Psychology

5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above

GCSE English Language at grade 4

GCSE Maths at grade 4

Two Science GCSEs at grade 4

The three modules to be covered over the two years will be:

Unit 1

Introductory topics in Psychology

Social influence (conformity, obedience, minority influence and social change)

Memory (models of memory, explanations for forgetting, eye-witness memory)

Attachment (care-giver infant interactions, explanations for attachment, maternal deprivation research)

Psychopathology (abnormality definitions, phobias, depression and OCD)

Unit 2

Psychology in context

Approaches in psychology (behaviorist, cognitive, biological, psychodynamic, humanistic)

Biopsychology (nervous system, fight or flight response, localization of function, brain scanning techniques, biological rhythms)

Research methods in psychology (experimental and non-experimental techniques, data handling and analysis)

Unit 3

Issues and options in Psychology

In depth look into how psychology is applied to 3 areas from a selection, including cognition and development, schizophrenia and forensics, and an exploration of issues and debates in psychology including, gender & culture bias, free will & determinism, nature-nurture debate, ethical implications of research.

Students learn through:

Theory-based lessons

Study of psychological research

Discussion and analysis of key ideas

Exam-focused preparation

100% exam-based assessment

Three examinations at the end of the second year

Students benefit from:

Opportunities to take part in practical research activities within lessons

Learning through class discussions and collaborative work

Regular use of assessment and essay-based tasks to support understanding

No specific additional costs are listed for this course.

Psychology can be studied alongside a wide range of subjects.

This course supports progression into:

Psychology and related degree courses

Careers in areas such as education, healthcare, social work and criminology

Students benefit from:

Practical research using peers as participants in class

Opportunities to develop skills through discussion-based learning

Exposure to a range of real-world psychological applications and careers