Social Influence Studies

The big three compulsory studies here are absolute classics that you'll use constantly. Asch's line task shows how people conform even when they know they're wrong, whilst Zimbardo's prison study demonstrates how roles can transform behaviour dramatically.

Milgram's obedience experiments reveal the shocking extent to which ordinary people will follow authority figures. These aren't just historical curiosities - they explain everything from workplace dynamics to political movements.

The optional studies add depth to your understanding. Moscovici's blue/green slides prove that determined minorities can influence majorities, whilst Hofling's nurse study shows obedience happening in real healthcare settings.

💡 Remember: These studies aren't just for memorising - use them as evidence to support your arguments about why people conform, obey, or resist social pressure.

Memory Research

Memory studies split into three main areas that directly relate to your exam topics. The multistore model gets support from Peterson and Peterson's trigrams study (showing STM duration) and Bahrick's yearbook research (proving LTM can last decades).

Forgetting research is particularly exam-friendly. Godden and Baddeley's underwater study perfectly demonstrates context-dependent forgetting - you literally remember better when you're in the same environment where you learned something.

Eyewitness testimony studies are goldmines for evaluation points. Loftus and Palmer showed how leading questions distort memory, whilst Johnson and Scott revealed how anxiety affects what witnesses actually notice.

The cognitive interview studies show both sides - Fisher found it improved recall, but Koehnken discovered it can also increase false memories. Perfect for balanced arguments.

💡 Study tip: Link these studies directly to the memory models - examiners love seeing connections between research evidence and theoretical frameworks.

Attachment Studies

Four compulsory studies dominate this topic, and they're all interconnected. Schaffer's stages provide the developmental timeline, whilst Lorenz's goslings and Harlow's monkeys show that attachment isn't just about feeding - comfort and timing matter more.

Ainsworth's Strange Situation is your go-to study for attachment types. Combined with Van Ijzendoorn's meta-analysis, it proves that secure attachment is most common worldwide, but cultural variations definitely exist.

The Romanian orphan studies reveal what happens when early attachment goes wrong. Rutter's research shows that children can recover from severe deprivation, but there are critical periods for optimal development.

Long-term effects studies like Hazen and Shaver's "love quiz" demonstrate how your early relationships with caregivers shape your adult romantic partnerships.

💡 Exam strategy: Use Harlow's study to evaluate learning theory (it shows attachment isn't about food), and Ainsworth to discuss individual differences in attachment styles.

Psychopathology and Approaches

Beck's negative triad is your compulsory cognitive explanation for depression - it's simple but powerful for explaining how negative thoughts about self, world, and future maintain depressive cycles.

The behaviourist studies are all classics. Pavlov's dogs demonstrate classical conditioning, Skinner's rats show operant conditioning, and Watson's Little Albert proves phobias can be learned (though ethically questionable by today's standards).

Bandura's Bobo Doll study is compulsory for social learning theory - it's perfect evidence that children learn aggression through observation and imitation, not just direct experience.

Treatment effectiveness studies like Soomro's SSRI research and Gilroy's systematic desensitisation work give you concrete evidence about what actually helps people recover from mental health problems.

💡 Remember: These studies aren't just about learning disorders - they reveal fundamental principles about how all human behaviour develops and changes.

Biopsychology Research

Sperry and Gazzaniga's split-brain research is your only compulsory study here, but it's fascinating - showing how the two brain hemispheres have different specialisations when they can't communicate.

Brain plasticity studies are particularly relevant to modern life. Maguire's taxi driver research proves that intensive learning physically changes brain structure, whilst Davidson's Buddhist monk study shows meditation can alter brain function.

Biological rhythms research explains why jet lag happens and shift work is so difficult. Siffre's cave studies reveal that our natural body clock runs slightly longer than 24 hours without environmental cues.

The fight-or-flight studies show this response isn't universal - Taylor's research reveals gender differences, whilst Gray found that "freeze" is often the first response, not immediate action.

💡 Study connection: Use plasticity research to evaluate localisation of function - if the brain can change and adapt, functions can't be completely fixed in specific areas.

Relationships Studies

These studies reveal the psychology behind dating, love, and breakups. Evolutionary research like Buss's mating strategies and Clark and Hatfield's campus study show how biological drives still influence modern relationships.

Attraction studies prove that opposites don't actually attract - Walster's matching hypothesis shows we typically end up with partners of similar attractiveness levels, whilst self-disclosure research reveals that gradual sharing of personal information builds intimacy.

Relationship maintenance studies like Rusbult's investment model explain why people stay in unsatisfying relationships - it's not just about love, but about what you've invested and your alternatives.

Virtual relationships research is increasingly relevant. Studies show online relationships can be deeper because physical appearance matters less, but they can also create unrealistic expectations when couples meet offline.

💡 Real-world application: These studies directly explain modern dating apps, social media relationships, and why some relationships last whilst others don't.

Gender Studies

Bem's BSRI is compulsory - it's the tool that measures psychological androgyny and challenges the idea that masculinity and femininity are opposites. Androgynous people often show better mental health and flexibility.

Biological studies reveal complex interactions between genes, hormones, and behaviour. Money's David Reimer case tragically shows that gender identity isn't simply determined by how you're raised - biology plays a crucial role.

Cognitive approaches like Kohlberg's stages and gender schema theory explain how children actively construct their understanding of gender rather than passively absorbing it from their environment.

Cultural studies like Mead's tribal research prove that gender roles vary dramatically across societies - what's considered "masculine" or "feminine" is largely learned, not innate.

💡 Evaluation point: Use these studies to show that gender development involves both biological factors (hormones, chromosomes) and social learning (media, parents, culture).

Cognitive Development Studies

Baron-Cohen's Sally-Anne study is compulsory for understanding theory of mind - the crucial ability to understand that other people have different thoughts and knowledge than you do. Most children develop this around age 4.

Piaget's studies reveal how children's thinking differs qualitatively from adults. The three mountains task shows egocentrism, whilst conservation tasks demonstrate that children focus on visual appearance rather than logical reasoning.

Vygotsky's research emphasises social interaction in learning. Freund's scaffolding study proves that children learn better with guided support than through discovery alone - explaining why good teaching matters.

Baillargeon's research challenges Piaget by showing that babies understand object permanence much earlier than he claimed. Her rotating screen study suggests infants have sophisticated expectations about how objects behave.

💡 Exam tip: Compare Piaget and Vygotsky directly - Piaget emphasises individual discovery whilst Vygotsky stresses social interaction and cultural tools in cognitive development.

Schizophrenia Research

Diagnostic reliability studies reveal serious problems with how we identify schizophrenia. Rosenhan's famous study showed that psychiatric professionals couldn't distinguish genuine patients from fake ones, whilst cultural bias research shows diagnosis rates vary dramatically between ethnic groups.

Genetic studies like Gottesman's family research prove heredity plays a major role - identical twins have about 48% concordance rates. However, it's not purely genetic since concordance isn't 100%.

Family dysfunction studies show how communication patterns affect symptoms. Double-bind theory suggests contradictory messages from parents contribute to development, whilst expressed emotion research proves that critical family attitudes increase relapse rates.

Treatment effectiveness varies significantly. Drug treatments help many people but have serious side effects, whilst psychological therapies like CBT show promise but aren't suitable for everyone.

💡 Balanced evaluation: Use these studies to show that schizophrenia likely results from multiple interacting factors - genetics, brain chemistry, family environment, and social stress all play roles.

Stress Research

Stress physiology studies reveal how your body responds to pressure. Kiecolt-Glaser's medical student research perfectly demonstrates how stress suppresses immune function - students got more ill during exams when stress peaked.

Life events research like Rahe's sailor study proves that major changes (even positive ones like marriage) increase illness risk. However, Kanner's daily hassles research shows that minor irritations often have bigger health impacts than major events.

Individual differences matter enormously. Friedman and Rosenman's Type A personality research shows that competitive, impatient people face higher heart disease risk, whilst Kobasa's hardiness studies reveal that some personality traits protect against stress.

Stress management research provides evidence for different approaches. Drug treatments like beta-blockers work for physical symptoms, whilst psychological approaches like stress inoculation therapy help people develop coping skills for future challenges.

💡 Application focus: These studies directly explain why some people cope better with pressure, why students get ill during exams, and which stress management techniques actually work in real life.