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Complete Companions news

January 27, 2012 by .

Back in September we gave you new free spreads to support you with the changes to the specification, now we’re about to publish Third Editions of the Complete Companions for AQA A matched to the revised 2012 specification. Out this summer, these new editions of the AS and A2 Complete Companions for AQA A Student Books, Exam Companions and Mini Companions, match the revised 2012 specification.

Written by the same author team, Mike Cardwell and Cara Flangan, these essential companions provide a range of resources for every learning style. They can be used independently or together to support everyone teaching and studying the AQA A Psychology 2012 specification.

But, what about our new A2 Exam Companion out this March? It just so happens that the A2 Exam Companion is publishing in perfect time for us to make sure it also matches the 2012 specification as part of the Third Editions series, so you can rest assured that this book will help with preparation for the exams. Take a peek at some preview material here.

For more information about the new editions or to order inspection copies, please email me at claire.beatt@oup.com with your school or college address.

 

 

 

 

 

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Meet the rock star of the psychology world

January 26, 2012 by .

Cara, editing the script with assistant, Walter

Cara, editing the script with assistant, Walter

Fresh out of the recording studio is the new AQA A AS Psychology Audio Companion. We’ve finished recording the audio and now it’s being edited, ready for release this spring. Created by leading authors Mike Cardwell, Cara Flanagan and Michael Griffin, these revision files provide easy-to-listen to coverage of every AQA A AS topic to reinforce learning and improve exam performance. Plus, the bite-sized clips and accompanying worksheets are perfect for revision on the go, classroom activities, homework tasks and helping students to catch up on any missed lessons.

Try our our free preview clip and sample worksheet from Unit 4: Biological psychology – Workplace Stressors and feel free to pass this ‘freebie’ onto your colleagues and students.

 

If you’re interested in finding out more or would like a copy (available on sale or return), please email me at claire.beatt@oup.com with your school or college address. Happy listening!

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Want to know what’s new for 2012?

September 23, 2011 by .

New for 2012

New for 2012

The Research Methods Companion for EVERY exam board  This practical activity-based textbook is designed to boost students’ confidence and provide skills, knowledge and understanding needed to get to grips with the research methods in of A Level Psychology.

The AQA AS Audio Companion These easy-to-listen-to revision files provide coverage of every AQA AS topic to reinforce learning and improve exam performance.

The AQA A2 Exam Companion The ultimate revision book! Includes practice questions, model answers and examiner commentaries to help students turn their understanding into even better exam performance.

We’re really excited about the brand new resources we’re working on for next spring. You can click on the links above to find out more or order your inspection/firm copies by emailing me at claire.beatt@oup.com

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SAD, melatonin and serotonin

July 25, 2011 by .

Juliette Massey-Smith wrote in the following query: I was wondering if you could help… I was re-reading about SAD in your AQA textbook and read on p.4 that in winter melatonin and serotonin are higher and this causes depression, but then also that LACK of serotonin causes it… What am I missing?

This error was corrected in the A2 Mini Companion (page 8): More darkness means more melatonin, and more melatonin means less serotonin (because melatonin is produced from serotonin). Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression.

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Gender – the biosocial approach

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I was a bit uncertain about a comment in the AQA guide to specification changes regarding gender dysphoria. The topic of gender dysphoria has now been moved to be included with the biosocial approach (the new specification says ‘The biosocial approach to gender development including gender dysphoria’). The AQA guide to the specification changes points out that ‘This may require re structuring your delivery to emphasise links to biosocial approach’.

Feeling a bit concerned about the implications I wrote to AQA for clarification. They say that the biosocial approach in general does not refer to any specific theory but simply assumes an interaction between biological (e.g. genetic) and psychosocial factors.

“If a candidate describes genetic and psychosocial contributions to gender development and how they might interact, this would be an ideal approach to the question. Of course, it would be equally acceptable for a candidate to describe a specific theory of biosocial interactions in gender development.”

When it comes to gender dysphoria I think it might be difficult to make biosocial theories relevant (in our A2 book we have discussed two specific theories). Students should simply emphasise the biological + the psychosocial in their answers. In exam questions on the biosocial approach, the theories would provide a good basis for an answer.

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AQA and the multi-store model

July 12, 2011 by .

In the January 2011 Unit 1 exam there was a question related to the multistore model (question 4). I was somewhat concerned to find the following comment in the report on the exam

‘A number of answers suggested that the concepts of maintenance and elaborative rehearsal were part of the MSM. Maintenance and elaborative rehearsal were introduced by Craik and Lockhart (1972) as a way of criticising the MSM which had simply relied on ‘rehearsal’ as a means of transferring information to LTM.’

In our Complete Companions we have included elaborative rehearsal in the model because the model was updated in subsequent years. See for example here, I quote from page 3:

What probably confused many people was that Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) presented in their original paper a model that focused on rehearsal but that did assume some storage in LTS as a function of the length of the rehearsal period. As a result, rehearsal came to be viewed as the mechanism for transfer of information from STS to LTS. In later analyses (Shiffrin, 1975), this aspect was clarified by replacing the terms “rehearsal” and “coding” with “maintenance rehearsal” and “elaborative rehearsal”, respectively. Maintenance rehearsal has the primary function of keeping the information in a readily accessible state while elaborative rehearsal has the primary function of storing information in LTS. Hence, according to the two-store model, it is not the amount of rehearsal per se that determines recall, but rather the amount of elaborative rehearsal.

People often seem to forget that academics do respond to criticisms and make changes to their theories/models. This fluidity of theoretical models should not be penalised in exams.




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Thanks for letting us know …

May 19, 2011 by .

The new A2 Mini Companion is out and already a few people have kindly let us know about our mistakes (to err is human)

Page 8   At the top of the page, on the left hand side, it says ‘Ultradian rhythms’ and half way down says ‘Infradian rhythms’. These should be swapped. (Thanks to Jane Cochrane for letting us know).

Page 57   Under the subheading ‘Specification’ (about half way down the page), it says ‘Gender’ and should say ‘Intelligence and learning’. (Thanks to Sara Berman for this).

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A2 Mini Companion is published

May 7, 2011 by .

The book all you A2 students have been waiting for.

A sample spread –>

You can buy online here

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Wee small error

April 4, 2011 by .

A2 Complete Companion, page 293, in Step 4 when referring to N1 it states 0 participants but should say 10. Thanks for pointing this out Sally.

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AS exam companion – small error

March 19, 2011 by .

Catherine Harries of Coopers Coborn School has already spotted an error in the just released Exam Companion. On page 16, question 5 Alice’s answer says that STM has unlimited capacity and duration whereas LTM is limited. It should be the other way round. However, it may be worth pointing out that an examiner would still give her credit for this answer but not full marks.

Please do let us know if you spot any other errors.

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