Gaining multiple results and a mean is a more reliable measurement and gaining multiple
results also allows you to identify anomalous data.
Repeated measures design: This is where each participant does each condition in an experiment. For example, if you want to
see what is quicker for inputting text, a mobile or a keyboard, in a repeated measures experiment, participants would type in
a sentence on both the mobile and the keyboard
Independent measures design: This is where each ps does one condition in an experiment. Using the inputting text example,
half the ps would use a keyboard only and half would use the mobile only.
Matched pairs design: This is where a ps is matched to someone on age, gender, intelligence etc (and therefore monozygotic
(identical) twins are ideal) and one in the pair does one condition and the other does the opposite condition. So, one person
would type in using the keyboard and the other the mobile.
All studies follow the same steps: Aim, procedure, results and conclusion in that order, every time. Learn it.
Ethical guidelines. The British Psychological Society (BPS) have implemented guidelines which all studies should follow. The
breach of any of these guidelines makes that study unethical. However, some studies were done before the guidelines were
in place.
Operationalise: This is where you make something measurable in an experiment. For example, Craik and Tulving made
semantic, phonetic and structural processing measurable (operationalised it) by asking a follow up question which got ps to
process the words in one of three ways. When talking about studies (mainly) and (to some extent) evaluation points, say
how the IV was operationalised: Not only does it make you look like a better candidate, but it can also net you extra marks.
Ethics
Each study has to abide by several BPS guidelines in order to be ethical. In some cases these guidelines can be
broken if the
results
gained
outweigh
the disadvantages, typically minor deceit. The guidelines include:
Revision
Guide
by WGH
(wez.bep@hotmail.co.uk)
Deception
Ps should not be deceived to the true aim, or any aspect, of the study, unless the study wouldn't work without
deception (for example, this may cause demand characteristics.) If ps are deceived then they must be properly
debriefed afterwards.
Right to Withdraw
Ps should be told that they are allowed to withdraw from the study at anytime and are allowed to remove their
results from being used.
Debrief
After the study has been completed the ps should be told the true aim of the study and have as many questions
about the study that they want to know answered. The debrief ensures ps leave in the same state in which they
started the experiment in.
Informed Consent
The researchers should get permission from ps that they want to partake in the study before the study starts in
either verbal or written form. If children or those with disabilities are used then their parents / carers need to
give informed consent for them.
Cognitive Definitions:
Encoding: The process of placing an experience into a form that can be used and stored by the memory
system. (Memory cannot necessarily store information as you take it in. For example, if you read a sentence
your memory cannot store it as a smell (according to multi store model of memory), it must first be
converted to another 'form' e.g. what that sentence means.
Forgetting: The inability to retrieve stored information
Information Processing: A model used to understand the flow of information of information through the
cognitive system, from input, to processing, to output. (This may be the computer analogy which say, like a
computer, memory takes in the information (input), processes it and then outputs the consequence of that
processing.)
Memory: A cognitive function used to retain information and recall it when needed
Retrieval: the process of recalling a stored memory
Storage: Keeping information for later retrieval.
Laboratory Experiment
A laboratory (or lab) experiment (method) is possibly the most common type of experiment and there are
reasons why, as will be covered later. A lab experiment occurs in a carefully controlled, lab environment in
which all extraneous variables are controlled. You then carefully manipulate the IV and measure its effect on
the DV. For example, if you're looking into whether aspirin lowers blood pressure you would have, for example,
20 ps and give each a dose of aspirin greater than the previous one and then measure their blood pressure. This
then allows you to see the effect of aspirin on blood pressure.
It is important that extraneous variables are controlled as these are variables which could affect the results,
making them less reliable. For example, if, using the aspirin example, some ps have a high salt diet (something
that increases blood pressure) but other ps didn't then this would lower the validity of the results.
A lab experiment is desirable as it allows you to see cause and effect (a causal relationship) between two IVs
and eliminates any extraneous variables which could affect the validity of the results. Another good thing about
lab experiments is that they use a standardised procedure and standardised instructions. This means that the
instructions every ps get are the same and a standardised procedure means that every ps does the exact same
'thing' (procedure) in the experiment.
However, lab experiments do have limitations: They use artificial environments and this means that the
behaviour from participants is also likely to be artificial. We call this lacking ecological validity. Lab experiments
also get ps to perform unreal tasks which would never be done in the real world. For example, getting someone
to smoke marijuana, learn a list of words and then get them to recall them is an unreal task and we call this
lacking experimental validity. This is a disadvantage as it is important to measure real behaviour during an
experiment otherwise the results may not necessarily apply to the real world. Also, because ps will have likely
had to volunteer, they are highly likely to know they're part of an experiment and therefore are likely to display
demand characteristics. There may also be experimenter effects, which is the experimenter present influences
the responses (or actions) of a ps. For example, having a big male present may result less provocative
responses, whereas having a small, old woman would perhaps result in more honest responses.
Notes
A lab experiment is an experiment where an IV is carefully manipulated to see its effect on the DV. They often
use standardised instructions / procedure.
+ Allows you to determine a cause and effect relationship because all other extraneous variables have been
controlled - the results are valid
+ Standardised procedure / instructions are used and because all other extraneous variables are controlled the
experiment is exactly replicable to test the results for reliability.
- Lacks both ecological and experimental validity due to the artificial nature of the environment and task.
- Ps likely to show demand characteristics
Field Experiment
A field experiment (method) also a relatively common type of experiment used and like a lab experiment,
involves carefully manipulating an IV to see its effect on the DV, but this occurs in a natural environment.
There are many advantages to using a field experiment. The main one is ecological validity: Because the
experiment is taking place in a natural environment the results have ecological validity and often, the task given
to ps is a more 'real' task that is likely to occur in everyday life. Participants may not necessarily know that they
are part of an experiment and this means that they will not (unless they know they're part of an experiment)
display demand characteristics which could lower the validity of the results.
However, field experiments do have limitations. The main one being that because the experiment is
taking place in a natural environment that all extraneous variables cannot be controlled. This means that you
cannot (necessarily) determine a cause and effect relationship between the IV and its effect on the DV. Due to a
lack of control over extraneous variables it is almost impossible the replicate the experiment exactly to test the
results for reliability. If ps are unaware that they are part of an experiment then this infringes on BPS (ethical)
guidelines. There may also be experimenter effects.
Notes
An experiment where an IV is carefully manipulated to see its effect on the DV in a natural environments.
+ High ecological validity.
+ If ps unaware they're in an experiment then unlikely to be demand characteristics - high validity.
- Cannot determine cause and effect relationship due to lack of control over extraneous variables.
- Difficult to replicate exactly and test the results for reliability.
Natural Experiment
A natural (or quasi) experiment (method) is an experiment where the IV is naturally occurring in a natural
environment, however, this type of experiment is rare.
For example, Charleston is a natural experiment which saw the introduction of television to St. Helena's
school and Charleston was looking to see whether the introduction of TV cause there to be more anti social
behaviour or pro social behaviour.
There are great advantages to this type of experiment, mainly being that the IV occurs naturally in a
natural environment and therefore there is high ecological and experimental validity. Using the above example,
TV was introduced naturally and therefore the anti / pro social that occurred because of it was natural. Also,
because the situation is natural the experimenter does not need to gain permission to study the effects of the
naturally introduced IV and because ps do not know they're being observed they won't display demand
characteristics. This also means that there are no experimenter effects.
However, there are also disadvantages: The main one being that it is pretty much impossible to replicate
exactly: For example, one TV has naturally been introduced to an area it is unlikely that TV will ever be naturally
introduced to that area again. Also, there is a lack of control over extraneous variables to some extent, lowering
the validity of the results.
Notes
An experiment where the IV changes naturally in a natural environment.
+ Ecological and experimental validity.
+ No demand characteristics.
- Impossible to replicate.
- No control over extraneous variables.
Notes
A structural model of memory with 3 separate stores; sensory memory (SM), short term memory (STM) and long
term memory (LTM).
SM encodes information in the way it enters memory for 1/4 - 2 seconds - long enough to decide whether it's
worth paying attention to. If it is, the information's transferred to STM.
In STM information's stored for 18-30 seconds acoustically and 7+-2 items can be stored here. Information needs
to be rehearsed in order to be transferred to LTM.
Infinite amount of data can be stored in LTM for unlimited duration. Information's stored semantically.
+ Clive Wearing, whose hippocampus was destroyed couldn't create new memories, but could remember things
previously stored in LTM and hold a conversation showing different memory stores.
+ Physiological scans show different parts of the brain active when information in LTM is accessed to when
information in STM is accessed.
+Glazner and Cunitz found that when ps freely recalled words at the beginning and end of the list were recalled
well as they were in both LTM and STM respectively, showing different memory stores.
- Contradicted by levels of processing which says memory is a consequence of processing and the deeper
processing occurs the more durable memory is formed.
- MSM is too simplistic. It says information is stored only semantically and doesn't account for episodic or
procedural memories.
Notes
The deeper you process information, the more durable memory is formed. Lop explains why information can be stored
without rehearsal.
Maintenance rehearsal stored information for short periods of time, elaborative rehearsal for long periods.
Semantic processing: Deepest form of processing, involves considering meaning of information.
Structural processing: Shallowest processing, involves considering what information looks like.
Phonetic processing: Less shallow than structural, involved considering what information sounds like.
+ Craik and Tulving found more semantically processed words were recalled out of the 3 types.
+ Helps students revise by telling them to do so semantically
- Morris found more phonetically processed words were recalled then semantically processed ones.
- Craik and Lockhart failed to accurately define what 'deep' processing was.
- MSM says information is stored in LTM by rehearsal.
Notes
Repression is a defence mechanism which pushes traumatic memories into the unconscious to protect us from the trauma
associated with that memory. Repression occurs as a result of a poor relationship with parents and repressed memories can
manifest them self in later life through behaviour or attitudes.
+ Levinger and Clark - More positive and neutral words were recalled than negative ones.
+ Walker 1997 gave ps a diary to record events over 3 weeks. After a one week break ps asked to recall events and could only
recall positive and neutral ones.
+ Explains why rape victims cannot remember the event.
- Hadley and McKay (2007) found more negative words were recalled than positive ones.
- Someone people have flashbulb memories - photographic memories about traumatic events.
- Unethical to traumatise people for the sake of research.
Notes
If different cues are present at encoding than were present at recall then forgetting occurs. Cues may be
necessary to access information that's available but irretrievable. Cues are additional pieces of information that
act like a contents page.
2 types of cue; context which refers to the environment during encoding and retrieval and state which refers to
the physical or psychological state you're in during encoding and retrieval.
+ Godden and Baddeley (1975) found 50% more words recalled when encoding and recall contexts the same.
+Eich etal found more words recalled when ps smoked marijuana during encoding and recall
- Baddeley said for cue dependant forgetting to occur the contexts must be vastly different.
- Repression is another theory of forgetting which says information is pushed into the unconscious as a defence
mechanism.
Condition 2: 11.4
Condition 3: 8.6
Condition 4: 8.4
Repeated measures:
Strength: There are no uncontrollable ps variables and therefore individual differences are less likely to affect the
results
Weakness: Suffers from order effects e.g. fatigue as the same ps are in both groups and therefore the results'
validity is questionable.
Matched Pairs:
Strength: Ps variables are reduced as ps are matched with someone similar and therefore individual differences
are less likely to affect the results.
Weakness: A high amount of ps are needed and it can be very difficult to match ps which therefore is expensive
and time consuming
Independent Groups
Strength: The results have no order effects (e.g. fatigue) because different ps are used in each condition
Weakness: Individual differences may affect the results because ps variables are not controlled.
Procedure
Then, after you have planned it, you carry out your practical. You obviously don't have to do the practical as the
exam board don't know, but doing it will help you identify flaws with your experiment. The procedure of my
experiment is as follows:
We got 24 ps to sit separately in silence, in a darkened room and read them standardised instructions. We then
flashed up a total of 18 words (6 of each processing type) for 0.5 seconds and then gave them a follow up, yes or
no question, as has previously been described, which got them to process the word semantically, phonetically or
structurally.
After all 18 words had been flashed up, there was an unexpected memory test. Here, a list of 40 words (18
original + 22 new) were shown to ps and they had to identify as many words as they could that were used in the
experiment.
Results
Then, after you have described your procedure you have to show your results - the measures of central tendency
(mean, median and mode) and range). My results were as followed:
Semantic Phonetic Structural
Mean number of
words recalled
Median
Mode
Range
Evaluation
After the description of your practical, you have to evaluate it. You could talk about problems you encountered and how this
lowered the results' validity, for example, the aforementioned demand characteristics.
Strengths: Supported by Craik and Tulving's 1975 experiment, who found that 65, 36 and 17% of semantically, phonetically
and structurally processed words were recalled respectively, improving the reliability of our results as we found the same
pattern in processing type and words recalled.
Learning a list of words in a school is a realistic task for that type of environment, therefore the results have experimental
validity.
The experiment took place in a lab setting and all extraneous variables such as length of time a word was displayed for were
controlled. But, the experiment was in a natural environment (for students - the sample used) and therefore the results
have ecological validity.
The memory test was unexpected and therefore the words could have only been processed by the follow up question and
not through other means (e.g. rehearsal).
Disadvantages:
Morris etal 1977 found that there were more phonetically processed words recalled, contradicting our results, lowering
their validity.
The results are only generalisable to 16 and 17 year old psychology students who attend school in England.
The sample used were psychology students and therefore would likely know the aim of the experiment and therefore
display demand characteristics.