Psychology

PSYCHOLOGY

Head of Department: Mrs.J.Marsden

Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour. It is taught from a scientific perspective and includes research methods and statistics. Students who take this course should not only have a good scientific / mathematical background, but also excel in their written work. Good GCSE grades in English, Maths and Science are essential.

The specification followed is AQA Specification B.

Paper 1 – Introductory topics in psychology

including social influence (where we consider how others influence our behaviour), memory (including how we remember and why we forget), attachment (as infants how and why we form bonds with others) and psychopathology (a consideration of the causes and treatments of phobias, depression and OCD)

Paper 2 – Psychology in context

including approaches (where we consider the different ways psychologists approach their research), biopsychology (a look at the biological basis of behaviour) and research methods (including the ways in which psychologists collect their data, descriptive statistics and ethics)

Paper 3 – Issues and options in psychology

including issues and debates (which includes whether we are free to choose the way we behave or whether it is determined by our biological or environment), gender (which considers the question: is an understanding of gender biologically determined or learned from the environment?), schizophrenia (where we consider the causes and treatment of this disorder) and forensic psychology (including offender profiling and the treatment of offenders)

Students are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures; be able to apply this knowledge and understanding to new contexts and analyse, interpret and evaluate this information. This is achieved through a variety of questioning styles, including multiple-choice and extended writing. Each examination is two hours in length.

The department runs a Psychology Society which meets once a month and encourages students to research and discuss areas of Psychology outside of the curriculum.

PSYCHOLOGY

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