GCSE-readyGCSE Psychology: common mistakes
The wrong answers students pick most often in our Psychology questions, and why they are wrong. Read these before a test, then open the lesson for anything that surprises you.
Getting started
- What is psychology? Theories, evidence and explanations
- Not “The study of the brain's cells only”. That is part of biology or neuroscience; psychology is broader.
- Not “The study of how societies are organised”. That is closer to sociology.
- Not “A child copies her older brother”. Copying is learned from experience: nurture.
- How to read a psychology study: aim, method, results, conclusion
- Not “Children who saw the aggressive model hit the doll more”. This is a result: it reports what was observed.
- Not “72 children took part”. This describes the sample, part of the method.
- Not “Control of variables”. Real settings usually have less control, not more.
- Thinking like a scientist: variables, fair tests and hypotheses
- Not “The number of sums correct”. That is measured, so it is the DV.
- Answering psychology questions: describe, explain, evaluate
- Not “Social learning is learning by watching others”. Accurate, but it does not mention Leo, so it does not apply the idea.
Topic 1: Development
- Early brain development
- Not “Cerebellum”. The cerebellum controls balance and motor skills.
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development
- Not “Accommodation”. Accommodation is when the schema has to change.
Topic 2: Memory
- Retrograde and anterograde amnesia
- Not “Retrograde”. Retrograde affects memories from before the damage.
Topic 6: Criminal psychology
- Operant conditioning and crime
- Not “Negative reinforcement”. Negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant.
- Not “Negative punishment”. Negative punishment removes something pleasant to reduce a behaviour.
- Social learning theory and crime
- Not “Being rewarded for your own behaviour”. That is direct reinforcement, from operant conditioning.
- Eysenck's personality theory of crime
- Not “Extraversion”. Extraversion is about sociability and excitement-seeking.
Topic 7: The self
- Self-concept: Lewis and Rogers
- Not “Existential self”. The existential self is simply knowing you exist and are separate.
- Trait theory: Allport and Cattell
- Not “Central”. Central traits are the main 5 to 10 traits most people have.
Topic 8: Perception
- Key study: Haber and Levin (2001)
- Not “A Christmas tree”. Christmas trees vary in size, so they are token variant.