How best to improve your memory ahead of exams was one of the questions in this year’s Higher psychology paper, said Pat Haughney, a psychology teacher at Greenfaulds High in Cumbernauld.

However, in future years, study skills will not feature in the exam, due to an overhaul of the Higher syllabus. Instead, students will examine how accurately people remember events and the factors that influence them. “Study skills and exam technique have been done to death, so these changes will allow us to move into a more interesting area,” said Mr Haughney.

Welcome variety came in Section B of the exam, he continued, with the research question finally moving out of the lab environment. Pupils were asked about different interview techniques after being presented with a study that aimed to uncover if attending social clubs made children more likely to demonstrate “helping behaviour”, like charity work.

In the final section of the exam, he felt pupils would have been happy with the questions on conformity and obedience, and intelligence. However, pupils would only do well in Higher psychology if they could evaluate, he said. “It’s not enough just to remember. They have to be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each situation.”