IB Psychology SL/HL

2027 Curriculum Outline

The aims of the psychology course at SL and HL are to:

1. Develop knowledge and understanding of psychological concepts, content and contexts, including models and theories

2. Think critically and creatively about behaviour and cognitive processes

3. Engage with problems facing individuals, groups and societies using psychological understanding and skills.

The goal of psychological literacy “personal, social, and cultural awareness which requires critical reflection extending beyond the purely cognitive…it is not external but an essence of ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This realization has profound implications for the importance of psychological literacy to oneself and one’s fellow man” (Cranney & Dunn, 2011).

1. Content: Approaches to psychology.

1. Biological Approach

2. Cognitive Approach

3. Sociocultural Approach

4. Research Methodology

2. Context: Fields of study in psychology

1. Health and Well-Being

2. Human Development

3. Human Relationships

4. Learning and Cognition

3. Concepts: Broad, generic ideas that can be found in all contents and contexts in psychology.

1. Bias

2. Causality

3. Change

4. Measurement

5. Perspective

6. Responsibility

Year 1

Fall Semester

1. CONTENT: Research Methodology

1. Introduction to psychology; What is an experiment?; Independent variable, dependent variable, controls, random allocation.

2. HL: Extension of more examples of experiments.

3. True vs. Quasi-experiments; Sampling techniques.

4. HL: Introduction to descriptive statistics: mean, median, mode, standard deviation, IQR.

5. Limitations in experiments.

6. HL: Carry out an experiment for data analysis.

7. Ethical considerations in experiments.

2. CONTEXT 1: Health and Well-Being

CONTENT:

1. MDD, Anxiety Disorders, or PTSD

   1. Biological Explanations

   2. Value of cognitive models in understanding a mental health disorder

   3. Cultural differences that can explain prevalence of mental health disorders; Cultural differences in approaching mental health

   4. The role of environmental factors in understanding/explaining mental health disorders

2. Health Problems: obesity, drug use/misuse, social media addiction

   1. Factors that may explain prevalence of a health problem

   2. Factors that may explain differences in health problems between populations

   3. The role of social learning in health problems.

   4. The role of social learning  in understanding a health problem

   5. The role of stress in a health problem

3. Prevention and treatment

   1. Explanation and effectiveness of one biological treatment 

   2. Effectiveness on one treatment/prevention strategy

   3. Explanation and effectiveness of one psychological treatment

4. Practical: Interview

   1. Strectured, semi-structured, or focus group interview: stress, mindfulness, exercise habits, social media use

5. HL Extensions: Culture

   1. The role of culture in health and well-being

   2. The role of culture in diagnosing and treating mental health issues

   3. Cross-cultural comparisons of the prevalence of mental health issues

6. HL Extensions: Motivation

   1. The different motivational theories underpinning the prevention or treatment of a health problem.

   2.  The role of motivation in changing behavior.

7. HL Extensions: Technology

   1. The role of technology in assisting in the prevention or treatment of health problems.

   2. The role of technology on mental health problems.

   3. The effectiveness of tele-therapy on mental health problems.

Spring Semester

3. CONTEXT 2: Human Development

CONTENT:

1. Brain Development

   1. The role of brain maturation in human development

   2. The extent to which critical periods explain human development

   3. The role of neuroplasticity in human development

2. Sociocultural factors in development

   1. The influence of sociocultural factors in human development

3. Stage theories and continuous models

   1. The effectiveness of stage theories and continuous models in understanding human development

4. Theory of Mind

   1. The role theory of mind has in understanding human development and cognition

5. Development of Self

   1. Attachment: The role of attachment in the development of self

   2. Enculturation of social norms: The role of enculturation of social norms in the development of self

   3. Peer influence: The role of peer influence in the development of self

   4. Role of childhood experiences: The role of childhood experiences in the development of self

6. Practical: Observation (naturalistic or controlled, overt or covert, participant or non-participant)

   1. Suggestions: Observation of language learning classes, playground observations, observation of group dynamic in a public setting.

7. HL Extensions: Culture

   1. The role of cultural dimensions in understanding the social and cognitive development of children.

   2. The extent Western models of development can be applied child development in indigenous cultures - and vice versa.

   3. The role of culture in developing the self.

8. HL Extensions: Motivation

   1. The different motivational theories important in human development.

   2. The role of extrinsic motivators in the social development of a child.

9. HL Extensions: Technology

   1. The role of technology on the development of self.

   2. The role of artificial intelligence to test models of human development.

   3. The effect of technology on attachment.

4. CONTEXT 3: Human Relationships

CONTENT:

1. Group Behavior

   1. Acculturation: Different acculturation strategies and their effect on mental health.

   2. Compliance Techniques: The application of one or more compliance techniques to change group behaviors.

   3. Conformity: The role of conformity in understanding group behaviors.

   4. Cultural Dimensions: The role of one or more cultural dimensions in understanding group behaviors.

   5. Social Identity Theory: The application of social identity theory to explain and change group behaviors.

   6. Social Learning: The application of social learning theory to change group behaviors.

2. Interpersonal Relationships

   1. Chemical Messengers: The role of one or more chemical messengers in interpersonal relationships.

   2. Cognitive Explanations: One or more cognitive explanations for interpersonal relationships.

   3. Communication/Language: The role of communication in interpersonal relationships.

   4. Strategies for Improving Relationships: One or more strategies for improving relationships.

3. Practical: Survey/Questionnaire

   1. Suggestions: Hazan & Shaver (1987) love quiz, Buss (1989) cross-cultural differences in attraction.

4. HL Extensions: Culture

   1. Different strategies for developing and maintaining cross-cultural relationships.

   2. The role of culture and strategies for cross-cultural communication.

5. HL Extensions: Motivation

   1. The role of motivation to influence group behaviors

   2. The motivational strategies to change individual behaviors.

   3. The role of motivators in leading to greater employee satisfaction and performance.

6. HL Extensions: Technology

   1. The impact of technology on interpersonal relationships

   2. The role of social media contributing to group behavior.

   3. The use of technology to assist with acculturation to a new society.

Year 2

Fall Semester

5. CONTEXT 4: Learning and Cognition

CONTENT:

1. Thinking and Learning

   1. Cognitive Biases: The role of one or more cognitive biases in decision making.

   2. Conditioning (Classical and Operant): Examples of classical and operant conditioning as ways of learning; Application of operant conditioning to change behavior.

   3. Dual Processing Model: The value of the Dual Processing Model for understanding thinking and decision making.

   4. Schema Theory: The role of schema in behavior and/or cognition.

   5. Social Learning Theory: The role of Social Learning Theory in learning; Application of Social Learning Theory to change behavior.

2. Cognitive Processes

   1. Biological Factors in Cognitive Processes: The role of one or more biological factors in one or more cognitive processes.

   2. Cognitive Models: The value of cognitive models to understand one or more cognitive processes; Compare two cognitive models used in understanding one cognitive process.

   3. Cultural Factors in Cognitive Processes: The role of one or more cultural factors in one cognitive process.

   4. Environmental Influences on Cognitive Processes: The potential influence of one or more environmental factors on one cognitive process.

   5. Potential for Improving a Cognitive Process: One or more strategies to improve one or more cognitive processes.

3. Practical: Experiment (True or Quasi-)

   1. Examples: Loftus & Palmer (1974) car crash; Masuda & Nisbett (2001) attention with analytic and holistic thinkers; Tversky & Kahneman (1974) anchoring bias; Music and memory/Mozart Effect (Rauscher, et. al, 1997).

4. HL Extensions: Culture

   1. The role of culture on learning and cognition.

   2. The role of bilingualism on other cognitive processes.

   3. The extent to which learning and cognition across cultures are similar and different.

5. HL Extensions: Motivation

   1. The role of motivation in enhancing one cognitive process.

   2. The strategies to motivating students to become independent learners.

   3. The extent motivation can be assessed.

6. HL Extensions: Technology

   1. The role of technology on learning.

   2. The effect of technology on cognition.

6. Internal Assessment

1. Research Proposal: Design a research proposal to investigate a population of interest using one of the four research methods in the class practicals.

Spring Semester

7. HL Extensions: Data Analysis and Interpretation (Spring and integrated into the contexts)

1. Bar Graph

2. Box and Whisker Plot

3. Distributions (normal and skew)

4. Frequency Table

5. Histograms

6. Line Graphs

7. Outliers

8. Scatterplot

9. Descriptive Statistics

10. Inferential Statistics

11. Correlation Coefficient

12. Thematic Analysis

8. Revision

1. Preparing for Paper 1

2. Preparing for Paper 2

3. HL: Preparing for Paper 3

9. External Assessment

1. Paper 1: Integration of the Concepts, Contexts, and Content (35 marks)

   1. Section A: two compulsory short answer questions from two of the three content areas.

   2. Section B: two compulsory short-answer questions asking students to apply their knowledge of content to an unseen situation, each from one of four contexts.

   3. Section C: students answer one of two concept-based extended response questions, each from a different context.

2. Paper 2: Applying concepts and content to research contexts. (35 marks)

1. Section A: four compulsory questions that focus on the class practicals.

2. Section B: evaluation of an unseen research study with regard to two or more concepts.

     C. Paper 3 (HL only): Analyze data and findings from several sources provided, focused on the HL extensions. (30 marks)

1. Question 1: Interpretation of graphs

2. Question 2: Data analysis

3. Question 3: Research considerations

4. Question 4: Synthesis