GCSE Psychology

Overview

For parents: Original GCSE/IGCSE-level practice with worked answers and hints. No exam board selection is needed; these are shared practice questions, not official papers or a complete board-specific syllabus.

Topics

Psychology key terms

Original definitions for core course vocabulary, informed by the references below. Not an official or exhaustive board-specific glossary.

40 of 40 terms

Hypothesis

A precise, testable prediction about the relationship between variables.

Research methods

Operationalisation

Defining a variable in terms of the specific procedure used to measure or manipulate it.

Research methods

Independent variable

The variable manipulated in an experiment to test its effect on another variable.

Research methods

Dependent variable

The outcome measured in an experiment to assess the effect of the independent variable.

Research methods

Extraneous variable

A variable other than the independent variable that could influence the dependent variable.

Research methods

Confounding variable

An uncontrolled variable that changes systematically with the independent variable, providing an alternative explanation of results.

Research methods

Random allocation

Assigning participants to experimental conditions by chance to reduce systematic group differences.

Research methods

Reliability

The consistency of a measure or procedure across repetitions, observers or equivalent items.

Research methods

Validity

The extent to which a measure captures its intended construct or a study supports its claimed conclusions.

Research methods

Informed consent

Voluntary agreement to participate after receiving sufficient information to make a meaningful decision.

Research methods

Behaviourist approach

An approach explaining behaviour mainly through learning from environmental experience.

Psychological approaches

Classical conditioning

Learning through association when a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response.

Psychological approaches

Operant conditioning

Learning in which consequences change the likelihood that a behaviour will be repeated.

Psychological approaches

Positive reinforcement

Increasing a behaviour's likelihood by presenting a rewarding consequence after it.

Psychological approaches

Negative reinforcement

Increasing a behaviour's likelihood by removing or avoiding an unpleasant condition after it.

Psychological approaches

Social learning theory

An explanation of learning through observing others, with cognitive processes mediating imitation.

Psychological approaches

Cognitive approach

An approach studying internal mental processes such as attention, memory and reasoning.

Psychological approaches

Biological approach

An approach explaining behaviour through processes such as brain activity, genes and neurochemistry.

Psychological approaches

Psychodynamic approach

An approach emphasising unconscious conflict and early experience in shaping behaviour.

Psychological approaches

Humanistic approach

An approach emphasising personal experience, choice and the potential for growth.

Psychological approaches

Encoding

Changing incoming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Memory

Storage

Retaining encoded information over time.

Memory

Retrieval

Accessing information previously stored in memory.

Memory

Sensory register

A very brief store holding sensory information before some of it receives attention.

Memory

Short-term memory

A limited-capacity store that retains information briefly without rehearsal.

Memory

Long-term memory

A relatively enduring memory system with a potentially very large capacity.

Memory

Episodic memory

Long-term memory for personally experienced events and their contexts.

Memory

Semantic memory

Long-term memory for meanings, facts and general knowledge.

Memory

Procedural memory

Long-term memory for how to perform learned skills and actions, often without conscious recall.

Memory

Interference

Forgetting that occurs when memories compete with or disrupt one another.

Memory

Conformity

Changing behaviour or expressed beliefs in response to real or perceived group pressure.

Social influence

Compliance

Public agreement with a group without necessarily changing private beliefs.

Social influence

Internalisation

Accepting a group's beliefs both publicly and privately because they are genuinely endorsed.

Social influence

Identification

Adopting a group's behaviour or beliefs because membership or association with it is valued.

Social influence

Normative social influence

Conforming to gain acceptance or avoid rejection by others.

Social influence

Informational social influence

Conforming because others are believed to provide accurate information about reality.

Social influence

Obedience

Following a direct instruction from someone perceived to hold authority.

Social influence

Agentic state

A state in which a person sees themselves as acting for an authority and shifts responsibility to it.

Social influence

Minority influence

A process through which a smaller group changes the attitudes or behaviour of a larger group.

Social influence

Social support

The presence of others who resist pressure, which can make independent behaviour easier.

Social influence

Exams

Add your exam dates in My Exams and see a countdown for every paper on your dashboard.

Revision

Tell GCSE.es which Psychology topics feel weak. Your dashboard then picks a short, timed next step — learn the key idea, check yourself, review mistakes.

Practice

• ✓ Key terms you tap to reveal
• ✓ Quick multiple-choice quizzes
• ✓ 3, 6, 9 and 12-mark exam-style questions
• ✓ Marking with feedback and a model answer

Available free inside your GCSE journey. Questions are written by GCSE.es, not taken from real past papers.

Resources

Short, focused tasks for the Psychology topics you find hardest — learn the key idea, check yourself, then try a marked exam-style question.