Attachment – not just for mothers!

The role of fathers as attachment figures In the past, research into child development tended to ignore the role of fathers in their children’s lives, except as a financial support for mothers, who were viewed as the primary caregivers. Bowlby’s (1969) theory of monotropy stated that infants have to attach to a single (primary) caregiver within a critical period, with … Read More

What is gaslighting? And how do you know if it’s happening to you?

This is an interesting topic for an Introduction to Psychology course. It has links to personal relationships and also to abnormal behaviour, and is also relevant to 16-18 year olds as they explore friendships and relationships. What is it? ‘Gaslighting’ describes psychological manipulation where one person in a relationship creates a false narrative that makes the other question their judgements … Read More

Psychology Sorted Youtube Channel

We have a new Youtube channel and playlist for Psychology Sorted! Our first video on writing the EE was uploaded today. The videos will be aimed at students and teachers, with tips for lesson starters, ideas for the IA and lots of support for those of you back to teaching and learning from home. let us know what you need, … Read More

Extended Essays made easier

It’s that time of year again, when students who have only been studying psychology for a few months are asked to think of an area of research in which they are interested.  And out come the titles, and questions: ‘What makes a psychopath?’  ‘Does the media cause eating disorders?’ ‘Why do more girls than boys get depressed?’ Aaargh! Teachers sigh … Read More

Study under lockdown, the Sociocultural Approach: Enculturation

Here is my narrated ppt on Enculturation – please ignore any references to my own work situation as this was written specifically for my students. The Basu et al. (2017) study I use is featured in Psychology Sorted Book 2, The Options (Development option). Hope you find it useful. Here is the link:

Taking a holistic approach to the course

I have been trying over the past few years to do this, and am sometimes asked what I mean by ‘a holistic approach.’  The easy way is to demonstrate using an example. If you are teaching/studying the abnormal psychology option, for instance, you will probably be doing this after you have spent some time looking at the core approaches to … Read More