Psychology

The mind is something intangible that exists within our brain. An unseen process of enzymes, chemicals and electric current moving within the structure of our neural networks dictates why we feel, think and behave the way we do.

Psychology is a science with cutting edge research that has real world applications to issues in everyday life, ranging from things like artificial intelligence to social change.

We provide a stimulating environment in which students can study a wide breadth of psychological theories and phenomena. There are extensive opportunities for students to conduct their own psychological research, together with trips to conferences featuring world-renowned psychologists and neuroscientists.

Teaching focuses on practical work where students get the opportunity to replicate studies, apply knowledge and conduct their own research using many different methods. We use an array of fascinating visuals such as brain scans from neuroscience to archival footage from social psychology research. Learning is developed by debate and discussion of the many fascinating topics within psychology.

We have monthly subscriptions to The Psychologist and Psychology Today, in addition to a vast array of original journal articles that are relevant to the topics studied. This encourages students to challenge themselves, while at the same time developing the independent learning and research skills needed to be successful learners at higher levels.

Psychology can be useful for a range of careers, including social work, advertising, teaching, counselling, and human resources. A psychology graduate can also access careers in sports psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, occupational psychology, health psychology and much more.

A Level

We follow the AQA A syllabus which is rich in fascinating topic areas. From theories of how memory works, to why people obey or conform to social expectations and why some people suffer from mental illness, our students learn to criticise and evaluate research findings using a rigorous scientific method.

What skills will I learn?

This 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
How to analyse, interpret and critically evaluate data
Critical reasoning skills

Content:

Year 1

Social influence – You will learn how our behaviour is affected by our friends, family and other groups of people.

Memory – You will learn about how memory works, what makes us forget and why eyewitness testimony can be unreliable.

Attachment- You will learn how early childhood experiences can influence the relationships we hold as an adult.

Psychopathology – You will learn about the explanations and treatments of mental disorders including; depression, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Research Methods – You will learn about a range of methods used to investigate human behaviour.

Year 2

Biopsychology – You will learn about the central nervous system and also how different parts of the brain can affect our behaviour.

Relationships – You will learn about physical attractiveness and what characteristics people look for in a partner. You will also investigate celebrity worship and the impact on online relationships.

Schizophrenia – You will learn about what the symptoms of this disorder, what causes it and ow can help treat it.

Forensic Psychology – You will learn about explanations of offender behaviour and also methods of dealing with offending behaviour such as the effectiveness of prisons

Assessment:

There are three written examinations in A Level Psychology.

Each exam is 2 hours long and is worth 33.3% of the A Level grade.

Questions will consist of multiple choice, short answer and extended writing questions.

Students are assessed on their knowledge, application, evaluation and mathematical skills across all three papers.