Psychology – Advanced Subsidiary GCE and Advanced GCE

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Studying Psychology introduces students to a wide variety of research and contemporary issues reflecting the subject’s diverse influences from the Sciences and the Arts.


In Units 1 and 2 the students gain an understanding of the debates between the different approaches in Psychology. For example: how important are our first relationships? Do we bond with our mothers because of the need for food or are we pre-programmed by our evolutionary history to love and be lovable?


Contemporary issues in psychology and the application of key theories is a major part of the AS exams. Contemporary issues studied include: The Day-care debate and whether children be relied upon as witnesses to a crime? Also, do our genes or our upbringing determine our personalities?


Previous students have expressed enthusiasm about their choice of subject “Psychology is a new area of study, for example Zimbardo’s prison simulation, what he found out about how far people would go when they were given the role of prison officer was amazing.” Izelle Mollentze


“Everyone should do it; it has given me an advantage in terms of my ability to look at things from a different angle.” Fatima Choudry

Entry Requirements: Two ‘B’ grades from Mathematics, English or Science
 

Year 12 ~ AS Level (AQA)

Year 13 ~ A2 Level (AQA)

 

Unit 1

 

Cognition

Do our brains work like computers?
Why do we forget things and can we always trust the accuracy of our memories?

 

 

Developmental

What is an attachment? How does the failure to form attachments affect our lives? Is Day-care good for children?

 

Research Methods

How do Psychologists carry out their research? How is data analysed and what conclusions can be drawn from limited studies?

Unit 3 

Topics in Psychology

 

·            Biological Rhythms and sleep

·            Intelligence and learning

·            Cognition and development

·            Relationships

Unit 4

•       Psychopathology: Schizophrenia, depression  and anxiety

•       Psychology in action: Media psychology, the psychology of addictive behaviour, anomalistic psychology

•       Psychological Research and the Scientific Method

Unit 2 

 

Psychoanalysis

How much do events in our childhood influence what we are like later on in life? How do we explain or treat depression and anxieties?

 

Physiological

Are we stressed because we cannot sleep or is it the other way round?

How does the brain actually work?

 

Behaviourism

Is it possible to condition people’s behaviour? Do we copy bad behaviour from our role models?

 

Entry Requirements:  Two ‘B’ grades from Mathematics, English or Science

Useful Websites:

www.aqa.org/ (exam board website)

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/reaction/reaction.html    (Good reaction time tests)

http://www.essex.ac.uk/psychology/experiments/memtask.html

http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/quiz.html

http://www.stanleymilgram.com/milgram.html

http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch15/asch.mhtml

www.prisonexp.org