Have you ever said you like something just because your friends like it? If so, then you have been subject to conformity. Conformity is a type of social influence that happens when we change our attitudes, beliefs or behaviour, so we ‘fit in’ with a group or people whom we like or admire. When we do this, we are behaving … 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
Great for Revision!
Have you been caught out by the need for exams, even though you and your students have been under lockdown for months? Or would you just like a summary of all the classic and modern studies you’ll ever want? Then Psychology Sorted can solve your problems. Order the Kindle version (just $10.59 at the moment!) for instant access to everything … Read More
Planning your course effectively – exploiting the overlaps
Here is some support when planning for the new school year. This is one of the most useful exercises I have ever done before teaching a course on psychology. Using a table, or a simple Venn diagram, as above, identify the overlaps between the core approaches and the options. Putting these posters around your class, sharing them with students, and … Read More
Research from Psychology Sorted: Social Identity Theory
How we develop our social identity is still a hot topic today, and for those of you studying the effect of technologies, especially social media, on social identity, there is a developing literature on the subject. But we should start with the classic minimal groups paradigm from Tajfel (1971), found in our new book Psychology Sorted, as it is still so … Read More
Social media ‘addiction’ – the evidence.
While most of us think of addiction as the physical and psychological dependence on a substance such as alcohol, cigarettes or any kind of drugs, the word has also been used for psychological dependence on behaviours like shopping, eating, gambling, and now screen time – especially the time that adolescents spend on social media. But what is the evidence for … Read More
Online research
Most of the studies you will want to read can be found online, but some will be behind what is called a ‘pay wall’. This means that your school librarian should be able to help you with access, in that most school libraries will subscribe to at least one online data repository of resources. However, that is no guarantee of … Read More