Look inside the OCR GCSE Psychology guide (J203)

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Look inside the OCR GCSE Psychology guide

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OCR · GCSE · J203
Psychology
Active Recall Guide
577 questions
PsychologyContents
Contents
7 topics, 33 subtopics
  1. Criminal Psychology66
  2. Development83
  3. Psychological Problems93
  4. Social Influence70
  5. Memory69
  6. Sleep and Dreaming69
  7. Research Methods127
ii
DevelopmentQuestions
Development
Stages of development, the brain and IQ tests
  1. What is the pre-natal stage of development?
  2. Why is the pre-natal stage important for brain development?
  3. What is the childhood stage of development?
  4. What is adolescence?
  5. How does the brain change during adolescence?
  6. What is adulthood?
  7. How is the human nervous system divided?
  8. What is a neuron, and what are its main parts?
  9. How do neurons communicate across a synapse?
12
DevelopmentAnswers
Answers
Stages of development, the brain and IQ tests
  1. The pre-natal stage runs from conception to birth, a period of about nine months. The brain and nervous system begin to form within the first few weeks.
  2. Most of the brain's neurons are produced before birth. Alcohol, drugs or poor nutrition during pregnancy can harm the developing brain.
  3. Childhood runs from birth to the start of adolescence, at around 12. The brain forms huge numbers of new synapses in the early years, as language, movement and thinking develop.
  4. Adolescence is the stage between childhood and adulthood, beginning with puberty at around 10 to 13. Hormonal changes bring physical growth and sexual maturity.
  5. The prefrontal cortex, which controls planning and self-control, is still maturing in adolescence. Emotional areas such as the limbic system mature earlier, which may help explain teenage risk-taking.
  6. Adulthood is the stage from about 18 onwards, when physical growth is complete. The brain is usually fully mature by the mid-twenties.
  7. The central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves connecting the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
  8. A neuron is a nerve cell that carries electrical impulses. A neuron has dendrites that receive signals, a cell body, and an axon that passes impulses on.
  9. A synapse is the tiny gap between one neuron and the next. An impulse releases neurotransmitters, which cross the gap and bind to receptors on the next neuron.
13
Psychological ProblemsQuestions
Psychological Problems
Stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems
  1. What is stigma in relation to mental health?
  2. How can stigma affect a person before diagnosis?
  3. How can stigma affect a person after diagnosis?
  4. What is discrimination in relation to mental health?
  5. How can discrimination affect a person before diagnosis?
  6. How can discrimination affect a person after diagnosis?
  7. What effects can a significant mental health problem have on the individual?
  8. What effects do significant mental health problems have on society?
  9. What is care in the community?
34
Psychological ProblemsAnswers
Answers
Stigma, discrimination and the effects of mental health problems
  1. Stigma is a set of negative beliefs and attitudes towards people with a mental health problem. Stigma often rests on stereotypes such as being dangerous or weak.
  2. Fear of being labelled can stop a person seeking help. The person may hide symptoms until they become severe.
  3. The person may feel ashamed and lose confidence. Some people come to believe the negative stereotypes about themselves.
  4. Discrimination is treating someone unfairly because of their mental health problem. Discrimination can happen at work, in housing or in relationships.
  5. A person struggling at work may be treated unfairly or dismissed without support. The unfair treatment can make their mental health worse.
  6. A diagnosed person may find it harder to get a job, a promotion or a home. Friends and family may distance themselves.
  7. A significant problem can disrupt relationships, work and education. Physical health can also suffer.
  8. Society pays for health and social care and loses the work of people too unwell to be employed. Families and carers also bear a large share of the cost.
  9. Care in the community is supporting people with mental health problems in their own homes and local services. Care in the community replaced long stays in large psychiatric hospitals.
35
Sleep and DreamingQuestions
Sleep and Dreaming
Sleep stages, functions and body clocks
  1. How does sleep help to keep the brain healthy?
  2. How does sleep help with physical repair?
  3. How does sleep support emotional stability?
  4. What are the stages of the sleep cycle?
  5. What happens during the light stages of sleep?
  6. What is deep sleep?
  7. What happens during REM sleep?
  8. When does dreaming occur during the night?
  9. What is the role of the pineal gland in sleep?
56
Sleep and DreamingAnswers
Answers
Sleep stages, functions and body clocks
  1. Sleep allows the brain to consolidate memories and learning from the day. Sleep also helps to clear waste products that build up in the brain during waking hours.
  2. Growth hormone is released during deep sleep, helping to repair tissues and build muscle. Sleep also supports the immune system in fighting infection.
  3. Sleep helps people to regulate their emotions and cope with stress. People who lack sleep tend to be more irritable, anxious and moody.
  4. A sleep cycle passes through the stages of non-REM sleep, from light to deep, and then into REM sleep. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes and repeats four to six times a night.
  5. Stage 1 is the lightest stage, when a person drifts between waking and sleep and is easily woken. Stage 2 is slightly deeper, and heart rate and body temperature fall.
  6. Deep sleep, or stage 3, is the stage from which a person is hardest to wake, with slow delta brain waves. Older descriptions divide deep sleep into stages 3 and 4.
  7. REM stands for rapid eye movement, as the eyes dart about beneath the closed lids. The brain is very active, but the body's major muscles are paralysed.
  8. Most vivid dreaming occurs during REM sleep. REM periods get longer through the night, so more dreaming happens in the later cycles. Some less vivid dreaming also occurs in non-REM sleep.
  9. The pineal gland is a small gland deep in the brain that releases the hormone melatonin. The pineal gland releases more melatonin as it gets dark.
57
Keep going
577
questions
33 subtopics

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577 questions
Across 33 subtopics, every one of them from specification J203.
One PDF
Print it, or work from a screen with a notebook beside you.
Answers after, not beside
Covering the answers is a matter of not turning the page, which is what makes the closed-book pass possible.

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.

  1. Step 1 · Closed book

    Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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