Process
Edexcel GCSE Psychology 1PS0
Development
Memory
Psychological Problems
The Brain and Neuropsychology
Social Influence
Criminal PsychologyOptional topic
The SelfOptional topic
PerceptionOptional topic
Sleep and DreamingOptional topic
Language, Thought and CommunicationOptional topic
Research Methods
Topic overviewVariables, hypotheses and controlsSampling methodsExperiments and experimental designsInterviews, questionnaires and types of dataCorrelations, case studies and observationsEthical issues in psychological researchEvaluating studies and the core areas of psychologyAverages, calculations and graphs
Development
- 5 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Paper 1
What Development covers
Development is examined in Paper 1, every student. It covers early brain development, Piaget's theory of cognitive development, Dweck's mindset theory and Willingham's learning theory, the three mountains task and Gunderson's praise study and the development of morality.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
A 1 hour 45 minute paper worth 55% of the GCSE.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 5 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Early brain developmentHow the brain grows from the neural tube into the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain, what the medulla and cerebellum do from birth, and how nature and the environment shape development.Open →
- Piaget's theory of cognitive developmentSchemas, assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium, the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete and formal operational stages, egocentrism and conservation, and the theory's strengths and weaknesses.Open →
- Dweck's mindset theory and Willingham's learning theoryFixed and growth mindsets, praise for effort, and Willingham's view that factual knowledge and practice come before skill, with strategies for cognitive, physical and social development.Open →
- The three mountains task and Gunderson's praise studyPiaget and Inhelder's three mountains task on egocentrism, and Gunderson's study of parents' process and person praise and children's later mindsets.Open →
- The development of moralityMorality and morals, Kohlberg's pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional levels, Piaget's research on moral judgement, and the link with cognitive development.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
Outline the procedure of the three mountains task.
Key term
From which structure in the embryo does the brain develop?
Key term
What does Carol Dweck's mindset theory claim?
Key term
What does the term morality mean?
Key term
Name the three main regions that the front end of the neural tube swells into.
Key term
What does Piaget's theory of cognitive development claim?
Key term
What is a fixed mindset?
Key term
What was the aim of Piaget and Inhelder's (1956) three mountains task?
Key term
What are a person's morals?
Key term
Which adult brain structures develop from the forebrain?
Key term
Define the term schema.
Key term
What is a growth mindset?
Key term
Describe the model used in the three mountains task.
Key term
What does it mean to describe an action as moral?
Take Development further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Assimilation vs Accommodation
Assimilation: fitting new information into an existing mental framework without altering it. Accommodation: altering an existing mental framework so that new information fits.
Fixed mindset vs Growth mindset
Fixed mindset: the belief that ability is inborn and cannot be changed. Growth mindset: the belief that ability can be developed through effort and practice.
Pre-operational stage vs Concrete operational stage
Pre-operational stage: the period from about two to seven years when thinking is egocentric. Concrete operational stage: the period from about seven to eleven years when children reason logically about real objects.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
From which structure in the embryo does the brain develop?
Model answer
The brain develops from the neural tube. The neural tube forms within the first month after conception.
- 2
Name the three main regions that the front end of the neural tube swells into.
Model answer
The neural tube swells into the forebrain, the midbrain and the hindbrain.
- 3
Which adult brain structures develop from the forebrain?
Model answer
The forebrain becomes the cerebrum, which includes the cerebral cortex. The thalamus and hypothalamus also develop from the forebrain.
- 4
What kinds of function does the forebrain eventually control?
Model answer
The forebrain controls higher functions such as thinking, planning and language. The forebrain also plays a major part in emotion.
- 5
What is the role of the midbrain?
Model answer
The midbrain relays visual and auditory information to the forebrain. The midbrain also helps control eye movements and reflexes to sudden sights and sounds.
- 6
Which structures develop from the hindbrain?
Model answer
The hindbrain develops into the cerebellum, the pons and the medulla. The pons and medulla form much of the brainstem.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Development revision questions
- What does Development cover in Edexcel GCSE Psychology?
- 5 subtopics: early brain development, piaget's theory of cognitive development, dweck's mindset theory and willingham's learning theory, the three mountains task and gunderson's praise study and the development of morality. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Development organised?
- By the Edexcel 1PS0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Development, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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