Psychology textbook (2025)

This section of the site serves as a textbook for the IB psychology curriculum, with the first exams in May 2027. The textbook includes videos, vocabulary resources, quizzes, and full references. Please note that the new curriculum encourages students to explore areas of their own interest. Students are not required to learn all that is in this textbook.

The focus of the curriculum

Concept-based: You will also see that the textbook contains less research. This is because the new curriculum does not require students to memorize studies to answer questions. They will never be assessed on recall of the details of a study. Instead, students may use examples and discuss concepts related to specific contexts.

Inquiry-driven: The curriculum offers a lot of choices. Teachers and students should develop units based on curiosity.

Learning by doing. Students will carry out four practicals to develop an understanding of research methods.

Psychological literacy: The curriculum is skill-focused. This includes evaluation of research, data analysis, application of theory to real-world problems, and employing ethical research methodology.

	Chapter 1: Concepts in Psychology An introduction to the field of psychology and the key concepts that are the foundation for the DP Psychology course.
	Chapter 2: Research methods and critical thinking An explanation of the core research methods in psychology. This chapter also provides a critical thinking toolkit for evaluating research.
	Chapter 3: Learning and Cognition This chapter focuses on cognition. The cognitive processes are memory, thinking and decision-making, attention, perception, and language. Students must study thinking and decision-making and one other cognitive process. There is also a set of core content for the cognitive approach that may be assessed on Paper 1a.
	Chapter 4: The Biological Approach This chapter focuses on biological factors in behavior and cognition. There is a set of core content for the biological approach that may be assessed on Paper 1a. This content is also present in all of the contexts.
	Chapter 5: Human relationships This chapter focuses on group behavior and interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal relationships may focus on social relationships or on conflict/aggression. There is also a set of core content for the sociocultural approach that may be assessed on Paper 1a.
	Chapter 6: Health and well-being This chapter examines factors that may affect our mental and physical health. You must study one clinical disorder (major depressive disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, or anxiety disorders) and one health problem (obesity, drug misuse or abuse, or social media addiction).
	Chapter 7: Human Development Students must learn one model of development (cognitive, social, moral, or language development). In addition, this chapter focuses on the development of self, looking at the enculturation of social norms, attachment, peer influence, and the role of childhood experiences.
	Chapter 8: HL extensions HL candidates will also look at the different contexts through three lenses: culture, technology, and motivation. This chapter explains the ways these aspects of human behavior are investigated and the limitations of such research. There are suggestions for preparing for Paper 3.
	Chapter 9: Internal Assessment The internal assessment is a research proposal. This chapter explains how you are assessed and suggests how to choose a research question.
	Chapter 10: External Assessment This chapter explains how you are assessed on Papers 1, 2, and 3. Sample papers are available in the student resources section of the site.

Selected Pages

Psychology textbook (2025)
Brain imaging techniques
Nothing has revolutionized the study of psychology quite as much as brain imaging technology. Early psychologists were reliant...
Psychology textbook (2025)
Animal models
One of the most contentious issues in science is the use of animals in research. Psychologists use animal models to gain...
Psychology textbook (2025)
Animal research: Ethics
The use of animals in research is highly debated because of ethical considerations. Should procedures that are thought unethical...
Psychology textbook (2025)
Genetic inheritance
Behavioral genetics deals with understanding how genetics and the environment contribute to individual variations in human...
Psychology textbook (2025)
Diathesis Stress Model
Traditionally, psychologists have debated about nature vs nurture. Modern biologists recognize what is known as the gene-environment...
Psychology textbook (2025)
Neuroplasticity
The brain is a dynamic system that interacts with the environment. In a sense, experience physically shapes the brain. Not...