Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Psychology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales 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.
Unit 4: Psychology: Applied Research Methods
Module overview β- How do psychologists apply advanced research methods and statistics to real research scenarios?Application of research methods (Section B): brain-scanning techniques, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, extended reliability and validity, distributions and descriptive statistics, and choosing and interpreting inferential tests.15 min answer β
- What are the personal investigations, and what skills do they assess?Personal investigations (Section A): the practical investigations carried out across the course (such as a Stroop or memory experiment, an observation and a correlation) and the design, analysis and evaluation skills they assess.12 min answer β
Unit 3: Psychology: Implications in the Real World
Module overview β- How do biological, individual and social factors explain addiction, and how is it treated?Addictive behaviours (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of addiction, and one therapy or intervention used to treat it.13 min answer β
- How do biological, individual and social factors explain autistic spectrum behaviours, and how are they supported?Autistic spectrum behaviours (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of autism, and one therapy or intervention used to support autistic people.12 min answer β
- How do biological, individual and social factors explain bullying, and how can it be reduced?Bullying behaviours (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of bullying, and one intervention used to reduce it.12 min answer β
- What are the major controversies in psychology, and how do you argue them?Controversies (Section B): cultural bias, research ethics, the use of non-human animals, psychology as a science, and sexism in psychology.13 min answer β
- How do biological, individual and social factors explain criminal behaviour, and how is it tackled?Criminal behaviours (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of criminality, and one intervention used to reduce reoffending.13 min answer β
- How do biological, individual and social factors explain schizophrenia, and how is it treated?Schizophrenia (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of schizophrenia, and one therapy or intervention used to treat it.13 min answer β
- How do biological, individual and social factors explain stress, and how is it managed?Stress (Section A): biological, individual and social explanations of stress, and one therapy or intervention used to manage it.13 min answer β
Unit 1: Psychology: Past to Present
Module overview β- How does the behaviourist approach explain behaviour through learning, and how well does it stand up?The behaviourist approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of systematic desensitisation, the classic study of Watson and Rayner (1920), and evaluation.13 min answer β
- How does the biological approach explain behaviour, and how well does it stand up to evaluation?The biological approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of drug treatment, the classic study of Raine et al. (1997), and evaluation.13 min answer β
- How does the cognitive approach explain behaviour through mental processing, and how well does it stand up?The cognitive approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of cognitive behaviour therapy, the classic study of Loftus and Palmer (1974), and evaluation.13 min answer β
- How does the positive approach explain wellbeing and the good life, and how well does it stand up?The positive approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of positive psychology techniques, the classic study of Myers and Diener (1995), and evaluation.12 min answer β
- How does the psychodynamic approach explain behaviour through the unconscious, and how well does it stand up?The psychodynamic approach: assumptions, application to the formation of relationships, the therapy of psychoanalysis, the classic study of Bowlby (1944), and evaluation.13 min answer β
Unit 2: Psychology: Using Psychological Concepts
Module overview β- How do the five approaches inform a contemporary debate, and how do you argue both sides?Contemporary debates (Section A): applying the five approaches to a current debate such as the ethics of neuroscience, the importance of mothering, conditioning children, the reliability of eyewitness testimony, and the value of positive psychology.12 min answer β
- What do Milgram (1963) and Kohlberg (1968) reveal about obedience and moral development?Core research for Unit 2: Milgram (1963) on obedience to authority and Kohlberg (1968) on the stages of moral development, including procedure, findings, conclusions and evaluation.13 min answer β
- How do psychologists design valid, reliable and ethical studies?Research methods (Section B): hypotheses, variables, experimental and non-experimental methods, experimental designs, sampling, reliability, validity, and ethics.14 min answer β