INTRODUCTION OF

IB PSYCHOLOGY

Learning Outcomes 1

What is Psychology?
Contrast Psychology vs
Psychobabble.

Activity

Give an account of similarities between

the findings of Deans and Nanningas
studies.

Students read provided copy: page 79

Students task: Read the research in
psychology in page 8-9 and answer
the questions below:

Describe Deans study on astrology (aim,

procedure, findings)

Describe Nanningas study on astrology

(aim, procedure, findings)

Why do you think that happen?

Definition of Psychology: the scientific

study of mental processes and behavior
and how these are affected by internal
processes and the environment.
Definition of Psychobabble: buzzwords
taken from psychological terminology
but used out of context.
Contrast1 Psychology and Psychobabble.

Topics:
1. To what extent physical
appearance affect long term
relationship?
2. Why did in the blind test people
prefer Pepsi Cola while in the
reality they choose to buy Coca
Cola?
3. To what extent genetics play role
in criminal activity?
4. How to get children tells the
truth?

Learning Outcomes 2

Students know the multidisciplinary of psychology

Students can imagine how
psychology uses knowledge from
many disciplines in order to
investigate behavior.

Activity

Students read The diversity of

Psychology page 9-10
Students read the link:
[Link]
/guides/[Link] with focus on
Some of the subfields in
Psychology

Task
Say, you are assigned to lead a team of
researchers to investigate the following
topics (you must choose at least two
topics). Your team will consist of 2-3
psychologists with different background
of expertise.
The question is: which subfields of
psychologist that youre going to recruit
and why?
1 Contrast: Give an account of the
differences between two items or
situation referring to both of them
throughout

Topic 1:
Subfield of
Psychologist
1:

Why?

Subfield of
Psychologist
2:

Why?

Subfield of
Psychologist
3:

Why?

Topic 2:

Subfield of
Psychologist
1:

Subfield of
Psychologist
2:

Subfield of
Psychologist
3:

Why?

Why?

The three levels of analysis focus on three

fundamental influences on behaviour:
biological
cognitive
sociocultural.
The interaction of these influences
substantially determines behavior.

Why?

Learning Outcomes 3

The study of the biological level of analysis,

the cognitive level of analysis and the
sociocultural level of analysis comprises the
core of the psychology course.

Students understand the concept of

levels of analysis

The level of analysis approach reflects a

modern trend in psychology towards
integration and demonstrates how
explanations offered by each of the three
levels of analysis (biological, cognitive and
sociocultural) complement one another and
together provide more complete and
satisfactory explanations of behaviour.
The three levels of analysis can be usefully
compared to three microscope lenses of
different magnification. Each lens reveals a
different picture of the intricate structure that
exists at a variety of levels, but no single
picture explains the whole object; a synthesis
is necessary. Synthesis of the rich and diverse
content of modern psychology is the chief aim
of IB psychology.

Activity

Red the Levels of analysis in psychology

page 10-11

Read The Three Levels of Analysis below.

Read the article Teenage Girl: Negative Body

Image,

The Levels of Analysis2

2 Source: retrieved from Diploma

Programme Psychology Guide, February
2009

Level of
Analysis
Biological

Area/ Understanding
Related to
biological/physiological/

Cognitive

Sociocultural

physical condition may affect

human behavior such as
neuron, brain, hormones and
genetic predisposition.
Related with the way our
mind/mental processes
stimulus/information. Possible
scope of discussion:
perception, attention, memory,
language and thinking.
Related with the way people
surround us, society, culture
and environment affect human
behavior.

Article 1.

Teenage Girls: Negative Body Image3

"I know this is going to sound weird," Carrie

confesses, "but when I eat too much junk food, I'm
so guilty I actually hate myself. I'm the kind of
person who has plenty of self-control in every
other area except food. What makes it so hard is
that most of the time when I'm cheating by eating
bad stuff, I'm with my friends and having fun.
When I'm with my family I eat regular meals and
it's much easier to be good."

You would think from the words Carrie uses

guilty, bad, cheating, hatethat she was talking
about something more immoral or harmful than
snacking on potato chips. You would think she was
worried about the osteoporosis, anemia, obesity,
and cardiovascular disease that might be made
worse by eating certain foods. You would think at
least that she had a weight problem. You would
think that, but you'd be wrong.

The statistics tell the story. Although almost 80% of

the teenage girls studied in a recent survey fall
3 Source: [Link]. (2013, August 01).
Teenage Girls: Negative Body Image. My
Body & Wellness, pp.
[Link]

within the healthy weight range, less than 50%

saw their weight as "about right." The proportion
who wanted to lose weight increased from 69% in
7th grade to 82% in 12th gradeincluding 49% of
underweight girls. In another study, more than 30%
of nine-year-old girls expressed fear of fatness,
increasing in age to over 80% among 18-yearolds. More than the dark, more than mice and
snakes and scary movies, what most teenage girls
fear is growing fat.

Why do so many teenage girls have a negative

bodyimage?
The surge in body fatness levels during
adolescence and the normal associated changes
in the female shape might explain why girls are
more likely to experience a negative
body [Link] the influence of sex hormones
girls develop fat stores on the hips and thigh. This
fear of fatness motivates otherwise sane young
women to try unsafe methods of maintaining
weight like smoking, laxatives, diuretics, crash
diets, and vomiting, all presenting a greater threat
to their health than obesity.

Who promotes this craziness?

There is no shortage of culprits. Certainly
advertising, movies, fashion magazines, and TV,
all forms of the media who flaunt the ultra-slender
female form as the ultimate in feminine beauty, are
partly to blame.
In Fiji, for centuries the ideal body was robust;
"going thin," as they called it, was a cause of
concern, not admiration. That was, until TV was
introduced to this remote South Pacific island. Now
a study reports that teen girls on the island were
50% more likely to feel "too big or fat."

Why is it that even if you and your best friend

went on the same exact diet, the scale would
show different results?
Researchers have learned that some people's
genes make them more "metabolically efficient"
than others. The answer to a strong, healthy body
lies not in labeling any food as "good" or "bad."
You can have that 200-calorie soda, just take a
brisk walk for 40 minutes and burn them off.

Next time you're depressed because the mirror

disappoints you, don't be tempted to fall for these
myths:
1. Thin and healthy are the same.
2. Carbohydrates make you fat. (Too much of
anything is no good for you.)
3. Protein builds muscle and burns fat. (Only
exercise does that.)
4. Eating certain foods in combination can help
you to lose weight.

Learn to see yourself through your grandma's eyes

instead of that distorted mirror you rely on. There's
no need to eliminate any food you enjoy from your
diet. Just learn to make trade-offs and balance
unhealthy foods with healthy ones. And keep on
the move. The safest and most appropriate obesity
prevention strategy is to get moving and exercise.
(*)

How does society/culture may affect body image in

teenage girls?

Students answer the questions below

***

Topic : Negative Body Image in Teenage Girls

How does biological predisposition may affect
body image in teenage girls?

How does cognitive (in this case, perception) may

affect body image in teenage girls?

UNDERSTANDING THE RESEARCH

PROCESS (IB Psychology Course

3. Explain the methods that can be used

to get participants.

Companion Chapter 1.2 (p. 17-24))

A. From daily phenomenon to theory

B. Ethics

What would researchers need to do to

investigate a phenomenon in society?

In forming a procedure of a research, a

researcher needs to consider ethic. The
ethical guidelines apply to research done
within the IB Psychology programme would
be:

Questioning the
phenomenon in the
society.

The researcher
starts to construct a
research design

1. Participants are given informed

consent
2. There should be no deception

1. state aim of
study
2. specify target
population
3. form a procedure

Analysing result of
study

3. Participants should be debriefed

after the research.
4. Participants have right to
withdraw from a study.
5. Any information about the

Make a conclusion

Apply the findings to

the population

participants should be kept

confidential.
6. There should be protection from
(potential) physical or mental
harm.

Read Research in Psychology (p. 17-21),

students are expected to be able to give
response to questions below:

Read page 21-23.

1. Define the aim of a study.

Reread the research carried out by Ros

2. Distinguish the understanding of target
population and participants.