England · Pearson EdexcelSyllabus
Psychology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Psychologysyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology
Module overview →- What happens to behaviour when the brain is damaged?The impact of neurological damage: how damage to the brain (for example from injury or stroke) affects movement and behaviour, and how this reveals the localisation of function.9 min answer →
- How do neurons carry and pass on messages in the nervous system?Neurons and synapses: the structure and function of neurons, the electrical impulse, and synaptic transmission using neurotransmitters.9 min answer →
- What did Sperry and Damasio's studies reveal about how the brain works?Core studies: Sperry (1968) on split-brain patients and Damasio et al. (1994) on the case of Phineas Gage, including their aims, methods, results, conclusions and evaluation.11 min answer →
- What are the main structures of the brain and what do they do?The structure and function of the brain: the cerebrum and its four lobes, the cerebellum and brain stem, and the lateralisation of function across the two hemispheres.9 min answer →
Topic 6: Criminal psychology
Module overview →- What did Bandura and Charlton's studies show about learning aggression?Core studies: Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) Bobo doll study and Charlton et al. (2000) St Helena study of television and behaviour, including their aims, methods, results, conclusions and evaluation.11 min answer →
- Can criminal behaviour be explained by biology?Biological explanations of criminality: the role of genes and brain structure (including the amygdala and frontal lobe), and an evaluation against the learning explanation.9 min answer →
- How can criminal behaviour be learned?Learning theories of criminality: social learning theory (observation, imitation and vicarious reinforcement) and operant conditioning, applied to how criminal and antisocial behaviour is learned.10 min answer →
- Does punishment work, and how can antisocial behaviour be reduced?The effect of punishment on recidivism and treatments to reduce antisocial behaviour (such as anger management and token economies), with an evaluation.9 min answer →
Topic 1: Development
Module overview →- How does the brain develop before birth and in early childhood?Early brain development: the development of the brain in the womb and in early years, including the structures that develop, and the influence of nature and nurture on development.9 min answer →
- How do mindset and ideas about learning affect how children develop and achieve?Dweck's mindset theory (fixed and growth mindset, the role of praise) and Willingham's learning theory (the limits of learning styles, the importance of meaning and self-regulation).10 min answer →
- How do psychologists explain the development of morality, and how does the nature-nurture debate apply?Morality in development (Piaget's stages of moral development and Kohlberg's idea of moral reasoning) and the nature-nurture debate applied to development.9 min answer →
- What did Piaget and Inhelder's three mountains study show about egocentrism?Core study: Piaget and Inhelder (1956), the three mountains task, including its aim, method, results, conclusion and evaluation.10 min answer →
- How does children's thinking develop according to Piaget?Piaget's theory of cognitive development: schemas, assimilation and accommodation, and the four stages of development with their key features.10 min answer →
Topic 2: Memory
Module overview →- What are the different types of memory and what happens when memory is damaged?Features of short-term and long-term memory and types of amnesia: retrograde and anterograde amnesia, and what they show about memory.9 min answer →
- What did Bartlett and Peterson and Peterson discover about memory?Core studies: Bartlett (1932) War of the Ghosts and Peterson and Peterson (1959) on short-term memory duration, including their aims, methods, results, conclusions and evaluation, and the reductionism-holism debate.11 min answer →
- How does the multi-store model explain the flow of information through memory?The multi-store model of memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin): the sensory register, short-term and long-term memory, the roles of attention and rehearsal, and an evaluation of the model.10 min answer →
- Why is memory not always an accurate recording of events?The theory of reconstructive memory (Bartlett): schemas, the active reconstruction of memory, and how this leads to distortion of recall.9 min answer →
- What are the basic structures and processes of human memory?The structure and process of memory: encoding, storage and retrieval, and the features of short-term and long-term memory (capacity, duration and encoding).9 min answer →
Topic 3: Psychological problems
Module overview →- How do we define mental health, and how common are mental health problems?Defining mental health: what is meant by mental health and mental health problems, how definitions and attitudes have changed over time, and the incidence of mental health problems.9 min answer →
- What causes addiction?Explaining addiction: its characteristics, the influence of genes, and the learning theory of addiction (classical and operant conditioning), including Young (2007) on internet addiction.10 min answer →
- What causes unipolar depression?Explaining unipolar depression: its characteristics, the influence of genes (Caspi et al. 2003), and the cognitive theory of depression (Beck's negative triad and faulty thinking).10 min answer →
- How is addiction treated?Treating addiction: drug treatments (such as aversion therapy and substitute drugs) and behavioural and cognitive approaches based on the learning theory, with an evaluation of each.9 min answer →
- How is unipolar depression treated?Treating unipolar depression: cognitive behavioural therapy (challenging negative thoughts) and drug treatments (antidepressants and how they work), and an evaluation of each.9 min answer →
Topic 11: Research methods
Module overview →- How do psychologists analyse and present the data they collect?Data analysis: types of data, measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and the range, percentages, ratios and fractions, and ways of displaying data such as bar charts and tables.11 min answer →
- How do psychologists design research to test their ideas?Designing psychological research: aims and hypotheses (including null and alternative), experimental designs, types of experiment, and other research methods such as observations, questionnaires and case studies.10 min answer →
- What ethical rules must psychologists follow when studying people and animals?Ethical issues in psychological research: consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality and the right to withdraw, the use of animals, and how researchers deal with these issues.9 min answer →
- How do psychologists choose participants and control variables?Sampling methods (random, opportunity, stratified, systematic) and variables (independent, dependent and extraneous variables), and how variables are controlled.10 min answer →
Topic 5: Social influence
Module overview →- What affects whether a bystander helps someone in need?Factors affecting bystander intervention: the bystander effect, diffusion of responsibility, and situational and personal factors that affect whether people help.9 min answer →
- How do crowds change behaviour, and what makes behaviour prosocial or antisocial?Collective behaviour: deindividuation in crowds, prosocial and antisocial behaviour, and how social influence can lead to both helping and harmful crowd behaviour.9 min answer →
- Why do people conform to groups and obey authority?Social influence concepts: conformity and the factors affecting it, obedience to authority and the factors affecting it (including Milgram's work and the agentic state).10 min answer →
- What did Piliavin and Zimbardo's studies reveal about helping and the power of the situation?Core studies: Piliavin et al. (1969) subway study of helping behaviour and Haney, Banks and Zimbardo (1973) Stanford prison study, including their aims, methods, results, conclusions and evaluation.11 min answer →