Extended essay help - phycology

[Guest]

hi there, I am a pre-ib student, I start ib1 in a couple months but want to get a good grasp on the course before I even start.  I have picked all my subjects but one thing that irks me is the ee (extended essay).  I am looking into different topics at the moment and I found one that could be really interesting, however I am looking to get more opinions and advice on my topic.  

I am looking into doing a phycology ee and my main focus would be based around, "Is the bond between a mother and a child solely based on psychological need or comfort?" Essentially, do  infants only bond with their mothers for food or for comfort.  Harlow's monkey experiments are going to be the main depth in my ee, he conducted an experiment to see what the monkeys prefered, the cloth dummy mother or the wire dummy mother however the wire dummy mother offered food while the cloth mother offered warmth.  The monkeys went to the cloth mother for comfort but only rarely visited the wire mother when they wanted food.  I find this topic really interesting as I could relate it back to us humans, I don't have a problem writing 4,000 or so words on it but my only concern is the choice of topic and if it is suitable for phyc? Thank you so much for reading! 

[DiegooO]

Hey! I'm currently in 11th grade, and the biggest advice I can give you is to don't freak out with your EE without even starting the IB. I'm taking psych SL, and have been in classes for about 2 weeks and the idea of the EE hasn't even been touched yet. Also, in order to have a better idea of what do you want to write about, I would recommend taking the class first, since the EE is basically a HUGE project, and specifically psych is a class that covers many topics and you may change your mind multiple times. Also, the EE is a project in which you have more than a year and a half to think, prepare, write, and whatever you want to do. 

Just enjoy the time you have before starting, and if u want u can make some research on the classes u are taking, but SERIOUSLY the EE is not something you need to worry about YET . Having an idea on what you are going to write about (something I don't have yet) it's incredible, but you will have several time to change your mind 1,2,3 and even 10 times if you want. So finally, don't overstress yourself!

 

Good luck and cheers from Spain!

 

[NoBoundaries]

Wow. How are you even looking at EE in Pre-IB???????? I didn't even know what EE and TOK was at that point. Really. 

I'm in DP 2 (exams in 2 months) and I have a bunch of regrets - but not starting my EE in Pre-IB was not one of them. 

Seriously though, writing your EE in Pre-IB is a bad idea. Why I say this is because your writing style, and how advanced your writing will change a lot over these few years. Anything you write in pre-IB becomes kind of discarded in IB. So not a great idea. 

Personally, I wrote my Psych IA at the end of DP 1, and when it was due at the start of DP 2, I read back over my IA and was seriously disgusted. It looked good when I finished it, but somehow over the course of a few months, my writing skills also advanced so I had to change half of my IA. Our teachers often tell us that advancement in cognitive abilities is 'mental maturation' or something.

If I could time travel back to Pre-IB, this is what I would have done:

1. Seriously brush up on maths skills. You need it in all the science subjects, and maybe even in psych/itgs/etc.

2. Seriously brush up on English analytical skills. You will need it in every subject. 

3. Seriously brush up in your chosen foreign language. This applies even more if you have never learnt that language before.

4. Relax, and plan for CAS next year. Remember CAS is important! Also keep yourself healthy so that you don't burn out.