Part 2 – Cognitive Approach Syllabus Dashboard
An Academy adaptation for planning and mastery.
This dashboard is an adaptation created by IB Psychology Academy to help you plan your studies. It is NOT the official IB syllabus. Always refer to the official IB Psychology guide (first teaching 2025, first assessment 2027) for definitive syllabus content.
🔗 Official IB Psychology subject brief
LAYER 1: CONTENT OVERVIEW (2027 Syllabus – Verified)
The official Cognitive Approach terminology includes eight areas. The Academy has organised these into nine smaller, trackable study areas by breaking Cognitive Models into separate study areas to help you plan your learning.
| Academy Study Area | SL | HL |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Conditioning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operant Conditioning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cognitive Models – Multi-Store Model | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cognitive Models – Working Memory Model | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema Theory | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dual Processing Theory | ✓ | ✓ |
| Anchoring Bias | ✓ | ✓ |
| Confirmation Bias | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cognitive Load Theory | ✓ | ✓ |
These 9 areas have been broken down into 35 trackable Academy study checkpoints for the Cognitive Approach. These checkpoints are an Academy-created study organisation, not official IB syllabus requirements.
Cognitive Models is a broader official IB terminology area. The Multi-Store Model and Working Memory Model are Academy study subdivisions used to make this area easier to plan and revise.
LAYER 2: RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE
Purpose: A suggested order for working through this section.
| Academy Study Area | Sequence | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Conditioning | 1st | Foundational learning theory |
| Operant Conditioning | 2nd | Builds on conditioning principles |
| Cognitive Models – Multi-Store Model | 3rd | Foundational memory model |
| Cognitive Models – Working Memory Model | 4th | Extends multi-store model |
| Schema Theory | 5th | Core cognitive framework |
| Dual Processing Theory | 6th | Thinking and decision-making |
| Anchoring Bias | 7th | Cognitive limitation |
| Confirmation Bias | 8th | Cognitive limitation |
| Cognitive Load Theory | 9th | Applied cognitive model |
STUDENT ACTION: “This is a suggested order. You may adapt it to your own learning style and classroom sequence.”
LAYER 3: STUDY CHECKPOINTS WITH MASTERY TRACKING
SECTION: COGNITIVE APPROACH – 35 TRACKABLE CHECKPOINTS
Instructions:
– Use the status buttons to mark a checkpoint Revising or Practising.
– Use Test Mastery when you are ready to check whether you can mark the checkpoint Mastered.
– You must pass the Academy Mastery Gate for the status to become Mastered.
– If you cannot pass, choose I Couldn’t Pass. The checkpoint will be marked Revising and added to your Weak Spots.
LAYER 4: MASTERY GATE
Purpose: Test your understanding of the selected checkpoint.
Answer the questions that match the learning objective type:
🔹 For DEFINE / DESCRIBE checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition accurately?
☐ Can I explain it in my own words?
🔹 For EXPLAIN checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition?
☐ Can I explain the mechanism/process?
☐ Can I give an example?
🔹 For DISCUSS / EVALUATE checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition?
☐ Can I explain the concept?
☐ Can I give an example/study?
☐ Can I evaluate it (strengths AND limitations)?
PASS?
YES → 🟢 MASTERED
Academy Spaced Review schedule: 1 Day → 3 Days → 7 Days → 30 Days
(Mastered checkpoints return for review on these dates)
NO → 🔴 REVISING
Automatically logged as a WEAK SPOT (based on failed mastery test)
Remains here until you pass the Mastery Gate
LAYER 5: DASHBOARD
COGNITIVE APPROACH – PROGRESS OVERVIEW
🚨 WEAK SPOTS (Checkpoints that failed the Mastery Gate):
⬆ ACADEMY SPACED REVIEW SCHEDULE (1 → 3 → 7 → 30 days):
Updates automatically after each Mastery Gate result.
📊 PROGRESS: 0%
LAYER 6: HL EXTENSIONS & DATA ANALYSIS
HL students: The three HL extensions are integrated across all four contexts (Health and Well-being, Human Development, Human Relationships, Learning and Cognition). They are not taught as separate topics within the Cognitive Approach.
The three HL extensions are:
- Culture
- Motivation
- Technology
Data analysis and interpretation is an additional HL-only assessed component.
For HL students, these extensions and data-analysis skills should be considered when studying Cognitive Approach content:
| HL Area / Component | Application Across Contexts |
|---|---|
| Culture | Cross-cultural differences in memory processes, schema formation, and cognitive biases |
| Motivation | Role of motivation in cognitive processing, attention, and learning |
| Technology | Impact of technology on attention, memory, cognitive load, and digital learning environments |
| Data analysis and interpretation | Critical evaluation of research data, interpreting cognitive studies, and drawing evidence-based conclusions |
HL students take an additional Paper 3 – a source-based data-analysis paper focused on one of the three HL extensions: Culture, Motivation, or Technology. It assesses data analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative research data.
Paper 3 is not a separate Cognitive Approach topic. It is an HL assessment component connected to the HL extensions and data analysis/interpretation.
LAYER 7: KEY STUDIES REFERENCE
Purpose: Studies commonly used to illustrate Cognitive Approach content. These are examples – not a required list. Use them where they support your answer.
| Study | Year | Focus | Useful for… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson & Shiffrin | 1968 | Multi-Store Model | Cognitive Models – Multi-Store Model |
| Baddeley & Hitch | 1974 | Working Memory Model | Cognitive Models – Working Memory Model |
| Bartlett | 1932 | Schema Theory (War of the Ghosts) | Schema Theory |
| Loftus & Palmer | 1974 | Leading questions and memory distortion | Schema Theory, Cognitive Biases |
| Kahneman & Tversky | 1974 | Heuristics and biases | Dual Processing Theory, Cognitive Biases |
| Pavlov | 1927 | Classical Conditioning (dogs) | Classical Conditioning |
| Skinner | 1938 | Operant Conditioning (rats/pigeons) | Operant Conditioning |
⚡ ACADEMY RECOMMENDATION – FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Academy Suggestion: We suggest aiming for 80% mastery of this section before making the Sociocultural Approach your next major study focus. This is our own planning guideline, not an IB requirement. The new IB course is integrated – you may also choose to study approaches in parallel rather than strictly sequentially.
IB Psychology Academy · Part 2 Cognitive Approach · Independently developed study and planning tool