KS 5 - PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology has links with various disciplines such as biology, computer and forensic sciences, as well as humanities such as sociology and literature. The most crucial element that links candidates to psychology is the search for knowledge concerning human behaviour and pure curiosity!

Course Overview

In Year 12, candidates develop a broad understanding of the core topics of psychology. In AS Psychology students have 2 units of work:

• Unit 1
  Cognitive Psychology, including memory and eyewitness testimony.
  Developmental Psychology, including early social development, attachment and the effects of day care.
  Research Methods, in the context of all the topic areas.
  
  
• Unit 2
  Biological Psychology, including stress, factors affecting stress, coping with stress and managing stress.
  Social Psychology, including conformity obedience and independent behaviour.
  Individual Differences, including definitions of abnormality, approaches and therapies.

In Year 13, there is a wide range of topic based options which all utilise explanations from different psychological approaches and engage students in the primary issues and debates that underpin all areas of psychology.

Unit 3

• Topics in Psychology; three are chosen from the following areas:
  • Biological rhythms and sleep
  • Percepion
  • Relationships
  • Aggression
  • Eating Behaviour
  • Gender
  • Intelligence and learning
  • Cognitive and development

Unit 4

• Psychopathology – knowledge and understanding of models, classification, diagnosis and therapies in relation to one disorder chosen from:
  • Schizophrenia
  • Depression
  • Anxiety Disorder

Psychology In Action:

• One contemporary issue chosen from:
  • Media Psychology
  • Psychology of addictive behaviour
  • Anomalistic psychology

Course Books and Equipment

• Planner, pencils, pens, eraser, metric ruler, calculator

Events and Visits

Key Dates