A Level Psychology
The voice of intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a heading.
Sigmund Freud
| Mr P Koureas | Subject Leader |
| Miss S Mouden | Teacher of Psychology & Sociology |
KEY STAGE 5
| Course Followed | AQA Psychology Specification A (7182) |
| Exam Board | AQA |
Overview
Psychology is one of the fastest growing subjects at A Level and beyond.
It's growth in popularity has been enormous (perhaps a good topic for a psychological enquiry). It is a varied and exciting subject which uses many skills developed during mainstream GCSE education. Prospective students will need to have an interest in the human mind, a clear scientific approach and sound analytical skills. They should be someone who enjoys writing essays and reading text. It will be assumed for the purpose of teaching that most students undertaking the course will have no previous experience in the subject.
Recent students who have studied Psychology have been successful in gaining places on degree courses such as Psychology, Criminology, Economics, Law, Dentistry and Medicine at both Russell group and Oxbridge universities.
By Studying a Level psychology, students will cover:
Compulsory topics include:
- Social Psychology (Conformity, Obedience, Resistance to Social Change)
- Memory (Short-term / Long-Term Memory, Models of Memory, Eyewitness testimony)
- Attachment (Caregiver-Infant Interactions, Bowlby’s Theory, Institutional care)
- Psychopathology (Definitions of Abnormality, Biological and Psychological Explanations and Treatments)
- Approaches to Psychology (Learning Theory, Cognitive, Biological and Psychodynamic Approaches)
- Biopsychology (Nervous and Endocrine Systems, Functions on the Brain, Biological Rhythms and Brain Imagery)
- Research Methods
Optional topics:
- Relationships (Formation, Maintenance and Break-up of Relationships, Evolutionary Explanations, Virtual and Parasocial Relationships)
- Schizophrenia (Symptoms, Biological and Psychological Explanations, Drug Therapies
- Forensic Psychology (Problems in Defining Crime, Offender Profiling, Psychological Explanations of Offender Behaviour and Dealing with Offending Behaviour)
Revision Links:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/
