Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide (1PS0)
Edexcel · GCSE
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every topic of specification 1PS0 written as exam-style questions with the answers printed after them. 891 questions across 11 topics and 55 subtopics, including all five optional topics so the guide fits whichever two you sit.
- Edexcel
- GCSE
- Specification 1PS0
- 891 questions
Guide overview All 11 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What the exam asks of you
Edexcel GCSE Psychology is two written papers. Paper 1 is the five compulsory topics, 1 hour 45 minutes, 98 marks, 55 per cent, and ends with two extended questions on debates in psychology. Paper 2 is research methods plus two optional topics, 1 hour 20 minutes, 79 marks, 45 per cent.
Psychology marks turn on naming the study, the sample and the finding precisely. A study recalled as a general idea scores almost nothing.
| Paper | Covers |
|---|---|
|
Paper 1 Compulsory topics |
DEVELOPMENT MEMORY PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS THE BRAIN AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGY SOCIAL INFLUENCE |
|
Paper 2 Research methods and optional topics |
RESEARCH METHODS CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY THE SELF PERCEPTION SLEEP AND DREAMING LANGUAGE, THOUGHT AND COMMUNICATION |
What is in the guide
All 11 topics
Every topic has its own page with its subtopics, what it covers and sample questions.
Sample questions
Taken from the guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Early brain development
Which structures develop from the hindbrain?
Show the answer
The hindbrain develops into the cerebellum, the pons and the medulla. The pons and medulla form much of the brainstem. -
Information processing, duration and capacity
Define storage in memory.
Show the answer
Storage is holding information in the memory system over time. -
Symptoms of depression and addiction
How does depression differ from ordinary sadness?
Show the answer
Sadness is a short-lived reaction to a difficult event. Depression lasts for weeks or longer and disrupts everyday life. -
Lobes of the brain and the effects of damage
Where is the cerebellum found?
Show the answer
The cerebellum sits at the back of the brain, below the occipital lobes. -
Conformity to majority influence
How might self-esteem affect conformity?
Show the answer
People with low self-esteem are more likely to conform because they fear rejection and doubt their own judgement. Confident people with high self-esteem conform less. -
Operant conditioning and social learning explanations of crime
What are primary reinforcers?
Show the answer
Primary reinforcers are rewards that satisfy basic biological needs, such as food, water and warmth. A person who steals food when hungry receives a primary reinforcer. -
Self-concept and influences on self-esteem
What did the rouge test show about the development of the self?
Show the answer
Infants had red make-up put on their nose and were placed in front of a mirror. Most infants of about two years touched their own nose, but few younger than a year did. -
Depth cues, visual illusions and constancies
What is linear perspective?
Show the answer
Linear perspective is the way parallel lines appear to converge as they stretch into the distance. Railway tracks seem to meet at the horizon, which signals depth.
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Look inside
Questions for a subtopic print together and the answers for that section print after them.
- Development85
- Memory81
- Psychological Problems92
- The Brain and Neuropsychology68
- Social Influence78
- Criminal Psychology64
- The Self80
- Perception63
- Sleep and Dreaming66
- Language, Thought and Communication77
- Research Methods137
- What is the information processing approach to memory?
- What is input in the information processing approach?
- What happens at the processing stage of memory?
- What is output in the information processing approach?
- Define encoding.
- Define storage in memory.
- Define retrieval.
- You remember a phone number by repeating its sound in your head. What type of encoding is this?
- A student knows an answer but cannot bring it to mind in an exam. Which memory process has failed?
- The information processing approach compares the mind to a computer. Information passes through the stages of input, processing and output.
- Input is information from the environment entering the memory system through the senses.
- Processing is the stage where incoming information is organised and changed into a form that can be stored.
- Output is information retrieved from memory and used, such as an answer or an action.
- Encoding is converting information into a form that memory can store. Information can be encoded visually, acoustically or by meaning.
- Storage is holding information in the memory system over time.
- Retrieval is getting stored information back out of memory when it is needed.
- The number is encoded acoustically, by its sound.
- Retrieval has failed. The information is stored but cannot be accessed.
questions
Scroll sideways to turn through the pages.
Questions students ask first
I only do two of the optional topics. Is the rest wasted?
No. Paper 2 is research methods plus two of criminal psychology, the self, perception, sleep and dreaming, and language, thought and communication, chosen by your school.
All five are in the guide as separate topics. Work your two and skip the rest.
What are the compulsory topics?
Development, memory, psychological problems, the brain and neuropsychology, and social influence. All five are examined on Paper 1, which is 55 per cent.
What are the debates questions?
Paper 1 ends with two extended questions on debates in psychology: nature and nurture, reductionism and holism, and the ethical and social implications of research. They draw on the five compulsory topics, so they reward knowing those studies precisely.
Is there maths?
Yes, in Section A of Paper 2. Means, medians, modes, ranges, percentages, fractions and ratios, reading graphs and tables, and the choice of an appropriate display. It is inside the research methods topic.
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic and subtopic, ready to work in three passes.