Introduction

This guide is designed to help IB Psychology educators and students harness the power of Generative AI. The 101 prompts below are tailored specifically to the latest IB Psychology curriculum (first assessment 2025) and are engineered to produce high-quality, relevant, and actionable content.

How to Use These Prompts:

Copy and Paste: Simply copy the prompt and paste it into your preferred AI tool (like Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.).
Customize: Replace bracketed text like [study name] or [topic] with your specific needs.
Iterate: Use the AI’s first response as a starting point. Ask follow-up questions to refine the output until it perfectly matches your requirements.

Section 1: Educator Prompts (50)

These prompts are designed to streamline the teaching process, from initial planning to final assessment.

Stage 1: Planning & Preparation (15 Prompts)

Syllabus Breakdown: “Act as an IB curriculum designer. Create a high-level syllabus breakdown for the IB Psychology SL course in a markdown table. Columns should include: Unit (e.g., Biological Approach), Core Topic (e.g., The Brain and Behaviour), Suggested Time (in hours), and Key Learning Outcomes.”
Unit Plan: “Generate a 5-week unit plan for the ‘Cognitive Approach to Understanding Behaviour’ for an HL class. Include weekly topics, key studies (e.g., Loftus & Palmer, 1974), suggested learning activities, and formative assessment ideas.”
Lesson Plan: “Design a 90-minute, inquiry-based lesson plan on ‘Social Identity Theory’ (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). The plan should include a hook, direct instruction, a collaborative activity, and a brief exit ticket quiz.”
IA Idea Generation: “Provide a list of 10 simple experimental study ideas suitable for the IB Psychology IA, based on replicating classic studies. For each, specify the independent variable, dependent variable, and a brief, ethically-sound procedure. Focus on topics from the Cognitive Approach.”
Differentiated Instruction: “My class has a mix of SL and HL students. Provide three strategies to differentiate a lesson on ‘Neurotransmitters and their effect on behaviour’. One strategy should be a simplification for struggling learners, one an extension for HL students, and one a kinesthetic activity for all.”
Resource Curation: “Curate a list of 5 high-quality online resources (videos, articles, simulations) to teach the concept of ‘Hormones and Behaviour’. For each resource, provide a URL and a brief description of how it supports the curriculum.”
Key Study Summary Sheet: “Create a teacher’s summary sheet for the study [Bandura, 1961] on Social Cognitive Theory. Include the aim, procedure, findings, conclusion, and a detailed evaluation of the study’s methodology (strengths and limitations).”
TOK Integration: “Generate 5 discussion prompts that link the ‘Sociocultural Approach’ to IB Theory of Knowledge (TOK). Prompts should focus on concepts like perspective, ethics, and the nature of evidence in human sciences.”
Command Term Poster: “Design the content for a classroom poster defining the key IB Psychology command terms for Paper 1 essays (‘Contrast’, ‘Discuss’, ‘Evaluate’, ‘To what extent’). For each term, provide a simple definition and a sentence stem for students to use.”
HL Extension Plan: “Outline a plan for teaching the HL extension topic ‘The influence of animal research on understanding human behaviour’. Suggest three key animal studies and a debate activity centered on the ethical considerations of using animals in psychological research.”
Worksheet Creation: “Create a ‘fill-in-the-blanks’ worksheet on ‘Schema Theory’. The worksheet should have a one-paragraph summary of the theory with 10 key terms removed, followed by a word bank.”
Project-Based Learning: “Design a mini-project for the ‘Health Psychology’ option. The project requires students to create a public health campaign aimed at reducing stress in teenagers. Provide a project brief, a timeline, and a simple rubric for assessment.”
Case Study Integration: “Explain how the case study of [HM – Henry Molaison] can be used to teach multiple concepts within the Cognitive and Biological approaches, such as localization of function, memory models, and research methods.”
Yearly Pacing Guide: “Generate a year-long pacing guide for an IB Psychology HL course, breaking down the core approaches, the option topic [Abnormal Psychology], the HL extensions, and the IA into a 30-week school year.”
Introductory ‘Hook’ Activities: “List 5 engaging ‘hook’ activities to start the first lesson of each major unit (Biological, Cognitive, Sociocultural, Options, Research Methods). Each should be a 5-10 minute activity designed to spark curiosity.”

Stage 2: Delivery & Instruction (15 Prompts)

Real-World Examples: “For the concept of ‘Confirmation Bias’, provide three clear, relatable, real-world examples that a high school student would understand. Explain how each example illustrates the bias.”
Concept Analogy: “Explain the relationship between an agonist and an antagonist neurotransmitter using a simple analogy (e.g., a lock and key).”
Discussion Starter: “Generate 5 thought-provoking, open-ended discussion questions about the ethical considerations in [Milgram’s obedience study]. Frame them to encourage debate.”
Model Explanation: “Act as a teacher. Write a clear, step-by-step explanation of how ‘Flashbulb Memory’ is theorized to work, referencing the study by Brown & Kulik (1977).”
Visual Aid Idea: “Suggest a simple diagram or flowchart I can draw on the board to explain the ‘Multi-Store Model of Memory’. Describe the key components to include (sensory, STM, LTM) and how to show the flow of information.”
Script for a Role-Play: “Write a short script for a 2-person role-play demonstrating ‘Acculturation’ strategies (assimilation, separation, integration, marginalization). The scenario is a new student from [country A] talking to a local student in [country B].”
Checking for Understanding: “Provide 3 short-answer questions (SAQs) to quickly assess student understanding of the differences between ‘etic’ and ’emic’ approaches in research.”
Simplifying Complexity (HL): “Explain the role of ‘phenotype’ versus ‘genotype’ in genetic expression related to behaviour in simple terms, as you would to a student who finds biology challenging.”
Debate Topic: “Frame a debate topic for the class: ‘To what extent is human behaviour a product of free will versus determinism?’ Provide three arguments for each side, referencing theories from the core approaches.”
Expert Role: “Act as a clinical psychologist. Briefly explain the purpose of the DSM-5/ICD-11 for diagnosing disorders within the ‘Abnormal Psychology’ option.”
Connecting Studies: “Create a concept map that visually connects the findings of [Asch’s conformity study] and [Milgram’s obedience study] under the theme of social influence.”
Ethical Dilemma Scenario: “Present a hypothetical research scenario that contains several ethical issues (e.g., lack of informed consent, deception, potential harm). Ask students to identify the ethical breaches and suggest improvements.”
Video Summary: “I am showing a 10-minute documentary clip on the Stanford Prison Experiment. Create a 5-question viewing guide to keep students focused on the key psychological takeaways.”
Guest Speaker Simulation: “You are Dr. Elizabeth Loftus. Write a short, first-person ‘guest lecture’ script (250 words) summarizing your research on the malleability of memory and its implications for eyewitness testimony.”
Lab Demo Instructions: “Write a set of simple, safe instructions for an in-class demonstration of the ‘Stroop Effect’ to illustrate cognitive processing.”

Stage 3: Assessment & Feedback (15 Prompts)

SAQ Creation: “Generate three Paper 1, Section A style Short-Answer Questions (SAQs) on the topic of ‘Models of Memory’. One question should use the command term ‘Explain’, one ‘Outline’, and one ‘Describe’.”
ERQ Creation: “Generate one Paper 1, Section B style Essay Question (ERQ) for each core approach (Biological, Cognitive, Sociocultural). Ensure each question uses a different high-level command term (e.g., ‘Discuss’, ‘Evaluate’, ‘To what extent’).”
Paper 2 Question: “Create two sample Paper 2 essay questions for the ‘Psychology of Human Relationships’ option. One question should focus on ‘cooperation and competition’, and the other on ‘the role of communication in relationships’.”
Paper 3 (HL) Practice: “Create a short stimulus material (a 150-word summary of a fictional study) and three corresponding Paper 3 style questions that test understanding of research design, sampling methods, and ethical considerations.”
Rubric Development: “Create a simplified marking rubric for a ‘Discuss’ ERQ, based on the IB criteria. The rubric should have columns for ‘Focus on the question’, ‘Knowledge & Understanding’, ‘Use of Research’, and ‘Critical Thinking’, with brief descriptors for 3 different mark bands.”
Model Answer Outline: “Provide a detailed bullet-point outline for a top-band answer to the ERQ: ‘Evaluate research on the role of pheromones in human behaviour.'”
Feedback Generation: “A student wrote an essay on localization of function but only described the case of Phineas Gage. Write a constructive feedback comment (100 words) that praises their knowledge but explains the need to include more research and critical evaluation to improve.”
Common Misconceptions: “List 5 common misconceptions students have when answering questions about ‘Evolutionary Explanations for Behaviour’ and suggest how to correct them.”
Peer Assessment Guide: “Create a simple checklist for students to use when peer-assessing each other’s IA introduction. The checklist should include items like ‘Is the aim clearly stated?’, ‘Is the relevance of the background study explained?’, etc.”
Quiz Questions: “Generate a 10-question multiple-choice quiz on the ‘Biological Approach to Emotion’, suitable for a quick review.”
Analyzing a Sample Response: “Here is a student’s (pasted) short answer on Schema Theory. Act as an IB examiner and provide a mark out of 9, with a justification based on the IB SAQ rubric.”
Improving an Answer: “Take this weak paragraph from a student’s essay: ‘Bandura showed that kids copy adults. They watched a Bobo doll get hit and then they hit it too. This is social learning.’ Rewrite this paragraph to be of high academic quality, integrating key terminology and evaluation.”
Exam Wrapper: “Create a ‘post-exam reflection’ worksheet for students after they’ve taken a practice test. Include questions like ‘Which command term did I find most difficult?’, ‘Which topic do I need to revise most?’, and ‘What will be my revision strategy for this topic?'”
IA Feedback: “Provide structured feedback on a student’s IA Results section. Focus on the correct use of descriptive and inferential statistics and the clarity of the graph.”
Predictive Questions: “Based on past IB exam trends (while acknowledging unpredictability), suggest three potential ERQ themes for the upcoming exam session for the Sociocultural Approach.”

Stage 4: Enrichment & Extension (5 Prompts)

CAS Connection: “Generate three CAS project ideas that connect directly to the IB Psychology curriculum. For each, explain the link to psychology and outline the potential for ‘Creativity’, ‘Activity’, and ‘Service’.”
Psychology in Film: “Choose the film [Inside Out]. Create a viewing guide that asks students to identify and analyze psychological concepts portrayed in the film, such as memory formation, core emotions, and personality islands.”
Contemporary Issues: “Write a short article (300 words) explaining how the psychological concept of ‘Stereotyping’ can be applied to understand a current global issue, like [a recent international conflict or social movement].”
Interdisciplinary Link (Econ): “Explain the connection between ‘Cognitive Biases’ (e.g., anchoring bias, loss aversion) from IB Psychology and the field of ‘Behavioral Economics’ in IB Economics.”
Career Pathways: “Create a brief overview of 5 different career pathways that an IB Psychology student might pursue. For each, describe the job and how the skills learned in the course are relevant.”

Section 2: Student Prompts (50)

These prompts are designed to support students through every stage of their learning journey.

Stage 1: Understanding Concepts (15 Prompts)

Simple Explanation: “Explain ‘neuroplasticity’ to me like I’m 15 years old. Use an analogy to help me understand it.”
Compare and Contrast: “Create a table that compares and contrasts the ‘Multi-Store Model of Memory’ and the ‘Working Memory Model’. Include key features, strengths, and limitations for each.”
Key Study Summary: “Summarize the aim, method, findings, and conclusion of [Loftus & Palmer’s 1974 study on eyewitness testimony] in under 200 words.”
Theory in My Life: “How does ‘Social Identity Theory’ apply to my own life? Give me three examples related to my school, nationality, or hobbies.”
Flashcard Creation: “Generate 10 digital flashcards for the topic ‘Hormones and Behaviour’. On one side, put the key term (e.g., ‘Oxytocin’, ‘Cortisol’). On the other, put its primary function related to behaviour.”
Unpacking a Question: “Break down this ERQ for me: ‘To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion?’ What is the command term asking me to do, and what topics should I cover?”
Visualizing a Model: “Describe a simple diagram I can draw to remember the key parts of the ‘Diathesis-Stress Model’ for explaining psychological disorders.”
Define in Your Own Words: “Act as a fellow student. Explain the difference between ‘genetics’ and ‘epigenetics’ in a simple, conversational way.”
Research Method Explained: “What is a ‘quasi-experiment’? Explain its key features and provide an example of a core psychology study that used this method.”
Ethical Consideration: “Explain the ethical consideration of ‘undue stress or harm’ and why it was a problem in the [Stanford Prison Experiment].”
HL Terminology: “What is the difference between a ‘meta-analysis’ and a ‘longitudinal study’? Give me a simple definition for each.”
Connecting Approaches: “How can I use both the ‘Biological Approach’ and the ‘Sociocultural Approach’ to explain the behaviour of ‘aggression’?”
Option Topic Overview: “Give me a brief overview of the main topics I’ll study in the ‘Abnormal Psychology’ option.”
Study Evaluation: “Help me evaluate the study [Maguire et al., 2000]. Give me two strengths and two limitations of the study’s methodology.”
Real-World Application: “How is research into ‘cognitive biases’ used in marketing and advertising? Give me one specific example.”

Stage 2: Practicing & Applying (15 Prompts)

Essay Outline: “Create a 3-paragraph essay outline for the question: ‘Discuss the role of culture in the formation and maintenance of relationships.’ Include a thesis statement and topic sentences for each paragraph with supporting studies.”
SAQ Practice: “Write a model answer (around 250 words) for the SAQ: ‘Explain one study related to one model of memory.'”
Critical Thinking Questions: “Give me three critical thinking questions I can ask myself to evaluate any psychological study I learn.”
IA Introduction Practice: “I’m doing my IA on the ‘Asch paradigm’. Help me write a draft of my introduction, linking to the original study and clearly stating the aim of my experiment.”
Self-Quiz: “Quiz me on the ‘Sociocultural Approach’. Ask me 5 short-answer questions and then provide the ideal answers so I can check my work.”
Applying a Theory: “I just learned about ‘Social Cognitive Theory’. Give me a modern scenario (e.g., involving social media influencers) and ask me to apply the four key components of the theory to it.”
Paraphrasing Practice: “Here is a sentence from my textbook: ‘Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.’ Help me paraphrase this sentence for my notes.”
Identifying Variables: “In the [Bobo Doll experiment], what was the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV)? What was one confounding variable that might have affected the results?”
Writing a Thesis Statement: “Help me write a strong, clear thesis statement for an essay about ‘the effectiveness of treatments for PTSD’ for the Abnormal Psychology option.”
Argument Builder: “I need to argue ‘for’ the use of deception in psychological research in a debate. Give me three key points, each supported by an example from a study where deception was necessary.”
Connecting to TOK: “How can I use the concept of ‘researcher bias’ in psychology as an example in my TOK essay on the human sciences?”
Paper 3 (HL) Skill Builder: “Give me a short description of a study and ask me to identify the research design (e.g., repeated measures, independent samples) and justify my answer.”
Improving My Writing: “Analyze this paragraph from my essay and suggest how I can improve it by adding more explicit links to the question and using more precise psychological terminology. [Paste paragraph here].”
Flashcard Game: “Let’s play a flashcard game. Give me a definition from the ‘Biological Approach’ and I’ll try to guess the key term.”
Hypothesis Writing: “My IA is testing the effect of chunking on memory recall. Help me write a clear operationalized experimental hypothesis and a null hypothesis.”

Stage 3: Revising & Consolidating (15 Prompts)

Mind Map Content: “Generate the content for a mind map on the ‘Cognitive Approach’. The central bubble is the approach, with main branches for ‘Cognitive Processing’, ‘Reliability of Cognitive Processes’, and ‘Emotion and Cognition’. Include key theories, studies, and concepts for each branch.”
Study Guide Creation: “Create a one-page revision guide for the topic ‘Cultural Dimensions’. It should include a definition of the concept, a summary of Hofstede’s research, and a brief explanation of two dimensions (e.g., Individualism/Collectivism, PDI).”
Command Term Drill: “Give me a topic ([e.g., neurotransmission]) and a command term ([e.g., ‘Explain’]). I will write a short response, and you will tell me if I correctly addressed the command term.”
Top 5 Things to Know: “What are the top 5 most important things to remember about the ‘Biological Approach’ for the final exam?”
Acronym Generator: “Help me create a memorable acronym to remember the ethical guidelines in psychology (e.g., Informed Consent, Deception, Right to Withdraw…).”
Audio Summary Script: “Write a 3-minute audio script summarizing the ‘Working Memory Model’. I will record this on my phone to listen to while commuting.”
Connecting the Dots: “Show me how the concepts of ‘Schema’ (Cognitive) and ‘Stereotypes’ (Sociocultural) are related. Explain the link in a short paragraph.”
Exam Question Deconstruction: “Let’s deconstruct the ERQ: ‘Evaluate research into the effects of acculturation on behaviour.’ What specific studies would be best to use, and what critical thinking points should I make?”
Key Theorist Summary: “Give me a ‘Who’s Who’ list for the Sociocultural Approach. For each key theorist (e.g., Bandura, Tajfel, Hofstede), provide their main theory in one sentence.”
Final Revision Checklist: “Create a final revision checklist for Paper 1. It should be a list of all the core topics and HL extensions I need to know.”
Model Answer Analysis: “Provide me with a model paragraph that demonstrates excellent critical thinking in an essay. Then, highlight the specific phrases that show evaluation.”
Predict the Question: “If you were an examiner, what SAQ would you ask about ‘research methods used in the cognitive approach’? Give me the question and a bullet-point answer plan.”
Error Analysis: “What is the most common mistake students make when writing about ‘genes and behaviour’? Explain the mistake and how to avoid it.”
Distinguishing Concepts: “What is the single biggest difference between ‘conformity’ and ‘obedience’? Give me a clear, one-sentence distinction.”
Last-Minute Review Sheet: “Create a ‘cram sheet’ for the ‘Abnormal Psychology’ option, containing only key terms, names of disorders, and associated etiologies/treatments.”

Stage 4: Preparing for Assessment (5 Prompts)

Timed Essay Simulation: “Give me an ERQ from the Biological Approach. I am going to write an essay plan and the full essay under timed conditions (1 hour). Start the timer now. When I’m done, I’ll paste the essay for your feedback.”
IA Final Checklist: “Act as my teacher. Give me a final checklist to review my IA before I submit it. Include checks for the title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, and appendices.”
Paper 3 (HL) Walkthrough: “Walk me through how to approach Paper 3. What should I do in the first 5 minutes of reading time? How should I structure my answers for the three questions?”
Managing Exam Nerves: “Based on cognitive psychology, give me three practical strategies to manage anxiety before and during the final IB exam.”
Post-Exam Reflection: “I just finished my mock exam for Paper 2. Ask me five questions that will help me reflect on my performance and plan my final revision.”

Section 3: Bonus Universal Prompt (1)

The ‘Psychologist for a Day’ Challenge:
“Act as the director of a global public health initiative. A new, complex global problem has emerged: [e.g., the widespread mental health impact of climate change anxiety OR the societal effects of AI-driven social media echo chambers].
Your task is to create a multi-faceted proposal to address this issue. Your proposal must be presented as a report and must:
1. Define the Problem: Briefly explain the psychological dimensions of the issue.
2. Propose a Research Study: Design a cross-cultural research study (using an etic approach) to understand the problem’s scope. Specify your research method, sampling technique, and key ethical considerations.
3. Develop an Intervention: Based on principles from one of the three core approaches (Biological, Cognitive, or Sociocultural), propose one intervention strategy (e.g., a cognitive reframing program, a community support initiative, or a neurofeedback-based therapy).
4. Connect to an Option: Explain how this problem relates to one of the IB Psychology options (Abnormal, Health, Developmental, or Human Relationships).
5. Link to TOK: Conclude with one paragraph discussing the challenges and limitations of using psychology to solve large-scale, real-world problems, linking to TOK concepts of evidence and perspective.”