Psychology
Mrs B Christoforou
A-LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY
The study of psychology should develop an awareness of the variety and complexity of the human mind, human behaviour and human relationships. It promotes understanding of self, other people moral behaviour and thought as well as looking at cultural differences / similarities. Cultural awareness is gained in topics such as relationships in other cultures, aggression in other cultures, social psychology. Throughout the two year course students discuss at length moral dilemmas and ethical issues these underpin all the psychology units.
Why choose Psychology?
- Why is it some people suffer from stress and mental illness? Why do some people fear snakes yet others want them as pets? Psychology looks at questions like these in the study of the human mind and behaviour. It is a science with cutting edge research that applies to the real world.
- Psychologists observe and measure behaviour and their therapies are based on scientific study. Psychology has links with biology, computer and forensic science, as well as humanities such as sociology, anthropology and philosophy. the mix of disciplines helps to make it a fascinating subject!
What does A-Level Psychology involve?
- AS (Year 1) includes two examinations, one in January and one in June, each lasts for 90 minutes and accounts for 50% of your marks for the year.
The first examination includes three topics: memory, attachment, research methods.
Examination 1 - January AS Level
- Memory - models of memory (multi store model), working memory model).
Memory in everyday life (eye witness testimony, misleading information, cognitive interview, memory improvement). - Attachment - explanations for attachment (learning theory, evolutionary perspective), types of attachment, insecure and secure attachment, cultural variations in attachment. Disruption of attachment.
Attachment in everyday life - forms of day care, implication for child care practices. - Research methods - methods and techniques (experiment, observation, correlation, questionnaire and interview).
Investigation design - aim, hypothesis, design, variables, reliability, validity, bps guidelines, ethics, sampling techniques, demand characteristics.
Data analysis and presentation - graphs, scattergrams and tables, mean median and mode, positive and negative correlations, content analysis.
Examination 2 - June AS Level
- Stress - the body's response to stress, stress related illness and the immune system.
Stress in every day life - life changes and daily hassles, workplace stress, personality factors, emotion focussed and problem focussed, stress management. - Social influence - types of conformity, why people conform, obedience - why people obey.
Social influence in every day life - independent behaviour, pressures to conform or obey, locus of control, explanations for social change. - Psychopathology (abnormality) - defining and explaining psychological abnormality. Key features of the biological approach to abnormality, key features of the psychological approach to abnormality.
Treating abnormality, biological therapies and psychological therapies.
Second Year
- The second year involves two examinations. The first 1 hour 30 minutes (January) and the second 2 hours (June).
The first examination involves three topics examined by three essay questions - sleep, relationships and aggression.
The second examination involves three topics examined by both essay and short answer questions - schizophrenia, addiction and research methods.
Examination 1 - January A2 Level
- Sleep - biological rhythms, disrupting rhythms, evolutionary explanations, lifespan changes, sleep disorders.
- Relationships - getting relationships started, maintenance, breakdown of relationships, human reproductive behaviour, early experience and culture.
- Aggression - social psychological approaches to aggression, biological approaches to aggression - is it genetic? Institutional aggression (prison), adaptive response, group display (football violence, crowd behaviour).
Examination 2 - June A2 Level
- Schizophrenia - what is schizophrenia, clinical characteristics, biological and psychological approaches to schizophrenia treatments.
- Addition - biological, cognitive and learning models of addiction, explanations for specific addictions, vulnerability to addictions, reducing addictive behaviour, types of intervention.
- Research methods - the features of science, validating new knowledge, reliability and validity, ethics, probability, quantitative and qualitative data, psychological investigations.
Assessment Objectives
- There are three objectives for both the first and second year of Psychology:
1 - ao1 = recognise, recall and show understanding of scientific knowledge, select organise and communicate in a variety of forms.
2 - ao2 = analyse and evaluate scientific knowledge, apply knowledge and processes to unfamiliar situations, assess credibility of scientific information.
3 - ao3 = describe ethical, safe and skilful practical techniques and processes, know how to make, record and communicate valid observations and evaluate the methodology in a variety of ways.
What skills will I learn?
- The course will help you develop a number of skills:
How to view the world around you from different perspectives.
How to plan and conduct scientific investigations into human behaviour.
How to analyse and interpret data.
Critical reasoning skills.
How to put across your point of view fluently.
If you have any further questions regarding A-Level Psychology at The Bushey Academy please contact: Mrs B Christoforou.