IB Psychology Deep Dive

Created through Google's NotebookLM. This podcast is made for IB Psychology students studying the Cognitive Approach's understanding of human behaviour. The female host is glitchy in some sections. I'll look to rectify this at some point with a new version. This research paper by Landry & Bartling (2011) investigates the phonological loop, a component of Baddeley's model of working memory, which is responsible for processing auditory and speech-based information. The study utilizes articulatory suppression, a technique that disrupts the phonological loop by requiring participants to repeat irrelevant sounds, to demonstrate its impact on memory performance. By comparing the performance of participants who engage in articulatory suppression to a control group, the researchers aim to show that disrupting the phonological loop significantly reduces the accuracy of serial recall, providing further support for Baddeley's model. Link to original study: https://www.mcneese.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AJPR-11-07-Landry-5-09.pdf

Created through Google's NotebookLM. This podcast is made for IB Psychology students studying the Cognitive Approach's understanding of human behaviour. This is an examination of anchoring effect, a cognitive bias that influences decision-making. The study by Englich and Mussweiler (2001) demonstrated that judges' sentencing decisions were heavily influenced by the prosecutor's sentencing recommendation, even when that recommendation was objectively irrelevant. The texts further explain that the anchoring bias is not limited to legal settings but is a common phenomenon that affects people's judgments in various domains, including pricing decisions, medical diagnoses, and consumer purchases. The texts conclude by offering strategies to mitigate the influence of the anchoring bias, such as consulting multiple sources and actively challenging an anchor's influence. Original Study: https://sci-hub.se/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2001.tb02687.x YouTube video: https://youtu.be/EtF9NILjqK0?si=XmTsTssnyrAmCKQW

Created through Google's NotebookLM. This podcast is made for IB Psychology students studying Cognitive Approach's understanding of human behaviour. This study by Judith M. Kearins (1981) examines visual spatial memory in Australian Aboriginal children. The study arises from an environmental pressures hypothesis, suggesting that cognitive abilities are linked to survival needs in specific habitats. Kearins argues that the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Aboriginal people in the Australian desert requires exceptional visual spatial memory, as navigating the vast and featureless landscape relies on remembering relative locations. Kearins compares the performance of Aboriginal children with their white Australian counterparts on a series of visual memory tasks, finding that Aboriginal children consistently outperform white Australian children. The study concludes that Aboriginal children utilize visual strategies, while white Australian children tend to rely on verbal strategies. This suggests that cognitive differences between groups may be linked to environmental pressures and child-rearing practices, highlighting the importance of considering cultural contexts in psychological research. Original study: https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/0010-0285(81)90017-7 YouTube: https://youtu.be/o7_IY0puuo4?si=xp_Fxtf8_28x0pu8

Created through Google's NotebookLM. This podcast is made for IB Psychology students studying the Human Relationships option and the Biological Approach's understanding of human behaviour. This study examines the influence of an attractive female on male risk-taking behavior, specifically in the context of skateboarding. The research, conducted by Ronay and Von Hipple (2010), suggests that the presence of an attractive woman increases risk-taking behavior in young men, potentially driven by elevated testosterone levels. This study, along with the YouTube video analysis, supports the hypothesis that male risk-taking behavior serves as a sexual display strategy, showcasing physical prowess and dominance to potential mates and rivals. While this behavior might be advantageous in attracting mates, it also carries inherent risks, potentially leading to injury or even death. Original study: https://sci-hub.se/10.1177/1948550609352807 YouTube video: https://youtu.be/zWQtw6Z-ZqA?si=MsGMPRVZEkiCW4qm

Created through Google's NotebookLM. This podcast is made for IB Psychology students studying the Biological Approach to understanding human behaviour. This study by Maguire (2000) investigated the brains of London taxi drivers to determine if their exceptional spatial knowledge and navigation skills impacted their brain structure. The researchers used MRI scans to compare the hippocampi of taxi drivers to those of control subjects who did not drive taxis. They discovered that the posterior hippocampus, involved in retrieving previously learned spatial information, was significantly larger in taxi drivers, while the anterior hippocampus, associated with encoding new spatial information, was smaller. Furthermore, they found a correlation between the size of the posterior hippocampus and the number of years spent as a taxi driver, suggesting that the hippocampus can grow and adapt in response to environmental demands. This study supports the idea of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change its structure and function, and provides insights into the role of the hippocampus in spatial memory.