Secondary Catalogue

As a species, we have been getting larger and in some Western societies obesity is now at epidemic levels. So why are we doing so much damage to ourselves, our health services and our planet? Is it mainly due to nurture, the environment? Or is it more to do with nature, our biology? In this programme, featuring contributions from Dr Clare Llewellyn and Dr Giles Yeo, we consider the evidence for nurture vs nature. Show Less

Using examples from a range of classic studies, this clip takes students through the naturalistic forms of observation. It looks at different types of of observation, applications of naturalistic observation, and its uses and limitations in psychological studies. Show Less

Jirtle and Waterland’s Agouti Mouse Study has been called one of the most important pieces of research in the 21st century and this film explores both it’s substance and significance for the Nature-Nurture debate in psychology and sociology. The film, featuring extensive contributions from Randy Jirtle and original film laboratory film from the Agouti study, looks at the context of the study, the experiment itself, reactions to the study, and it's implications. Show Less

Although the idea of variables can seem dull and uninspiring, they're important because they're everywhere in psychology. This video defines the concept of variables, identify and describe different types of variables, relate variables to research methods and results, and show how variables influence reliability and validity. Show Less

One of the main ways psychologists operationalise behavioural questions is through experimental methods and this film explores and evaluates three dimensions of this process: laboratory, field and natural experiments. Each method is illustrated using a mix of classic and contemporary psychological studies (Bandura, Hofling, Piliavin, McGuire, Loftus etc). Show Less

This programme uses a real world example (the relationship between learning and time of day) to explore thee different types of experimental design: repeated measures, independent measures, and matched pairs. The film explores their respective strengths and weaknesses as each design is applied to the learning example. Show Less

"Nature or Nurture?” is a long-running debate in psychology, one heavily-influenced by developments in genetics and a rise in the popular belief that "dna is destiny”: the idea human behaviour is broadly is determined by a "good” or a "bad” roll of the genetic dice. This programme, featuring contributions from Dr Nessa Carey and Dr Guy Sutton, goes "Beyond Genetics” to explore recent developments in the field of epigenetics that show the way genes actually work is shaped by environmental influences – a development that introduces a new and exciting dimension to the debate. Show Less

This three-part film looks at how statistical data is collected, compared and explained through an examination of three key areas in this process - sampling, correlation and causation - presented as self-contained films that link into an overall assessment of the nature of statistical data in psychological research. Show Less

This programme begins by defining stress and its causes. Types of stressors like daily life hassles and major life events, and the psychological responses of eustress and distress are explored. The second half of the programme looks closely at the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman) and how cognitive appraisal of experiences – how we perceive a situation – impacts stress. Show Less

We all feel stress: a response to demands that exceed our ability to cope. It’s not only psychological – biology plays a major role in the stress response. This programme details the immediate physiological processes of fight or flight responses, as well as the stages of General Adaptive Syndrome (GAS). The negative effects of prolonged stress on the body are also explored. Show Less

Psychologists have studied the cognitive and emotional strategies we use to cope with stress for decades. This programme explores the benefits and costs of two widely recognised strategies: avoidance and approach. Additional strategies of social support, exercise, drug therapy and biofeedback are also discussed. Show Less

WARNING: The content of this programme may be hurtful or offensive to some viewers. Teachers are advised to view the programme and use their discretion to determine the suitability of the programme for their students. This programme - featuring extensive contributions from Professors Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher - looks at the origins of Stanley Milgram's ground-breaking research into the nightmare of the Holocaust and the subsequent trial of Adolph Eichmann. This is followed by an examination of the research itself - the participants, methodology and findings - with a focus on variations in obedience, the agentic state explanation and its critique. The programme then applies Haslam and Reicher's re-interpretation of Milgram's findings through the concept of social identity. Show Less

This short video uses a real-world example—collecting data about education—to illustrate and explain how and why psychologists use self-report methods. The video looks at questionnaire design, the uses and limitations of different types of questionnaires, and the uses and limitations of different types of interviews. Show Less

Explaining how and why psychological research is "useful" is a question many students struggle to demonstrate in a coherent way. This short film, based around a range of classic and contemporary studies, looks at how psychological research is useful to both psychology and society as a whole. Show Less

This video uses some classic psychological studies (Loftus, Maguire, Baron-Cohen, and Zimbardo) to illustrate a range of sampling issues. It looks at definitions, representativeness and generalisability, types of sampling, random sampling and allocation, and the strengths and limitations of different sampling types. Show Less

This video outlines some key aspects of the important methodological concepts of reliability and validity through a range of real-world examples. It looks at internal and external reliability, standardisation and re-testing, internal and external validity, and different types of validity - such as face or concurrent validity. Show Less

This short film highlights a range of ideas and skills required for a good understanding of ethnocentrism. The film defines ethnocentrism and it's social construction, and how it appears in to researcher, conceptual, and reporting bias. It also evaluates the uses and limitations of ethnocentrism. Show Less

Illustrated by the case of Susan "Genie" Wiley and a range of other classic and contemporary studies, this video takes you through the essential ideas and skills needed to successfully answer exam questions on case studies. The video covers an overview of the "Genie" case, a brief history of case study research, and the strengths and limitations of case studies. Show Less

WARNING: This programme contains graphic images. Teachers are advised to view the programme and use their discretion to determine the suitability of the programme for their students. Neuroscientist Jim Fallon uncovered the defining characteristics of the 'serial killer brain', only to discover he too had the brain and genes of what he calls a 'really bad news character'. So why wasn't Fallon a killer? This programme explores this question, illuminating the neurological and genetic bases of aggression, nature/nurture and epigenetics along the way and giving a new angle on the question of whether what happens in early childhood can send us towards deviance or conformity. Show Less

Psychologists don’t just owe a duty of care to the participants of their research, they also have a duty to produce creative and socially useful research, and sometimes these obligations come into conflict. From this basis, an ethical case can be made even for research commonly seen as ‘unethical’. Students are given a case study and asked to discuss the ethical issues. Show Less

While most psychologists look to explain behaviour in terms of factors within individuals, others focus more on situations, and one of these is Philip Zimbardo. Here Zimbardo uses extracts from his infamous Stanford Prison Study and abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib to illustrate this view. Show Less