This bundle includes a complete lesson and activities for the A-Level Topic Cognition and Development:
The 7 lessons are included in this bundle are:
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Piaget’s Stages of Intellectual Development
Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Baillargeon’s Explanation of Infant Abilities
Selman’s Levels of Perspective-taking
Theory of Mind
The Mirror Neuron System
*Please see individual lessons for further details of included content.
This lesson was created using the latest AQA A-Level Specification (published June 2019) although content and activities may be useful for other specifications.
Key content covered in this Lesson:
Key Questions
The Cognitive Approach
Key Assumptions
Theoretical Models
Computer Models
Video: Are brains like computers?
The Role of Schema
Example of a schema for a chair
The Emergence of Cognitive Neuroscience
Exam practice with Mark Scheme: Short answer questions
Evaluation worksheet
Evaluation points
Exam practice with Mark Scheme: Evaluation question
Plenary: Consolidation Question
To request lessons, provide feedback or if you have had any issues opening any resources of my resources, please feel free to contact jb_resources@outlook.com.
Reviews and feedback are always welcome.
Updated for AQA 2025 Spec – Teaching from SEPTEMBER 2025 onwards
This fully editable lesson covers The Cognitive Approach to Treating Depression for AQA A-Level Psychology (2025 Specification), focusing on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Beck’s cognitive therapy and Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT).
Students explore how cognitive therapies aim to identify and challenge maladaptive thinking, including Beck’s use of cognitive restructuring and the ‘patient as scientist’ approach, and Ellis’s use of the ABCDE model and disputation. Students also explore behavioural activation and evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of cognitive therapies for depression. The lesson develops AO1 and AO3 through retrieval practice, Think, Pair, Share activities, practical application, exam practice and structured evaluation.
What’s Included:
Fully editable lesson PowerPoint
Retrieval and Think, Pair, Share activities
Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Beck’s cognitive therapy and the negative triad
Cognitive restructuring and the ‘patient as scientist’ approach
Thought diary activity
Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
ABCDE model and irrational beliefs
Empirical and logical disputation
Behavioural activation and practical application task
4-mark AO1 exam practice question with mark scheme
Model answers for both Beck’s CBT and Ellis’s REBT
Separate exam practice worksheet
Detailed AO3 evaluation activity and worksheet
Research evidence comparing CBT and antidepressant medication
Evaluation of effectiveness, severe depression and the therapeutic relationship
Patient preference and the role of past experiences
Overemphasis on cognition and situational factors
Strength, limitation or both evaluation task
Stretch and extension questions
Plenary activity
Updated for the AQA 2025 specification, with structured opportunities to develop knowledge, evaluation and exam skills.
If you’re looking for the 2019 specification version of this topic, please visit my shop.
Updated for AQA 2025 Spec – Teaching from SEPTEMBER 2025 onwards
This fully editable lesson covers The Cognitive Approach to Explaining Depression for** AQA A-Level Psychology (2025 Specification)**, focusing on Beck’s cognitive theory and Ellis’s ABC model.
Students explore how faulty information processing, negative self-schemas and the negative triad can contribute to depression, alongside Ellis’s explanation of how irrational beliefs influence emotional and behavioural consequences. Students apply cognitive explanations to scenarios and evaluate their effectiveness as explanations of depression. The lesson develops AO1, AO2 and AO3 through retrieval practice, application, Think, Pair, Share activities, exam practice and structured evaluation.
What’s Included:
Fully editable lesson PowerPoint
Retrieval and Think, Pair, Share activities
Video activities with teacher guidance and discussion prompts
Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
Faulty information processing and negative self-schemas
Beck’s negative triad
Ellis’s ABC model and irrational beliefs
Application activities for Beck’s and Ellis’s explanations
AO2 application task and separate worksheet
4-mark AO1 exam practice question with mark scheme and model answer
Separate exam practice worksheet
Detailed AO3 evaluation activity and worksheet
Research evidence and practical applications to CBT
Evaluation of explanatory power and completeness
Cognitive primacy and alternative explanations
Attachment and depression
Strength, limitation or both evaluation task
Stretch and extension questions
Plenary activity
Updated for the** AQA 2025 specification**, with structured opportunities to develop knowledge, application, evaluation and exam skills.
If you’re looking for the 2019 specification version of this topic, please visit my shop.
This bundle was created using the latest AQA A-Level Specification (published June 2019) although content and activities may be useful for other specifications.
This bundle includes 8 complete lessons (.ppt) with activities:
Origins of Psychology
The Behaviourist Approach
Social Learning Theory
The Cognitive Approach
The Biological Approach
The Psychodynamic Approach
The Humanistic Approach
Comparison of Approaches
Please see individual lessons for further details of included content.
To request lessons, provide feedback or if you have had any issues opening any resources of my resources, please feel free to contact jb_resources@outlook.com.
Reviews and feedback are always welcome.
This bundle was created using the latest AQA A-Level Specification (published June 2019) although content and activities may be useful for other specifications.
This bundle includes a complete lesson and activities for the A-Level Forensic Psychology Topic.
The 13 lessons are included in this bundle are:
Defining and Measuring Crime
The Top-Down Approach to Offender Profiling
The Bottom-Up Approach to Offender Profiling
Lombroso’s Atavistic Form
Genetic and Neural Explanations
Eysenck’s Theory of the Criminal Personality
Cognitive Theory
Differential Association Theory
Psychodynamic Explanations for Offending
Custodial Sentencing
Behavioural Modification in Custody
Anger Management
Restorative Justice
Please see individual lessons for further details of the content included.
A comprehensive revision guide covering all aspects of the Cognitive Psychology A Level unit, suitable for the Edexcel A Level Psychology 2015 specification.
Contemporary study included: Schmolck.
Revision guides are also available for Social, Biological, Learning, Clinical and Criminal units.
Former A Level student: “I am so grateful for the hours and hours that you put into making those revision guides, because they were the most helpful thing to use, and you should sell them because they are far better than any textbook I have bought!”
This contains all 14 lessons in the Psychological Problems topic for AQA GCSE Psychology. It also contains a Homework booklet, a Starter booklet and the entire Development Workbooklet.
An introduction to mental health. How the incidence of significant mental health problems changes over time
Characteristics of mental health, eg positive engagement with society, effective coping with challenges.
Cultural variations in beliefs about mental health problems.
Increased challenges of modern living, eg isolation.
Increased recognition of the nature of mental health problems and lessening of social stigma.
Effects of significant mental health problems on individuals and society
Individual effects, eg damage to relationships, difficulties coping with day to day life, negative impact on physical wellbeing.
Social effects, eg need for more social care, increased crime rates, implications for the economy.
Characteristics of clinical depression. Differences between unipolar depression, bipolar depression and sadness.
The use of International Classification of Diseases in diagnosing unipolar depression: number and severity of symptoms including low mood, reduced energy levels, changes in sleep patterns and appetite levels, decrease in self-confidence.
Theories of depression. Interventions or therapies for depression
Biological explanation (influence of nature): imbalance of neurotransmitters, eg serotonin in the brain.
Psychological explanation (influence of nurture): negative schemas and attributions.
Use of antidepressant medications.
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).
How these improve mental health, reductionist and holistic perspectives. Wiles’ study of the effectiveness of CBT.
Characteristics of addiction. The difference between addiction/dependence and substance misuse/abuse.
The use of International Classification of Diseases in diagnosing addiction (dependence syndrome), including a strong desire to use substance(s) despite harmful consequences, difficulty in controlling use, a higher priority given to the substance(s) than to other activities or obligations.
Theories of addiction. Interventions or therapies for addiction
Biological explanation (influence of nature): hereditary factors/genetic vulnerability. Kaij’s twin study of alcohol abuse.
Psychological explanation (influence of nurture): Peer influence.
Aversion therapy.
Self-management programmes, eg self-help groups, 12 step recovery programmes.
How these improve mental health, reductionist and holistic perspectives.
Studying Cognitive Psychology, and more specifically psychologists behind it? We have the revision worksheet for you! It is the perfect revision kit for students. Learn all you need to know about that topic to get top marks!
A complete guide to A Level cognitive psychology from the Edexcel A Level Psychology specification. This resource covers the different models of memory including the Multi-Store Model, the Working Memory Model, episodic and semantic memory and reconstructive memory, giving a detailed explanation of each (AO1), along with evaluation points (AO3) to use in exam answers. Both classic and contemporary studies of Baddely et al and Sebastian and Hernandez-Gill are covered and the case study of HM, also with A* evaluation of the sample, procedure and results used in these studies. Finally, the key question section of the exam is also covered with precise AO1,2 and 3 points for a full mark answer.
This pack provides everything an A Level Psychology student needs to both learn the content of the Cognitive topic as well as write A* answers in the exam.
Want some engaging and fun activities to give your A level Psychology students? This resource contains 10 creative and stimulating activities that students can do. Reward them with stars and let them start collecting! Works well as an example of a Token Economy Programme and enables them to show their interest in the subject. These challenging activities are fantastic for stretching your A-A* students too, and are a great source of differentiation.
Cognitive Approach - Psychology Core - Y12 (AS) CIE (Full Unit)
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Cognitive Approach
This SoW has been meticulously crafted, offering a differentiated and engaging approach that enables efficient progression through content.
Built to the highest standards and grounded in current research, the unit incorporates dual coding and retrieval practices at its core. A consistent color scheme is also utilized to enhance both your delivery and students’ comprehension.
Cognitive Approach
Cognitive Approach CIE
Andrade 2010 Psychology CIE
Baron Cohen et al 2001 CIE
Laney et al (2008) Psychology CIE
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Cognitive Approach
This is a revision guide for Cognitive Psychology which follows the Edexcel A Level Psychology Specification (2015).
These notes have been used by numerous students to support them with revision and include both A01 Knowledge Points as well as A03 Evaluation points, both in the form of bullet points and PEEL Paragraphs.
This has relevant content including:
Multi Store Model
Working Memory Model
Tulving’s Explanation of LTM
Reconstructive Memory & Schema Theory
Individual Differences in Memory
Developmental Psych in Memory
Classic Study - Baddeley
Contemporary Study – Sebastien & Hernandez-Gil
Key Question (Working Memory & Dyslexia)
Issues & Debates
I hope I can support you and your students during their A Level studies with a visually pleasing revision guide and I wish you all the best of luck.
This bundle includes 3 x complete lessons on the cognitive topics…
The cognitive approach (within the Y12 approaches topic)
The cognitive interview (within the Y12 memory topic)
The cogntive explanation for schizophrenia (within the Y13 schizophrenia topic)
Thank you for downloading this free resource. Let us know how we are doing and leave us a review.
Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.
This resource links to KS4 and KS5 Psychology and Careers.
It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks:
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers
• This PowerPoint explains the work of Dr Jonathan Grainger, a cognitive psychologist who is using experimental techniques to determine how skilled readers process words and sentences.
• This resource also contains an interview with Dr Grainger and advice about careers in this field. If you or your students have a question for him, you can submit it online – go to the article using the Futurum link below and scroll to the bottom of the page. Dr Grainger will reply!
• The Ppt. contains ‘talking points’ to prompt students to reflect on Dr Grainger’s work, career path and the tips he offers.
This resource was first published on Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).
If you like these free resources – or have suggestions for improvements –, please let us know and leave us some feedback. Thank you!
This is a collection of exam questions for the new AQA Psychology specification (2016) focused on the topic of cognitive psych/ memory. I also have made workbooks for attachment, social psych and psychopathology - if you liked this then don’t miss them - linked below!!
The questions are usefully grouped so that once you have revised the topic you can test yourself on a range of questions that have appeared in the past, giving you ample opportunities to get familiar with the types of questions the exam board have asked in the past and no doubt will again.
Even students who can recite their notes off by heart may struggle to achieve the top grades because they have poor exam technique, but this workbook is the ideal resource to improve exam technique simply by practicing!
I have meticulously gone through past papers for the old specification and carefully selected the most relevant questions to the new spec, allowing students to prepare for exam questions that are likely to reappear. I found this very useful on the way to getting an A*.
I also have these workbooks for attachment, social psychology and psychopathology-
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/attachment-exam-question-booklet-a-level-psychology-aqa-new-spec-11684162
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/social-psychology-exam-question-booklet-a-level-psychology-aqa-new-spec-11684168
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/psychopathology-revision-exam-question-booklet-a-level-psychology-aqa-new-spec-11684165