Edexcel A-Level Psychology Study
Companion (2025)
Subtitle: Concise Notes for Edexcel 9PS0 – Foundations, Research, and Applied Topics
Date: February 20, 2025
Part 1: Foundations of Psychology
1. Social Psychology
● Obedience: Following directives from authority.
○ Milgram (1963): 65% gave maximum shocks due to orders.
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Insight: Authority shapes actions.
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Critique: Controlled but ethically questionable.
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Prejudice: Attitudes toward groups.
○ Sherif (1954): Robbers Cave – Competition fuels bias.
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Insight: Conflict drives division.
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Critique: Real-world setting; hard to replicate.
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2. Cognitive Psychology
● Memory Models:
○ Multi-Store (Atkinson & Shiffrin): Input → STM (limited) → LTM (vast).
■ Support: Serial position effect.
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Critique: Overly basic; ignores processing depth.
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Reconstructive (Bartlett, 1932): Memory reshaped by schemas.
■ Support: “War of the Ghosts” distortions.
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Critique: Insightful; lacks precision.
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3. Biological Psychology
● Brain and Behavior:
○ Raine et al. (1997): Murderers’ brains show prefrontal deficits.
■ Insight: Biology ties to aggression.
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Critique: Correlational; ethical limits.
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Hormones: Testosterone linked to dominance.
○ Support: Animal studies (e.g., Mazur).
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Critique: Human complexity ignored.
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4. Learning Theories
● Classical Conditioning: Pavlov – Stimulus pairing (e.g., bell → salivation).
○ Critique: Simple; excludes cognition.
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Operant Conditioning: Skinner – Rewards/punishments shape behavior.
○ Critique: Lab-strong; overlooks free will.
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Part 2: Research in Psychology
1. Methods of Study
● Experiments: Lab (e.g., Milgram), Field (e.g., Sherif).
○ Pros/Cons: Lab (reliable, artificial); Field (natural, messy).
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Surveys: Self-reported data (e.g., attitudes).
○ Pros/Cons: Broad reach; bias risk.
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Observations: Watching behavior (e.g., Bandura’s aggression).
2. Data Handling
● Stats Basics: Central tendency (mean, etc.), dispersion (range).
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Tests: Pearson’s r (correlation), t-test (differences).
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Reliability: Consistency (e.g., test-retest).
3. Ethical Considerations
● Principles: Informed consent, no harm, debriefing.
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*Issues: Milgram (stress), Raine (stigmatization).
Part 3: Applied Psychology Topics
1. Clinical Psychology
● Disorders:
○ Schizophrenia: Hallucinations (positive), apathy (negative).
■ Study: Rosenhan (1973) – Faking insanity misled diagnosis.
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Depression: Low mood, cognitive bias.
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Explanations: Dopamine (schizophrenia); Beck’s triad (depression).
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Therapies: Drugs (e.g., antipsychotics); CBT.
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Analysis: Drugs fast; therapy deeper.
2. Option 1: Criminological Psychology
● Causes:
○ Biological: Raine – Brain abnormalities.
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Social: Bandura – Learned violence (Bobo doll).
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*Application: Token economy in prisons (reinforcement).
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*Analysis: Practical; partial explanation.
3. Option 2: Child Psychology
● Development:
○ Piaget: Stages (e.g., concrete operational).
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Study: Ainsworth – Attachment types (Strange Situation).
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*Application: Parenting styles impact (e.g., Baumrind).
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*Analysis: Structured; culture-specific.
Key Issues and Debates
● Genes vs. Environment: Raine (nature) vs. Sherif (nurture).
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Simplification vs. Complexity: Biological (narrow) vs. cognitive (broad).
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Ethics vs. Insight: Milgram (harmful) vs. knowledge gained.
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Scientific Value: Lab rigor vs. real-life messiness.
