General description

Individual test measures how well you have understood the basic concepts and ideas of psychology as a science and learning as a psychological phenomenon. Tasks in the individual test are multiple choice tasks and short writing tasks with and without a source material.

What should you master for the test?

Central themes in the individual test are:

- What is psychology? (page 1 + slides)
- What is meant by scientific? (pages 3-8 + slides)
- The nature of psychological research (pages 3-8 + slides)
- Humans as psychic, physical and social beings (slides)
- Learning: biology (pages 70-74 neurons and neurotransmitters and 82-84 neuroplasticity + slides), cognitive functions (slides), memory (pages 294–299 + slides), conscious and unconscious mind (slides), motivation (slides), emotions (pages 384-386 + slides) and types of learning (pages 254-269 + slides)

Psychological concepts you should master for the test are:

Scientific theory
Hypothesis
Research design
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Operationalization
Participant
Experimental group
Control group
Confounding variable
Placebo-effect
Blind test
Double blind test
Correlation
Sample
Research setting
Laboratory study
Field study
Data-collecting method
Quantitative research
Qualitative research
Interview
Survey
Observation

Learning

Neuron
Neurotransmitter
Synapse
Neuroplasticity

Cognitive
Schema
Memory
Consciousness
Unconscious
Motive
Motivation
Self-efficacy

Habituation
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Observational learning
Vicarious reinforcement
Surface approach to learning
Deep approach to learning
Metacognition
Zone of proximal development

Assessment criteria for short writing tasks

Short writing tasks in the individual test mimic the Short-Answer Questions (SAQs) in the IB Psychology Final Exams. These tasks also mimic the shorter writing tasks in the Finnish matriculation examination. These short writing tasks can be questions or questions with a brief source material. Length of a good response is around 200 words. Maximum points of one short writing task is 5 points.

4-5 points
- The response is fully focused on the question
- Knowledge and understanding is accurate and addresses the main topics/problems identified in the question
- The response is supported with appropriate psychological knowledge which is described and explicitly linked to the question

2-3 points
- The response is relevant, but does not fully focus on the question
- Knowledge and understanding is accurate, but limited
- The response is supported with appropriate psychological knowledge which is described

0-1 points
- The response is irrelevant or does not relate to the question in any way
- Knowledge and understanding is irrelevant or non-existent
- The psychological knowledge supporting the response is non-relevant or non-existent

Maximum amount of points for the whole individual test is 20.