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EnglandPsychology

Development

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What do the development core studies show about how children think and how mindset affects achievement?

The development core studies: the classic study Piaget (1952) on the conservation of number, and the contemporary study Blackwell et al. (2007) on mindset and mathematics achievement.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 development core studies, covering the classic study Piaget (1952) on the conservation of number and the contemporary study Blackwell et al. (2007) on mindset and mathematics achievement, including the aim, method, results, conclusions and evaluation of each.
11 min answer →

How is psychology used in the classroom to help children learn?

Applications of developmental psychology to education: how Piaget's stage theory and Dweck's mindset theory inform teaching methods, including readiness, discovery learning, praise and intervention programmes.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 development application on education, covering how Piaget's stage theory (readiness and discovery learning) and Dweck's mindset theory (effort praise and growth-mindset interventions) inform teaching methods, and the strengths and weaknesses of applying them.
9 min answer →

How do mindset and the way we are praised affect how well we learn?

Dweck's mindset theory: fixed and growth mindsets, the effect of praise (for effort versus ability) on motivation and achievement, and the role of learning and effort in development.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 development topic on learning and the growth mindset, covering Dweck's fixed and growth mindsets, the effect of praising effort versus ability on motivation and achievement, and how this links to development and education.
9 min answer →

Is development driven by our genes (nature) or our experiences (nurture), and how does the brain develop?

The nature-nurture debate in development, early brain development and the role of maturation, and how genetic and environmental factors interact to shape cognitive and behavioural development.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 development topic on nature versus nurture and brain development, covering the nature-nurture debate, early brain development and maturation, the interaction of genes and environment, and the evidence used to support each side.
10 min answer →

How does Piaget explain the way children's thinking develops as they grow?

Piaget's theory of cognitive development: schemas, assimilation and accommodation, and the four stages (sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational) with conservation, egocentrism and object permanence.
A focused answer to the OCR GCSE Psychology J203 development topic on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, covering schemas, assimilation and accommodation, the four stages (sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational and formal operational), and key concepts including conservation, egocentrism and object permanence.
10 min answer →