Learning Mats
Learning mats – originally laminated sheets containing simple questions, learning prompts and drawing spaces – have been around for some time at the lower (particularly primary) levels of our education system, but with the increasing interest in Knowledge Organisers, which in many respects they resemble, they’re starting to gain some traction at both GCSE and […]
The Memory Clock
Although revision, in all its different forms and guises, is an integral part of any a-level sociology (or psychology) course it’s sometimes difficult to know how to help students revise in the most efficient, effective and productive way – and this is where the Memory Clock comes into play. The Memory Clock is a revision […]
Conducting Psychological Research
This is a free chapter, from an unpublished textbook by Shelia Kennison of Oklahoma State University, that you can either read online or download as a pdf document. The chapter covers a range of ideas and issues focused on the research process: • different research methodologies • causality • experimentation • representative sampling • reliability and […]
Free Chapter: The Psychology of Addictive Behaviour
The third – and probably final – free chapter from Holt and Lewis’ “A2 Psychology: The Student’s Textbook”, this one covers addictive behaviour in terms of main areas: 1. Models Biological, cognitive and learning models of addiction, including explanations for initiation, maintenance and relapse Explanations for specific addictions, including smoking and gambling 2. Factors affecting […]
A2 Psychology: Free Chapter on Relationships
A couple of months ago I posted a free chapter on Research Methods from Holt and Lewis’ “A2 Psychology: The Student’s Textbook” and this latest offering is on Relationships and covers three main areas: The formation, maintenance and breakdown of romantic relationships Theories of the formation, maintenance and breakdown of romantic relationships: e.g. reinforcement-affect theory, […]
A2 Psychology: Research Methods Free Chapter
One of the simple pleasures of Wandering the Web™ for a living, made all the more enjoyable by that intangible sense of the unexpected (I know, I live my life through contradictions), is coming across Stuff That Is Free. My not-so-little face lights up at the mere thought of finding Something For Nothing, even though […]
Seven Sims in Seven Days – Day 5: Trial by Jury
As with some of the others in this series, “Trial by Jury” is a building block sim that gives you a basic template that can be used to organise and run a wide range of possible simulations. In basic terms if there’s an area of the Sociology / Psychology course that involves comparing and contrasting […]
Psychology ShortCuts: Offender Profiling
As with its sociological sister, ShortCuts to Psychology is a new series of free films designed to clearly and concisely illustrate key ideas and concepts across a range of topics – from family, through deviance to psychological theory and methods. The films are: short: between 30 seconds and a couple of minutes focused on definitions, explanations and […]
Beyond Genetics
“Nature or Nurture?” is a long-running debate in psychology, one heavily-influenced by developments in genetics and a rise in the popular belief that “dna is destiny”: the idea human behaviour is broadly is determined by a “good” or a “bad” roll of the genetic dice. This 3-part film, featuring contributions from Dr Nessa Carey and […]
Beyond Genetics 3: DNA Methylation
This short animation, taken from the second part of the forthcoming “Beyond Genetics” film, “Turn Me On / Turn Me Off” provides a simple visual representation of DNA Methylation.
Beyond Genetics 2: Epigenetic Tagging
This simple animation, taken from the second part of the forthcoming “Beyond Genetics” film, “Turn Me On / Turn Me Off” provides a simple visual representation of epigenetic tagging.
Beyond Genetics 1: DNA and Proteins
Our latest (August 2016) 3-part film “Beyond Genetics” shows how developments in the field of epigenetics are shedding new light on the “nature – nurture” debate and this simple animation, taken from the first part of the film “All in the Genes?” illustrates the relationship between DNA, proteins and genetic transmission.
The Nature – Nurture Debate
Woollett and Maguire’s “Acquiring ‘the Knowledge’ of London’s Layout Drives Structural Brain Changes” is a useful addition to the debate for students because it suggests brain structure is not fixed and static; on the contrary, under certain conditions (such as “The Knowledge” required to qualify as a London taxi-driver) it can be changed by “biologically […]