Welcome to Core Studies in Psychology!
Welcome to one of the most exciting parts of your A Level Psychology course! In this section, we aren't just reading theories; we are looking at the actual experiments that changed how we understand human nature. From finding out why people obey authority to looking at how our brains can physically change, these 15 studies are the "building blocks" of psychology.
Don't worry if it feels like a lot of names and dates at first. We are going to break each study down into a "story" that is easy to remember. Think of these studies as the "evidence" you will use to win your arguments in your exam essays!
Section 1: How to "Tell the Story" of a Study
For every core study in the H569 syllabus, you need to be able to describe it clearly. A great way to remember any study is to follow this step-by-step checklist:
1. The Aim: What was the researcher trying to find out? (Example: "Can people be pressured into hurting someone just because an authority figure told them to?")
2. The Method: How did they do it? Think about the Design (was it a lab experiment?), the Sample (who were the participants?), and the Procedure (what actually happened?).
3. Results: What did they find? This is usually numbers or observations.
4. Conclusions: What does it mean for real life?
5. Evaluation: Was the study "good"? Was it ethical? Was it fair?
Section 2: The Five Main Areas of Psychology
The OCR syllabus groups our 15 studies into five "Areas." Each area has a different way of looking at human behavior.
Area 1: Social Psychology
This area looks at how the people around us and our environment influence our behavior. It's the "power of the situation."
The Core Studies:
• Milgram (1963): Obedience to authority. Did you know? Milgram found that 65% of people would give a (fake) lethal electric shock to a stranger just because a man in a lab coat told them to!
• Piliavin et al. (1969): Helping behavior on a subway. This study looked at whether people help a "drunk" victim versus a "ill" victim.
• Levine et al. (2001): Cross-cultural altruism. This looks at which cities in the world are the most helpful (clue: Rio de Janeiro is very helpful!).
Quick Review: Social psychology focuses on Situational Explanations (the situation made me do it) rather than Individual Explanations (I did it because of my personality).
Area 2: Cognitive Psychology
Think of the brain as a computer. This area looks at how we input, store, and retrieve information (memory, attention, and perception).
The Core Studies:
• Loftus and Palmer (1974): Eyewitness testimony. They showed that changing just one word (like "smashed" vs. "hit") can change a person's memory of a car crash.
• Grant et al. (1998): Context-dependent memory. Top Tip: If you study in a quiet room, you should take your test in a quiet room to remember more!
• Simons and Chabris (1999): Visual inattention. This is the famous "Gorilla" study. If we are focused on one task, we can miss something huge right in front of us.
Key Takeaway: Our memories are not like video recordings; they can be changed and influenced very easily!
Area 3: Developmental Psychology
This area looks at how we change and grow over our lifetime. It often focuses on how children learn behaviors.
The Core Studies:
• Bandura et al. (1961): Transmission of aggression. Children watched an adult beat up a "Bobo Doll" and then copied that exact behavior. This is Social Learning Theory.
• Chaney et al. (2004): Adherence to medical regimes. Using a "Funhaler" (a fun asthma inhaler) to reward children for taking their medicine.
• Lee et al. (1997): Lying and truth-telling. Do children in China and Canada view "white lies" differently? (Yes, they do!).
Area 4: Biological Psychology
This area argues that our behavior is caused by physical things: our genes, our brain structure, and our chemicals (hormones).
The Core Studies:
• Sperry (1968): "Split-brain" research. Looking at what happens when the connection between the left and right sides of the brain is cut.
• Casey et al. (2011): Delayed gratification. Why can some people resist a cookie (or a marshmallow) and others can't? It's down to specific brain areas!
• Maguire et al. (2000): Brain plasticity. Analogy: The brain is like a muscle. London taxi drivers actually grew a larger "Hippocampus" (the memory part of the brain) by learning the city streets.
Area 5: Individual Differences
Instead of looking at how we are all the same, this area looks at what makes us unique and how we differ from the "norm."
The Core Studies:
• Freud (1909): Little Hans. A famous case study about a boy with a phobia of horses, which Freud linked to unconscious feelings.
• Baron-Cohen et al. (1997): Autism and "Theory of Mind." Using the "Eyes Task" to see if people with Autism can tell what others are thinking.
• Van Leeuwen et al. (2008): Intelligence. A study of twins to see how much of our IQ comes from our parents (Nature) and how much from our environment (Nurture).
Section 3: Methodological Issues (The "Toolbox")
When you evaluate a study, you are checking if the "tools" the researcher used were good. Here are the big terms you need to know:
Reliability: Is the study consistent? If we did it again, would we get the same results? (Think of a bathroom scale—if it gives you a different weight every 5 minutes, it's not reliable).
Validity: Is it accurate? Did the researcher measure what they actually said they would measure?
• Ecological Validity: Does the study reflect real life? (A lab experiment often has low ecological validity because it's an artificial setting).
Ethics: Did the researchers protect the participants? Important rules include Informed Consent, Right to Withdraw, and Protection from Harm.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse Reliability with Validity!
• Reliability = Consistency (Can we repeat it?)
• Validity = Truth/Accuracy (Is it real?)
Section 4: The Great Debates
In Psychology, we love to argue! You will need to use your core studies to support different sides of these debates:
1. Nature vs. Nurture: Are we born this way (genes), or did we learn it (environment)?
2. Freewill vs. Determinism: Do we choose our actions, or are they decided for us by our biology or past experiences?
3. Reductionism vs. Holism: Should we study one tiny part of the brain (Reductionism), or look at the whole person (Holism)?
4. Individual vs. Situational: Do I act this way because of who I am, or because of where I am?
Section 5: Practical Applications
Psychology isn't just for textbooks; it helps people in the real world! You must be able to explain how these studies are useful.
Example: Loftus and Palmer's study is used in the legal system. Because we know memories can be changed by "leading questions," police officers are now trained to ask open questions like "Tell me what you saw" rather than "Did you see the blue car?"
Example: Chaney's study is used in healthcare. By making medical devices fun (The Funhaler), we can help children stay healthy without them feeling like it's a chore.
Quick Review Box
• 15 Core Studies: You need to know Aim, Method, Results, and Conclusions for all.
• 5 Areas: Social, Cognitive, Developmental, Biological, and Individual Differences.
• Evaluation: Use G.R.A.V.E. (Generalisability, Reliability, Application, Validity, Ethics).
• Significance: Researchers usually look for a probability of \(p < 0.05\) to show their results aren't just down to luck!
Final Encouragement
Don't worry if these terms feel like a new language! The best way to learn is to "Tell the Story" of the studies to a friend or family member. If you can explain the "Bobo Doll" study or the "London Taxi Driver" study in your own words, you are already halfway to an A!