QCAA Psychology EA study plan

Map the full Individual development syllabus into a one-page concept tree linking heredity, environment, and developmental change

Define and contrast the key developmental research designs (cross-sectional, longitudinal, cross-sequential) with a worked example of each

Explain the nature-nurture interaction using at least two specific developmental phenomena and identify the evidence type behind each

Describe physical, cognitive, and psychosocial change across the lifespan and sequence them on a single annotated timeline

Apply at least two developmental theories to a real or constructed case and justify which explains the case best

Write a full cognitive verbs glossary for Domain 1 (describe, explain, compare, evaluate, justify) with a model sentence for each

Classify the major behaviourist, social-cognitive, and biological explanations of behaviour and state one strength and one limitation of each

Diagram the observational learning process and label each stage with a concrete example

Distinguish classical from operant conditioning using schedules of reinforcement and punishment scenarios

Apply behaviourist and social-cognitive principles to explain the acquisition and maintenance of a specific behaviour in a written response

Describe the basic memory model and attention processes and link each component to a study or everyday example

Identify the ethical requirements for research with human participants and flag where a behaviour study could breach them

Explain the cognitive processes underpinning thinking, including memory, attention, and problem solving, with a diagram for each

Compare at least two models or theories of thinking and evaluate the evidence supporting each

Analyse how bias, heuristics, and context shape judgement, using worked examples

Summarise the mechanisms of social influence (conformity, obedience, compliance, group dynamics) and the classic evidence for each

Explain how group membership and social identity shape individual behaviour, linking to at least one real-world example

Evaluate the ethical and methodological criticisms of at least two classic social psychology studies

Integrate all four domains into cross-domain links, showing where development, behaviour, thinking, and social influence overlap

Practise the full range of cognitive verbs under timed conditions across mixed-domain questions

Diagnose personal weak points using error logs from practice responses and target the three weakest syllabus areas

Consolidate high-frequency content using spaced retrieval across all four domains

Refine extended-response structure, including thesis, evidence, evaluation, and conclusion, for each domain

Rehearse exam logistics and time allocation so each domain receives proportional attention