AQA Psychology A-Level Cognition and Development Bundle (A* Notes and Exemplar Essays)

AQA Psychology A-level: Cognition and Development
From specification 7181, 7182 - Issues and options in Psychology - paper 3 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!)

NOTES:

• Piaget’s theory of development, schemas, motivation to learn, assimilation/accomodation and evaluation
• 4 stages of intellectual development and evaluation of studies
• Vygotsky’s theory of development - language, zone of proximal development, scaffolding and evaluation
• Baillargeon and infant abilities - violation of expectation research (VOE), physical reasoning and evaluation
• Selman’s perspective-taking research, stages of perspective taking and evaluation
• Theory of mind - false belief tasks, eyes tasks, biological basis, role in ASD and evaluation
• Mirror neuron system - role of mirror neurons, relation to evolution, relation to ASD and evaluation

EXAM QUESTIONS:

• Outline and evaluate Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development (16 marks)
• Discuss Baillargeon’s research into early infant abilities (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate Selman’s stages of perspective-taking (16 marks)
• Outline and evaluate research into Theory of Mind (16 marks)
• Discuss research into the role of the mirror neuron system in social cognition (16 marks)