Year 1:
Social Influence- conformity, obedience, social change
Attachment- how and why babies attach to caregivers, consequences of not forming an attachment
Memory- theories of memory, theories of forgetting, factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
Psychopathology- definitions of abnormality and the characteristics, explanations and treatment of phobias, depression and OCD.
Research Methods- how to carry out an experiment, strengths and weaknesses of different aspects of experiments
Approaches- theories of learning and development
Year 2:
Research Methods- statistics
Issues and Debates- including free will, nature vs nurture, gender and culture bias in psychological research
Biopsychology- where biology meets psychology. Fight or flight and the nervous system, biological rhythms such as the sleep wake cycle, areas of the brain and split-brain research
Forensics- methods of finding a criminal (USA vs UK), theories of why people commit crime, methods of dealing with an offender
Schizophrenia- characteristics, issues of diagnosis, explanations of causes, methods of treatments
Cognition and Development- theories of cognitive development including Piaget, Vygotsky and Baillargeon
100% exam
You will need a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 5 or above. GCSE English, Maths and Science at Grade 5 is recommended
Studying psychology is both enjoyable and useful for a multitude of career or academic pathways. Students not only gain knowledge that helps them to understand themselves and others, they can also apply this knowledge to everyday life.
The course provides a suitable foundation for the study of Psychology or a related area through a range of higher education courses (e.g. law, education, medical and social science programmes); progression to the next level of vocational qualifications (e.g. in the areas of caring, sports management or business); or direct entry into employment. In addition, the course content provides a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study for learners.
A-Level psychology provides progression to Higher Education or can act as a useful entry qualification for a wide range of occupations, e.g. teaching, public services, health & social care.