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PYA4 Psychology exam on tuesday - help!

Hi, I'm sitting the PYA4 exam on tuesday (not a resit as we did PYA5 in january instead) and am struggling with revision!

There's just soo much to know - it seems as soon as I get one thing straight in my head, the rest starts to disappear. I'm going to be hopeless on details of theories/research. One question on research - when we're asked to describe and evaluate research, can theories be used here or is it just research studies?

I'm doing personality/gender/adolescence, relationships and sleep and dreaming. I've pretty much just got sleep left to revise now, although I feel like I need to revise it all as my memory is failing me!

Has anyone got any tips for remembering this vast amount of stuff (in particular theory/research details)? And any ideas on which questions will actually come up?

Thanks!

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Reply 1

MagsMysh

the term "research" includes theories and studies so if the question asks you to describe and evaluate research you can write about either or both.

i used cue cards to help me revise because PYA4 is just memorising information and regurgitating it in the exam.

good luck for your exam

Reply 2

daisyy

It's actually not that bad. Instead of trying to memorise everything, do as many exam papers/practice questions as you can thus being prepared for any possible question. As you're writing essays, refer back to notes aswell so you're effectively revising whilst getting exam practice. :smile:

Reply 3

dorkskank

i know nothing for the paper, and it IS a resit... pressure much :frown:

Reply 4

daisyy

Discuss lateralisation of function in the cerebral cortex. [24 marks]

Would I answer this in terms of Sperry's work, hemisphere asymmetries, handedness etc... ?
Or is it completely difference? :s-smilie:

Reply 5

xxmehzzixx

I just started revising today for the exam! I need a minimum D overall, so hopefully I should be ok! Eek!

Reply 6

struz

daisyy

nope, you got it :smile:

Reply 7

mistth12

Yeah i did pya4 in january and got 87 :smile:

i did relationships- breakdown theories (love will probably come up)
brain and behaviour- methods of investigating
evolution- brain size and intelligence

I started TEACHING MYSELF and learning 5 days before the exam. I think the best advice is learn A02- but also when in doubt use basic generic A02 points, like animal testing unethical, cant be related to humans, only on a small sample, POST HOCK is a brilliant one to use for evolution....

Reply 8

stayboundless

Got a tip for you; I'm doing relationships too, and I found it really hard to remember like the theories and what steps they had in them, so I remember it like this:

Sternberg (love triangle) PIC (because it's passion, intimacy and commitment)
whereas Rubins love/like scale is AIC (attachment, intimacy and caring)

I couldn't remember them until I learnt PIC/AIC, and now I remember it everytime. You probably aren't even doing those theories, but if it helps, do that with other theories.

Reply 9

e-m-i-l-y

Just learn everything in the Cara Flanagan A2 Book... (the one with the dog on the front i think..) Its what i did in January, started two days before the exam and got 90/90..
Seriously, that book is my psychology bible and its all you need to do well in that exam.

Reply 10

nuodai

stayboundless

Awesome. I'll just say, though, don't say 'love triangle' in the exam, it has a very different meaning :p:

Call it 'triangular theory' or something.

Reply 11

daisyy

I wish I did this exam in January. :| Our teacher is useless, he didn't even bother with anything!

Reply 12

Sharpy09

i find that sleep isnt to bad at all really.. If you focus on the theories they are quite self explanatory but then again the activation synthesis model isnt all that easy to remember.. You can bring in contradictory sleep deprivation stuff in to evaluate it aswell. Go throught exam questions and look at the indicitive comments as i find that they really help you understand what the marker wants.. As for personality/ gender i am struggling with that aswel.. so much to get in..

Reply 13

daisyy

Right another 1.
Discuss the organisation of language in the brain. [24 marks]

What would I talk about here?
Localization of function? Cognitive functions of the cerebral cortex - Broca and Wernicke's research ... ? I don't have that many notes of language orgnisation so would find it hard to make it worth 24 marks. :s-smilie:

Reply 14

FairyNuff

mistth12

I started TEACHING MYSELF and learning 5 days before the exam. I think the best advice is learn A02- but also when in doubt use basic generic A02 points, like animal testing unethical, cant be related to humans, only on a small sample, POST HOCK is a brilliant one to use for evolution....

whats POST HOCK?

Reply 15

mistth12

FairyNuff

whats POST HOCK?

its basically the idea that we dont know what happened back then...

Reply 16

Beam...

FairyNuff

whats POST HOCK?

its actually post hoc...it means looking at the data after the event so, retrospective..

i think thats right..i would check though :p:

Reply 17

Beam...

e-m-i-l-y

is that the companion book?
with the dog sat on the brain...?

Reply 18

g_star_raw_1989

Biological rhythms (Evaluate studies) came up in January for sleep and dreaming.

This unit does have a lot to revise but most people do well on it. The grade boudaries are quite low compared to other units. I got 89/90 :woo: