Psychology
Psychology
Psychology aims to help students develop their understanding of the way people think and why people behave in certain ways from a variety of perspectives, which is incredibly beneficial to the students in an ever-changing world. The course enables students to develop their analytical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills which helps to prepare them for a range of careers in the future.
The course follows the AQA specification studying the core topics: social influence, memory, attachment, approaches, biopsychology, psychopathology, research methods and issues and debates. Of the optional content we have selected Gender, Schizophrenia and Forensic Psychology. We believe this selection of topics continues to develop the students’ interest with this subject, especially with Schizophrenia as Psychopathology proves to be one of the most popular topics within the first year. Gender helps to raise the student’s awareness on very current issues within society around the concept of Gender and Forensic Psychology also builds on students’ knowledge from the other Social Sciences.
Psychology is a challenging but rewarding subject that looks at both classical and contemporary research to show how our society has changed over time. Psychology provides an excellent base for many different academic courses or career routes in a variety of areas as students develop a wide-range of transferable skills to prepare them for their future.
Exam Board: AQAPsychology Curriculum
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
| Introduction to Psychology and small induction
Experimental methods Ethics Experimental techniques Data analysis and statistical testing Peer review Conformity, types, Asch, Zimbardo |
Obedience- Milgram, situational variables, social psychological factors, dispositional explanations
Resistance to Social Influence, minority influence and social change. Introduction to memory Coding, capacity and duration Multi store model And working memory model Forgetting, interference and retrieval failure Eye witness testimony Introduction to attachment |
Schaffer’s stages
Animal studies Explanations of attachment, Learning theory and Bowlby’s theory Ainsworth’s strange situation Cultural variations Maternal deprivation and orphan studies Influence on later attachment Origins of Psychology Learning approach- behaviourism and social learning theory The cognitive approach The biological approach |
Definitions of abnormality
The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias:. The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck and Ellis cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD: |
Gender and culture in Psychology
Free will and determinism Nature nurture Holism and reductionism Idiographic and nomothetic Ethics |
Autumn 1 |
Autumn 2 |
Spring 1 |
Spring 2 |
Summer 1 |
Summer 2 |
| Case studies
Content and thematic analysis Reliability and validity Statistical testing Data Handling Biopsychology Divisions of the nervous system Nervous system and endocrine system Neurons and synaptic transition Localisation and function of the brain Plasticity and functional recovery after trauma Split brain research Ways of investigating the brain |
Biological rhythms
Endogenous pacemakers Gender Sex and Gender Androgyny and the BSRI The role of chromosomes and hormones Cognitive explanations of gender development Psychodynamic explanations Social Learning explanations The influence of culture and media Atypical gender development |
Schizophrenia
What is schizophrenia? Biological explanations Psychological explanations Biological therapies Psychological therapies Interactionist approach |
Aggression
Neural and hormonal mechanisms Genetic factors in aggression Ethological explanation of aggression Evolutionary explanation Social psychological explanations of aggression Institutional aggression in the context of prisons Media influences on aggressions (computer games, desensitisation) |
Revision and exam |
Future Careers
Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Social Work, Child Development, Speech Therapy, Public Relations, Counselling.
