# Psychlotron User's Guide

This user guide is to help you get the most out of Psychlotron v1.3. Scroll down to find out more, or click on a heading to jump to that section. In addition to this user's guide, a quick guide and an FAQ are available from the help menu.

- What is Psychlotron?
- Who is Psychlotron for?
- Getting Started
- Using Psychlotron: Overview

- The Navigation Bar
- The Learning Outcomes
- The Content Area
- The Interactive Area
- The Link Buttons

- Content of Psychlotron

## What is Psychlotron?

Psychlotron is an interactive teaching resource designed to help students learn about Psychology. This version of Psychlotron covers research into the capacity of short term memory, a topic within the area of cognitive psychology.

Psychlotron is designed to be suitable for unsupported individual learning, although it could equally be used in a classroom setting. It is capable of being accessed either from CD Rom or a computer hard drive, a local network or over the World Wide Web, making it particularly suitable for distance learning applications.

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## Who is Psychlotron For?

The material covered in Psychlotron is based on the AQA Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Psychology Specification A. It is therefore particularly suitable for AS students following this specification. However, the content is relevant to other AS Psychology specifications including AQA specification B and the Edexcel specification. See the specification grid below for further details.

Psychlotron is also suitable for students following a variety of other introductory Psychology courses including GCSE Psychology and some Access modules.

You are strongly advised to consult your course syllabus or specification and check it against Psychlotron's contents for compatibility.

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## Getting Started

### To Start Psychlotron from CD Rom

- Open 'My Computer' and double-click on the icon for your CD Rom drive
- Double-click on the Psychlotron icon
- On the opening menu, click 'Start'

### To Access Psychlotron Over a Network or the WWW

- Open internet explorer or another web browser
- In the address bar, type the address you have been given by your teacher, lecturer or course tutor
- Click on 'Go'
- On the opening menu, click 'Start'

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## Using Psychlotron: Overview

The navigation bar tells you what you have looked at, what you have completed and what you could still learn about.
The topic is broken down into modules. You can choose which modules to study.
The learning outcomes tell you what you should be able to do by the end of each module.
The content area is where information is presented.
Link buttons take you to new content. You can also navigate by using the buttons on the navigation bar.
The area to the right of the content area is used for interactive demonstrations.

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## The Navigation Bar

The navigation bar tells you where you are in Psychlotron, and gives you information about what you have studied and completed. You can also use it to move between different modules.

The topic is broken down into individual modules. Modules you have studied are dark grey. The module you are studying is highlighted in white. The level indicator informs you when you are studying intermediate or advanced material. When you complete a module it is ticked off. Modules you have not attempted yet appear light grey. Press the help button to access these instructions, a quick guide or the FAQ at any time.

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## The Learning Outcomes

To the right of the navigation bar are the learning outcomes. These are here to help you judge your own learning and list the things you should be able to do by the end of each module. They are updated when you move between modules.

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## The Content Area

The content area is where information is displayed. It is used for explaining psychological concepts and research. Instructions for the interactive activities and demonstrations are also displayed in the content area. When you complete an activity, the content area is updated to give you feedback on your performance, or to give additional explanations.

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## The Interactive Area

Throughout the Psychlotron package, you have the opportunity to take part in psychological experiments, view demonstrations or complete exercises to improve your understanding. These are located in the interactive area, to the right of the content area. Types of interactive material available in Psychlotron include:

- Animated demonstrations of psychological processes
- Real-time psychological experiments
- Data manipulation and interpretation
- Drag and drop multiple choice activites

In most cases, you must complete the interactive material before moving on to the rest of the module. If you attempt to move on before completing the activities, an 'OK' box will appear, warning you of this.

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## Link Buttons

At the bottom of each page is at least one link button that takes you towards new content. At the end of a module you are usually offered a choice about what you want to study next. You can also use the buttons on the navigation bar to move between modules. However, these will not allow you to jump ahead to new modules without completing the ones before.

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## Content of Psychlotron

Psychlotron contains a comprehensive overview of psychological research into the capacity of short term memory. The material is divided into three difficulty bands;

Level | Content Outcomes | Skills Outcomes
Basic | Core knowledge and concepts that are a minimum requirement for the topic | ComprehensionRecall
Intermediate | Research studies and commentary | InterpretationApplication
Advanced | Evaluation of concepts and research studies | AnalysisCriticismEvaluation

By choosing your own path through the content, you can learn at a level you feel happy with, and stretch yourself on the skills you want to develop.

### Content Overview

| Basic | Intermediate | Advanced
STM & LTM | Describe the difference between STM and LTM | --- | ---
Digit Span | Explain what digit span isState digit span capacity of STM | Describe research by Miller (1957) & Simon (1974)Explain the implications of this research for the capacity of STM | Evaluate research into STM
Recency Measures | Explain what a recency measure isState the recency capacity of STM | Describe research by Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)Comment on the implications of Clanzer & Cunitz' research for STM | Evaluate research into STM

### Content by AS Specification

In the table below, the material in Psychlotron is classified as 'essential' if the exam board requires it and 'desirable' or 'optional' if not. AQA specification A makes the most demands of students in this area. AQA - B requires less in-depth knowledge, whilst Edexcel is less prescriptive about the material students are required to study. The format of the OCR specification is such that it contains no 'memory' topic, although students may find Psychlotron of some benefit in developing skills of methodological analysis and criticism.

Content | AQA-A | AQA-B | Edexcel | OCR
STM and LTM | Essential | Desirable | Desirable | ---
Digit Span | Essential | Desirable | Desirable | ---
Miller (1957) | Desirable | Desirable | Desirable | ---
Simon (1974) | Optional | Optional | Optional | ---
Recency Effects | Essential | Desirable | Desirable | ---
Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) | Desirable | Optional | Optional | --
Ecological validity | Desirable | Desirable | Desirable | Desirable
Task validity | Desirable | Desirable | Desirable | Desirable

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