Psychology
"The purpose of psychology
is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best."
Paul Valery (1871-1945)
Aims of the department
Aims of the psychology department are to give students a range of insights
and explanations into human behaviour and thinking processes. Students
will study how psychologists observe behaviour, create a theory or hypothesis
to explain the behaviour and then test this using a variety of research
methods. Students will also develop evaluative and analytical skills
in order to understand the validity of the research and theories.
A-Level Psychology is classified in the Sector Subject Category of Science.
Why study psychology?
The skills gained from studying psychology give students the opportunity
to have a deeper understanding of others and themselves. It can be studied
alongside arts, humanities and science subjects. Psychology is an important
part of many careers, including: law and criminal justice, medicine and
health care, sport and exercise science, social care, teaching, media
and journalism and human resources, amongst many others.
In order to get the most out of studying psychology, students should be
prepared to do a lot of reading both inside and outside of the classroom,
be able to express themselves both in written and oral communication and
be able to think from a broad and multi-dimensional perspective about humankind.
The specification followed is AQA ‘A’
AS Level:
Unit 1 Cognitive and Developmental Psychology
10.1 Cognitive Psychology
Human memory: Short and long-term memory, forgetting and eyewitness testimony
10.2 Developmental Psychology:
Attachment: The development and variety of attachments, deprivation and
privation and day-care
Unit 2 Physiological Psychology and Individual Differences
11.1 Physiological Psychology
Stress: Stress as a bodily response, sources of stress, stress management
11.2 Individual Differences
Abnormality: Defining psychological abnormality, biological and psychological
models of abnormality, eating disorders – anorexia nervosa and
bulimia nervosa
Unit 3 Social Psychology and Research Methods
12.1 Social Psychology
Social Influence: Conformity and minority influence, obedience to authority,
ethical issues in psychological research
12.2 Research Methods
Research Methods: Qualitative and quantitative methods, experimental design
and data analysis
AS Level: Methods of Assessment
Students take one examination on each of the three units – with
one examination in January. Each examination lasts one hour and Unit 3
includes a compulsory Research Methods question. Each unit is worth 33.3%
of the total AS marks.
A2 Level
Unit 4: Social, Physiological, Cognitive, Developmental and Comparative
Psychology
Assessment: 1 ½ hour exam in which students must answer
three questions, one from each of the following topics:
13.1 Social Psychology
Relationships: Attraction and the formation of relationships; Love and
the breakdown of relationships; Cultural and sub-cultural differences
in relationships
13.2 Physiological Psychology
Biological rhythms, Sleep and Dreaming
13.4 Developmental Psychology
Social and personality development; Personality development; Gender development;
Adolescence
Unit 5: Individual Differences and Perspectives (Synoptic assessment)
Assessment: 2 hour exam in which students must answer three questions,
one from each of the following topics:
14.2 Individual Differences
Psychopathology: Schizophrenia; Depression; Anxiety
Disorders
14.3 Perspectives
Issues in psychology: Gender bias, cultural bias, ethical issues; the use
of non-human animals
14.4 Approaches: Biological/Medical, behavioural, psychodynamic and cognitive
as applied to a stimulus material question
Unit 6: Coursework
Useful websites:
www.aqa.org.uk/qual/gceasa/psya.php
www.bps.org.uk
www.psychlotron.org.uk
www.zimbardo.com
www.clickpsych.com
www.psychexchange.co.uk
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