Psychology A level studies

Do we have to know all of the studies for psychology a level? I did OCR b psychology in GCSE and I'm used to the idea of having to learn every single study inside out for GCSE but I'm not sure if that's required in A levels. It's such a **** take because there are so many. Especially in memory. I'm not sure whether I have to learn all of them or just a few that support certain theories, like Loftus' studies on eyewitness testimonies. But even then that's a whole lot.

Reply 1

chailattee

8

Original post by ghaloasjmnasj

Do we have to know all of the studies for psychology a level? I did OCR b psychology in GCSE and I'm used to the idea of having to learn every single study inside out for GCSE but I'm not sure if that's required in A levels. It's such a **** take because there are so many. Especially in memory. I'm not sure whether I have to learn all of them or just a few that support certain theories, like Loftus' studies on eyewitness testimonies. But even then that's a whole lot.

Hey! I did Edexcel psych GCSE and am now finishing AQA A-Level psych so I can speak for AQA. There are some key researchers that you have to remember in each topic- they're usually mentioned in the specification. In many evaluation points you'll find names of other researchers, however you don't need to know the names (it's better if you do remember a few) , if the examiner can tell what research you're referring to and you can't remember the names, you still get marks. For the most part though, there are more psychologists at A-Level and you do have to memorise quite a few names. Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 2

itxoma

2

Original post by ghaloasjmnasj

Do we have to know all of the studies for psychology a level? I did OCR b psychology in GCSE and I'm used to the idea of having to learn every single study inside out for GCSE but I'm not sure if that's required in A levels. It's such a **** take because there are so many. Especially in memory. I'm not sure whether I have to learn all of them or just a few that support certain theories, like Loftus' studies on eyewitness testimonies. But even then that's a whole lot.

Hey! Im doing OCR Psychology for A Level and you definitely need to learn 20 core studies in detail for one of this papers. If you think you can't hack it i suggest you don't take psychology a level or maybe switch to a different exam board. You could also take Btec psychology, but that's coursework AND exams

Reply 3

ghaloasjmnasj

OP

8

Original post by chailattee

Hey! I did Edexcel psych GCSE and am now finishing AQA A-Level psych so I can speak for AQA. There are some key researchers that you have to remember in each topic- they're usually mentioned in the specification. In many evaluation points you'll find names of other researchers, however you don't need to know the names (it's better if you do remember a few) , if the examiner can tell what research you're referring to and you can't remember the names, you still get marks. For the most part though, there are more psychologists at A-Level and you do have to memorise quite a few names. Hope this helps :smile:

Thank you for this. In GCSE I'm used to getting one markers like "what was the sample in ____'s study" so I'm honestly a little lost in A Level, do I have to know the ins and outs of each study or is just a general idea as well as an evaluation point of it fine?

Reply 4

chailattee

8

Original post by ghaloasjmnasj

Thank you for this. In GCSE I'm used to getting one markers like "what was the sample in ____'s study" so I'm honestly a little lost in A Level, do I have to know the ins and outs of each study or is just a general idea as well as an evaluation point of it fine?

It depends. A-Level's in general are a step up from GCSE's but don't let that discourage you, everyone struggles and eventually you get used to the workload and everything you have to remember. For key studies you do have to know the general procedures, findings and evaluative points, and usually within evaluation points there are also studies (but these are just used as evidence for evaluations). You don't really have to know the in's and out's of those as much, usually just findings or basic procedure so the examiner can tell what researcher you're referring to in your point. Your teachers will guide you through it and theres plenty of resources online that can help you memorise them. Don't stress it too much, Psychology A-Level is very interesting but it's a lot of work, just like any A-Level subject. We all started A-Levels feeling very lost lol, you will pick it up much faster than you think! Best of luck :smile:

Reply 5

StudyMind

8

Original post by ghaloasjmnasj

Do we have to know all of the studies for psychology a level? I did OCR b psychology in GCSE and I'm used to the idea of having to learn every single study inside out for GCSE but I'm not sure if that's required in A levels. It's such a **** take because there are so many. Especially in memory. I'm not sure whether I have to learn all of them or just a few that support certain theories, like Loftus' studies on eyewitness testimonies. But even then that's a whole lot.

Heya!
I would recommend double-checking with your teacher and also looking up some past papers, if it helps, Study Mind has free past papers you can check out!

I hope this helps!
Milena
UCL PFE
Study Mind

Psychology A level studies

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