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OCR AS Psychology: G542: Core Studies - Wednesday 5th June 2013

Hi guys, thought i'd start the thread for all you AS's taking this exam for the first time or like me you A2'ers who are re-sitting for a 2nd time. I got a D on this last year and my teacher gave me a breakdown for my individual marks on each question, and it was terribly shocking. Can you tell me exactly "HOW" detailed you should revise these core studies? I'm making revision cards, which include the background, aim, method, procedure, results, sample, conclusion, and evaluation of the method used. One question, do you need to know the "explanation of the results", and the "evaluation of the explanation" too? because i'm like what the hell is all this?

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Reply 1
Avatar for miah123
miah123
For the aims of the studies, some have more than one, do you have to learn them all? :smile:


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Reply 2
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Hey, I'm doing this first time (AS) and i am craping myself. So far i've been getting all A's on my mocks but the real thing will probably be a disaster. My teacher makes us evaluation sheets for all study's.

I make my own revision presentations for each study and in every one i include:

- Background of the study
- Aim & Hypotheses
- Sample
- Research Method (lab experiment, field study, case study etc...)
- Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, Controls
- Procedure
- Results/Findings
- Conclusions
- General strengths of the study
- General weaknesses of the study
- Ethical guidelines
- Evaluation of Sample
- Evaluation of Method
- Changes i'd make to the study
- Effects of these changes

A great way to revise is from the original publications of the study as this is what the examiners mark from.

Use the past papers and mark schemes as much as you can because sometimes questions that are on the exam can really throw you. ( The ones that get the most are ones that are like "Outline two ways in which quantitative data was measures)

I sit there like Whaaaaaaat?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 3
Avatar for shyamshah
shyamshah
12
The key to this exam is to write in great detail. When talking about the core studies you have to make sure you know all of them in full detail. Also section B is probably the hardest part of the exam and so I will be making sure I do model answers for such questions that are likely to come up, this way I will be fully prepared for the exam.
Reply 4
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Same here. Model answers are the way to go. How are you all feeling about psychological investigations? Our class has been focusing so much on the core studies we've kind of been left to our own devices.
Reply 5
Avatar for shyamshah
shyamshah
12
Original post by ttreb
Same here. Model answers are the way to go. How are you all feeling about psychological investigations? Our class has been focusing so much on the core studies we've kind of been left to our own devices.


I hate psychological investigations, much prefer core studies. Still need to revise loads for it though.

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Reply 6
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
I hate psychological investigations, much prefer core studies. Still need to revise loads for it though.

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The only approach left for me to cover now is individual differences. Absolutely love psychology, and my grades are good, but the real exam is going to kill me. Legitimately kill me.
Reply 7
Avatar for shyamshah
shyamshah
12
Original post by ttreb
The only approach left for me to cover now is individual differences. Absolutely love psychology, and my grades are good, but the real exam is going to kill me. Legitimately kill me.


Same, luckily the core studies exam is after half-term and I have no other exams after half term so all my focus will be on psychology. Which approach do you find the hardest? I find the physiological approach the hardest and the studies are quite hard.
Reply 8
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
Same, luckily the core studies exam is after half-term and I have no other exams after half term so all my focus will be on psychology. Which approach do you find the hardest? I find the physiological approach the hardest and the studies are quite hard.



Yes thankfully! Unfortunately for me though i have ICT on the 3rd, Business on the 4th and Core studies on the 5th :frown: I think my weakest approach is developmental but i'm generally okay with the approaches, it's just certain studies. Savage-Rumbaugh is definitely my worst study... for some reason i find it so hard to understand!

I think my favourite studies so far are Loftus&Palmer, Dement&Kleitman and Milgram, how about you?
Reply 9
Avatar for shyamshah
shyamshah
12
Original post by ttreb
Yes thankfully! Unfortunately for me though i have ICT on the 3rd, Business on the 4th and Core studies on the 5th :frown: I think my weakest approach is developmental but i'm generally okay with the approaches, it's just certain studies. Savage-Rumbaugh is definitely my worst study... for some reason i find it so hard to understand!

I think my favourite studies so far are Loftus&Palmer, Dement&Kleitman and Milgram, how about you?


That is unlucky, 3 exams on 3 consecutive days! I also find savage-rumbaugh quite hard. My favourite studies are Loftus and Palmer, Milgram and probs Freud's. Hopefully the studies that come up are nice and easy :wink:

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Reply 10
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
That is unlucky, 3 exams on 3 consecutive days! I also find savage-rumbaugh quite hard. My favourite studies are Loftus and Palmer, Milgram and probs Freud's. Hopefully the studies that come up are nice and easy :wink:

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Haha i know right. Definitely have a busy week! My teacher devised a list of what study's have come up before and (even though exam boards say they do not follow patterns) i believe to some extent they do. So my predictions for sec B are :

Reicher & Haslam
Sperry
Baron-Cohen

If Baron-Cohen comes up i will cry with happiness
Original post by ttreb
Haha i know right. Definitely have a busy week! My teacher devised a list of what study's have come up before and (even though exam boards say they do not follow patterns) i believe to some extent they do. So my predictions for sec B are :

Reicher & Haslam
Sperry
Baron-Cohen

If Baron-Cohen comes up i will cry with happiness


Yeah I would deffo do baron cohen if those came up. Apparently loftus and palmer hasn't come up for a while either so that could come up. Which would be good.

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Reply 12
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
Yeah I would deffo do baron cohen if those came up. Apparently loftus and palmer hasn't come up for a while either so that could come up. Which would be good.

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Really? Wow i really really hope two of the choices are L&P and BC... it will be just our luck now that the hard ones all come up :s-smilie:
Original post by ttreb
Really? Wow i really really hope two of the choices are L&P and BC... it will be just our luck now that the hard ones all come up :s-smilie:


Haha yeah, and i think cognitive and social psychology came up for section C in January haha. Would have been very happy if social came up haha.

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Reply 14
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
Haha yeah, and i think cognitive and social psychology came up for section C in January haha. Would have been very happy if social came up haha.

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I believe developmental and individual came up for section C in June 12 so maybe that means physiological and psychodynamic hmmm. Either way i need to get started with section C :colondollar:
Original post by ttreb
I believe developmental and individual came up for section C in June 12 so maybe that means physiological and psychodynamic hmmm. Either way i need to get started with section C :colondollar:


Haha i need to start doing papers for psychology. I only focus on my other subjects atm. Section A is quite easy, its section B and C which all depends on the studies and approach they give. Are you still gonna revise the cognitive and social approach?

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Reply 16
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
Haha i need to start doing papers for psychology. I only focus on my other subjects atm. Section A is quite easy, its section B and C which all depends on the studies and approach they give. Are you still gonna revise the cognitive and social approach?

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Yeah me too. I've made presentations for each study with information from the mark schemes. Section B is a killer! Luckily with section C it's usually the same format so it's just a case of learning the approaches and the advantages and disadvantages of them. Yep definitely going to revise them because you just never know what might come up! I do believe it will be something other than social and cognitive but OCR may want to avoid patterns to trick a few people out.
I love psychology and I do really well like I was getting As in all my mocks a few weeks ago. When I got my results for the psychological investigations I was gutted. I messed up the last question and ended up getting a high D....my teacher was so shocked and told me not to worry....but I am worried! I've lost alll motivation and I'm getting C's and D's in all my mocks now :'( any help/ideas/tips?

Thanks guys!

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Original post by ttreb
Yeah me too. I've made presentations for each study with information from the mark schemes. Section B is a killer! Luckily with section C it's usually the same format so it's just a case of learning the approaches and the advantages and disadvantages of them. Yep definitely going to revise them because you just never know what might come up! I do believe it will be something other than social and cognitive but OCR may want to avoid patterns to trick a few people out.


Yeah, section C is always the same pretty much. The 12 mark question is always strengths and weaknesses of the approach. Section B is the hardest but just try and do as many model answers as possible and either mark it or give it to your teacher to mark and you should find it easier. I find social psychology kind of easy but will still go over it.
Reply 19
Avatar for ttreb
ttreb
13
Original post by shyamshah
Yeah, section C is always the same pretty much. The 12 mark question is always strengths and weaknesses of the approach. Section B is the hardest but just try and do as many model answers as possible and either mark it or give it to your teacher to mark and you should find it easier. I find social psychology kind of easy but will still go over it.


Yes that's a great idea :smile: The only problem i find (with all exams) is that on the real thing i seem to do much worse and come out lower than i ever got. i really hope this doesn't happen!

Tomorrow I'm starting section C, probably starting with physiological, and i will see how it all goes from there. How is your investigations revision going?

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