Lesson 1  – Homework Amnesty – we started the lesson by looking for work that has yet to be marked/checked by me. If you have anything in your file that is unmarked please dig out and hand to me ASAP.

We then completed an ‘Apply it’ question based on Measuring Brain Volume  – it was the kind of question that required Research Method’s skills. These types of question can crop up any where on any of the 3 examination papers. They are to be found on nearly every double page spread in both the GHG and PHG. If you are not regularly practicing these types of questions, and checking your answers with those in the digital text book, you are doing yourself a massive dis-service. These questions can make up to 2 grades difference in the final examination!

We will continue with DA theory next lesson.

Lesson 2  – We evaluated Differential Association Theory. Using common sense alone we should be able to come up with some strengths and weaknesses of this theory.

Lesson 3  – We examined 2 possible psycho-dynamic explanations for offending behaviour. We discussed the idea of a problematic super-ego, or the outcome of Maternal Deprivation (Bowlby). You need to be able to describe and evaluate both theories. Now is a good time to re-vist your psychodynamic theory notes.

Lesson 4-5  – We need to explore how best to deal with offenders. Here are the power points I will be using:   BUT – I gave back exam papers instead 🙂

dealing-with-offending-behaviour

1 token economy 2017

2 am and rj 2017

Prep – for next Wednesday     

1. You have been asked to create a mind-map/poster/revision cards for all the explanations for offending behaviour. Think about which will help you the most in terms of revision. Include a brief description of the explanation together with at least one strength and one weakness.
2. Please complete the PHG mini worksheet pack (the one printed in colour) – specifically exercise 12.11 and 12.13.  Have you read the table  (12.10b)?
3. Ensure you have used the PHG digital text book – have you done the quiz? Have you looked at the Apply It questions?
4. Check you have read the Tutor2U companion for this topic – it could be you find the explanations easier to understand in this pack than in the PHG text book.
5. Check you have completed the relevant sections of the Forensic Fill In pack. This one is helpful as it helps you create useful notes without having to write too much.

This week we need to really crack on with the explanations for crime. We have already examined some Biological explanations, and now we need to learn about some Psychological ones.

For those of you that like to print, or have the power point in the lesson, here are the ones will be using this week.

eysenk 1

cognitive-explanation-kohlberg

simple differential association     this one is more challenging >> criminal behaviours – social 1 – differential association

psychodynamic explanation

Please ensure you have already read the relevant sections on the PHG  – p330-337

Here is a link to an online personality test >>>  https://similarminds.com/eysenck.html

Lesson 1  – you completed 2 versions of Eysenck’s Personality Inventory. If the questionnaires have concurrent validity you should get a similar result on both tests. Remember a valid test measures what it intends to measure, in this case personality. If the questionnaire is RELIABLE, you should get the same score if your complete the same test again in a month’s time, in other words, the results should be consistent over time.

Lesson 2 – We finished describing and evaluating Eysenck’s personality theory.  You used your PHG revision guide to find some evaluation points. You completed the relevant section in your ‘fill in Forensic Booklet’. You should always have this with you in the lesson!

Lesson 3 – We examined the 2 cognitive explanations for offending – see power point above.

There will be an open book timed examination question on this during the lesson tomorrow. Ensure you have considered how you will evaluate this explanation.

Lesson 4  – Starter activity from your PHG mini pack (coloured version handed out today).  Open book 16 mark question.

Describe and discuss cognitive explanations for offending. Refer to at least one other explanation of offending in your answer (16 marks)

Lesson 5  – Time to examine a social learning explanation for offending – the differential association theory.  

Prep – Due next Wednesday 

Discuss Eysenck’s theory of the criminal personality, referring to evidence within your answer (16 marks).     This requires that you briefly outline his theory, ensuring you make at least 6 mark worthy points.  Discussion means you present the arguments both for and against this being a reasonable explanation for offending behaviour.

and/or

Complete exercise 12.8 in the Mini PHG pack (the one I printed in colour).    This requires that you think about each of the evaluation points given, and elaborate each one.

 

This week it was mock exam week – I hope your revision paid off, and that you felt comfortable in your knowledge during the examinations.

Remember to check previous blog for homework set over the Christmas period. This will be due in on Monday 14th Jan.

Your final examinations will be here before you know it. Remember each paper is 2 hours long and is marked out of 96.

Paper 1    (20th May pm)

• Section A –  Social Influence
• Section B – Memory
• Section C- Attachment
• Section D-  Psychopathology

Half Term 

Paper 2    (7th June pm)

• Section A –  Approaches
• Section B – Biological
• Section C-  Research Methods

Paper 3    (14th June am)

• Section A –  Issues and Debates
• Section B – Relationships/Gender (we need to decide)
• Section C- Schizophrenia
• Section D-  Forensic

Below  is the direct link to the AQA website where you will see the actual 2016 and 2017 examination papers together with the mark schemes and examiners reports.

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources

RECAP – 2019 Psychology examination dates are:

• Paper 1 is on the 20th May 2019 (pm)
• Paper 2 is in the 7th June 2019 (pm)
• Paper 3 is on 14th June 2019 (am)

Lesson 1  – cancelled due to Carol Concert.

Lesson 2  – We considered what Gender Bias is and why it is a bad thing >>>>> G Bias Dec

We will come back to this topic again, nevertheless you need to read about this issue now.  See page 94-95 PHG – we will do the Apply it Question on page 95 in our lesson tomorrow. You were given this activity on a worksheet – to be completed as prep if you didn’t finish it during the lesson.

Lesson 3  – We learned about Content Analysis as a way of collecting and analyzing data. >>> content analysis

Here is a real example of a content analysis for you to look at >> Cumberpatch & Gauntlett

Do read about this research method on pages 64-65 PHG digital text book ….. I hope you enjoy the toilet humour! ‘latrinalia’

Lesson 4 & 5 – We used the lesson to complete a number of consolidation activities. You worked as a class on a circular gender bias activity and we also played a Kahoot game about AS psychopathology.  Do complete the rest of the worksheets you were given by the start of next term ….. I will be checking 🙂  Be warned – All of these topics will come up in your Mock exam!

Prep:

Take time to consolidate this week’s lessons – finish completing the worksheets you were given in class, together with the relevant sections in the PHG about Gender Bias and Content Analysis, and the Nature vs Nurture debate.

This is an interesting and worthwhile read >>>    How to tackle difficult exam questions

This is a useful revision blog  >>>   http://psychopepper.com/revising-research-methods/

Kahoot have lots of great AQA psychology quizzes for you to play over the Christmas period if you need to break up your revision. It is good to test your knowledge and its fun 🙂

Tutor2U have an amazing website with loads of revision videos, revision quizzes, key notes and glossaries etc …you’d be well advised to make this a favourite. Don’t forget the ‘Crash Course’ series on You Tube for fun reminders of all the main topics.

Remember to complete your PHG Biological Psychology Pack as part of your active revision strategy.

To help with revision go back thorough the blog – you can revisit power points and check you have completed all your assignments  – everything I have asked you to do has been designed to develop your AO1, AO2 or AO3 skills and to further develop your content knowledge.

Finally …… Make a revision timetable and stick to it. You need to actively map out how long you will spend each day on revising psychology. If you don’t prepare like you would for the real thing in the summer, then the real thing in the summer will become the MOCK exam!! Think about it !

Obviously you will all need to spend some time over the Christmas break revising for your January mock exams. Your revision needs to be active though, and you need to include Research Methods as well as Issues and Debates. Simply reading through your notes IS NOT active revision. If you can cope with more than 3/4 of an hour of revision at a time, it suggests you are being too passive.  In class when I ASK YOU TO RECALL FROM MEMORY AND YOU ALL GROAN… well that is because you have to retrieve the information from LTM, and that  is hard work! BUT it is what helps you to learn the information. After every revision session you should force yourself to write down,  from memory, everything you have covered – then go back and check and find out what you missed.

To help you prepare for the mock  I would like you to complete the following ‘KNOWLEDGE CHECK’ questions from your PHG Revision Guide.

1. page 47 – Questions 1 and 2
2. page 49 – Questions 1, 2 and 3
3. page 51 – Questions 1, 2 and 3
4. page 57 – Questions 1, 2 and 3
5. page 63 –  Question 4
6. page 65 –  Question 4

I wish you all a lovely break from school, and I hope you get to enjoy some relaxation with your friends and family.

I would like you to hand in the Christmas Home work  during morning or afternoon registration on your first day back at school Monday 7th Jan 2019. 

Link to past papers and mark schemes and examiners reports  >> https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources

Why bother to read the chief examiners report?? 

Well, to find out where students are going wrong on the papers, in order to learn from the mistakes of others, that’s why!!

In order to make life easier for you all I am attaching the power points I will be using to further consolidate your understanding of the biological explanations for criminal behaviour. Do print these out if you find that useful.

1 atavistic explanation

2 biological structure & chemical explanation 2017

3 Genetic biological explanation

Please save/print and read the following >>>  Trying to explain psychopathy

because you have already spent some time researching this topic I hope to be able to speed through the content.

Come to lessons with all your research notes and any questions that you have.

Lesson 1 – We examined the Atavistic form theory  –

Lesson 2  – completed Atavistic form  – you answered the following under exam conditions.

Briefly outline the historical approach (Atavistic form) to offending behaviour (6 marks)

Lesson 3  – We started to consider various structural explanations for offending behaviour. The key researcher was Raine who compered the PET scans of NGRI criminals with a control group of non-criminals.

Lesson 4 – We examined some chemical explanations for offending behaviour, including the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, and the hormone testosterone.

Lesson 5  – We explored a genetic explanation – this involved learning about the research methods used, including twin and family studies and case studies. MAOA was implicated in aggression. If this gene is mutated it affects the levels of serotonin. Brunner’s case study supports this.

Prep

Please complete pages pages 11-16 in your Forensic Pack

Please finish the T2U worksheet which you started in class.

Remember to ‘do the work’ i.e. consolidate your understanding of the biological explanations fro criminal behaviour by reading your digital text book, doing the quiz etc

Bring your text books to the lesson on Monday as you will be answering this question during the lesson.  “Discuss Biological explanations of offending behaviour”  (16 marks) 

Lesson 1  – Unfortunately I will not be present for the lesson today.

I have left some work for you complete in the top drawer of the desk in Mrs Barbers and my shared classroom.

1. Take back your correlation or experiment sheet. I would like you to complete the reverse side. This is to check your understanding of the correlation method.
2. Allow yourself no more than 10 minutes to complete the 3 and 2 mark question on Offender profiling.
3. You have an ‘Apply it’ question to complete. Once you have checked the model answers in your digital text book, add to your original answers in different colour so that I can see how you have improved your answers.
4. Finally, you have a Research Methods question to complete using a profiling scenario.  For question 4,  use your text book to find out which statistical test would be appropriate for this kind of data.

Read ahead – will be examining the Biological explanation for crime next – do read about this in your digital text book.

Lessons 2-5   I was absent for these lessons

Use this time for some independent research. I’d like you to summarise the bio and psychological explanation of offending. Use the digital text book. 

For each explanation ensure you have:
AO1  6-10 pieces of factual information for each explanation.

AO3. One strength and one weakness for each  properly peey’d

Once you have researched Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality,please complete questions 1-3 on page 213 of the PHG revision guide.

You recently completed 2 past correlation exam questions. I will hand these back on Monday 3rd Dec. Here are the mark schemes to help you identify where you may have lost some marks Mark scheme 2012    Mark scheme 2013

Lesson 1 – Housekeeping consisted of handing back work and glossary tests. We then went on to examine the way crime rates are measured in the UK.

Please complete pages 2-5 in your Forensic psychology pack 

Forensic 2

Lesson 2  – Today was all about Offender Profiling. >>>>>>>   top down

Lesson 3 – You analysed 3 crime scenes looking for evidence of organised and disorganized offender. We also evaluated the top down approach.

Make sure you are pre-reading. Bottom up profiling tomorrow!

Please complete pages 6-10 in your Forensic psychology pack 

Lesson 3-4   Bottom-up approach >>>>>   bottom up 

 

These you-tube clips provide excellent explanations of offender profiling. It is well worth watching them. Be aware, they are  undergraduate level. This is what university lectures may be like.

 

Prep for next Wednesday 

Describe and Evaluate three ways of measuring crime. Refer to evidence and/or published examples in your answer (16 marks)

Use your PHG revision guide to  have another look at how to write up a lab report  – look at the various sections – I will be assessing your understanding of this later on this week.

I forgot to take in the spearman’s rho/Pearsons R homework due today – I will take in all prep from last week on Wednesday of this week.

If you have not yet completed your Biological Psychology PHG pack I suggest you do. The activities are designed to help check you understanding of the concepts we have covered, like brain localisation and biological rhythms.  Sadly I was unable to spend any more time covering  these topics.  

Finally please complete pages 2-10 in your Forensic Packs

Official Crime Survey for England and Wales 2018

Here is a summary of how Crime is measured  >>> Ways of Measuring Crime 

You could also read about this is the Forensic Course Companion which I emailed you

Remember to come to the lesson with some knowledge – read ahead 🙂