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We've started PSYA4 first for some reason, doing schizophrenia at the moment :smile: For PSYA3 we do relationships, eating behaviour and aggression.
Reply 2
Yeah I'm doing A4 at the minute, the Schizophrenia topic is so interesting! But the essays are just...


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Reply 3
i have just finished schizophrenia and just started research methods. schizophrenia was good i enjoyed it, byt research methods is so dry :yawn:
Original post by ImAz
Yeah I'm doing A4 at the minute, the Schizophrenia topic is so interesting! But the essays are just...


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Tell me about it, I have to stop procrastinating and actually write one today :frown:
Funny that, I'm doing schizophrenia in unit 4, though we started with 3 first

There's literally NO way I'm going to be able to remember it all
We've done schizophrenia as well...wish we'd have done one of the others instead though
Reply 7
We've started on unit 3 first. Perception :yawn:
Original post by lauraaaaa
We've done schizophrenia as well...wish we'd have done one of the others instead though

I think your school had to choose between schizophrenia, OCD and maybe a different disorder. Schizophrenia does look the most interesting tbh
Original post by auralay
We've started on unit 3 first. Perception :yawn:


Think you're the only other person on here starting with unit 3. How are you finding it so far? What other topics are you doing?
Reply 9
We started with Unit 4 as well o.O
We are studying relationships, aggression, perception & Phobias and Addiction.

We just finished Research methods (the statistics part puzzle me).

I think we will be moving onto phobias next..... Not sure if im looking forwards to it or not!!
Original post by mynameisntbobk
I think your school had to choose between schizophrenia, OCD and maybe a different disorder. Schizophrenia does look the most interesting tbh


Think you're the only other person on here starting with unit 3. How are you finding it so far? What other topics are you doing?


Schizophrenia, OCD, phobias and depression. I'd have enjoyed any of those last three more than schizophrenia.
Original post by lauraaaaa
Schizophrenia, OCD, phobias and depression. I'd have enjoyed any of those last three more than schizophrenia.


Really, why's that? Just out of interest, since most people seem to prefer doing schizophrenia:smile:
Original post by LeJennifleur
Really, why's that? Just out of interest, since most people seem to prefer doing schizophrenia:smile:

The other topics mean something to me, like I've suffered with them and so it'd be interesting to learn about why I am the way I am if that make sense. I know thats not the point of it but I'd have found it more interesting :smile:
Original post by lauraaaaa
The other topics mean something to me, like I've suffered with them and so it'd be interesting to learn about why I am the way I am if that make sense. I know thats not the point of it but I'd have found it more interesting :smile:


I see what you mean, but at the same time, don't you think it would be quite difficult to be taught that your conditions are predisposed/caused by you/ or anything else that you may not agree with?
Original post by mynameisntbobk
I see what you mean, but at the same time, don't you think it would be quite difficult to be taught that your conditions are predisposed/caused by you/ or anything else that you may not agree with?

This is why I don't really understand the genes explanation, no one else in my family has them. I reckon it's a mixture of faulty brain chemistry and my environment. I'd still prefer to learn about the others but I can't so it's fine :smile:
Reply 15
EDIT:

I've already done this exam last year and here are some tips from me:

-Do not start your A02 points with a researcher's name, they will mark it as A01! make sure you start your A02 points with e.g. 'There is research to support..., for example .... found'
-Always refer back to what you said in your A01
-Your essays should contain 1/3 A01 and 2/3 A02.
-You should have one or two good IDA points in each essay
-The most important point: SLT and deindividuation are not reductionist theories!

Reductionism only refers to reducing behaviour to a lower level of explanation i.e. reducing psychological explanations into biological ones. Examiner Report - June 2010 (bottom of page 3 / top of page 4)

“The term ‘reductionism’ was regularly misused to refer to approaches that focused on a single model or explanation, e.g. cognitive, psychoanalytic, evolutionary or behavioural. Such approaches may be criticised as narrow or limited, but they are not necessarily reductionist. The term ‘reductionism’ came from biology, and refers to explanations at the lowest and most detailed level; e.g. studying the functions of the liver by studying individual liver cells, or the functions of the brain by examining individual neurons. In psychology, the term is most appropriately applied to biological explanations (e.g. genetics, neurotransmitters, hormones) of complex human behaviours such as schizophrenia, eating disorders and aggression. Such reductionist explanations can be legitimately criticised as ignoring psychological, social and cultural factors. However, the social learning theory of aggression or anorexia nervosa is not reductionist because it ignores genetic factors; it is narrow or limited.”


-wherever the word 'including' is on the spec that means you could be asked two seperate 24 mark questions e.g. ‘Biological explanations of AN, including neural and evolutionary explanations’ you could be asked to:

Describe and evaluate biological explanations of one eating disorder. (8 marks + 16 marks)

Describe and evaluate neural explanations of one eating disorder. (8 marks + 16 marks)

Describe and evaluate evolutionary explanations of one eating disorder. (8 marks + 16 marks)


If you are asked about biological explanations then you can used neural explanations and/or evolutionary explanations.
-make sure you are ready for 4 mark, 8 mark, 12 mark and 24 mark question for each essay.

and finally start revising early, don't leave it near the exam or you will regret it!

Past papers and Mark schemes can be found here: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/a-level/psychology-a-2180/past-papers-and-mark-schemes


past exam questions for Relationships, Aggression and Eating Behaviour:

Spoiler




For anyone doing Relationships, Aggression, Eating Behaviour or Schizophrenia, these are the questions that are most likely to come up:

for Relationships:

sex differences in parental investment hasn't come up yet,



for Aggression:

24 marker on neural and

24 marker on hormonal hasn't come up,

they haven't asked for 2 or more social psychological theories,

they haven't asked institutional aggression for 24 marks



for Eating Behaviour:

evo explanation of food preference was asked in june 2011

they haven't asked for neural explanation of eating disorder (24 marks) or

evo explanation of an eating disorder for 24 marks or

psychological explanations for 24 marks,



for Schizophrenia:

Psychological explanations of Schizophrenia has not come up yet as a 24 marker





All the best guys :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 16
Original post by nm786
For those doing PSYA3: There is so much to learn for this unit so start memorising essays NOW! trust me don't leave it two/three weeks before the exam. Out of all the four units, this is definitely the toughest which is why the grade boundaries are so low. I did Relationships, Aggression and Eating Behaviour and I will be uploading my essays soon! The document will contain all the potential 24 markers for this unit, most of them are marked A grades with some A* by my teacher last year. To help you guys and girls I will upload them soon so just watch out. :smile:


Thanks this is really nice of you!


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Original post by mynameisntbobk
Think you're the only other person on here starting with unit 3. How are you finding it so far? What other topics are you doing?


As another poster has said, the amount of information you need to memorise is insane! My teacher said it's basically just a memory test, so I'm glad I have until the summer to cram it all in.

I'm also doing biological rhythms and aggression. :smile: I'm finding perception really dull but we're moving onto aggression next week, so hopefully it'll pick up a bit.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by lauraaaaa
This is why I don't really understand the genes explanation, no one else in my family has them. I reckon it's a mixture of faulty brain chemistry and my environment. I'd still prefer to learn about the others but I can't so it's fine :smile:

I do get you :smile: I just look at them and don't really see any potential interests in it.

Original post by auralay
As another poster has said, the amount of information you need to memorise is insane! My teacher said it's basically just a memory test, so I'm glad I have until the summer to cram it all in.

I'm also doing biological rhythms and aggression. :smile: I'm finding perception really dull but we're moving onto aggression next week, so hopefully it'll pick up a bit.


It is really mad, I literally can't remember anything and it doesn't help that I keep missing lessons.

Would have thought perception would be interesting :tongue: I want to do biological rhythms and sleep :eek: I should be starting aggression pretty soon as well
Original post by mynameisntbobk
It is really mad, I literally can't remember anything and it doesn't help that I keep missing lessons.

Would have thought perception would be interesting :tongue: I want to do biological rhythms and sleep :eek: I should be starting aggression pretty soon as well


A few people were moaning about how much we have to remember for perception and then my teacher says "It's about double this amount for biological rhythms and sleep" joy!

& Yeah, I missed one lesson and it felt as if I'd missed 10. It's hard work this year but it's enjoyable :smile:

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