Psychology - A Level

“The case studies on crime and murder are fascinating.”

Entry Requirements

Two GCSEs at grade 4 plus a grade 5 in English Language and a 5 in Maths

Subject Intent

The knowledge gained will help students to develop into well-grounded adults, with an understanding of the causes of mental health issues, how to be responsible parents, when to conform and obey others, and what triggers aggression. Studying Psychology will also help students gain compassion and empathy for others as well as developing personal autonomy through the teaching of academic resilience and independent learning skills. Studying Psychology can lead to a variety of careers including psychiatrist, counsellor, working with the criminal justice system and academia.

The study of Psychology allows students to explore key areas in the history and development of psychology and offers different perspectives into the explanations of the human mind and behaviour. Studying Psychology will help you develop an insight into the methodological strengths and weaknesses of research, and critical analysis of theories, which are useful life skills which can be transferred into the workplace.

Course Introduction

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour; including how people think and interact with others. You will study many aspects of behaviour including memory, obedience, mental illness, crime and clinical psychology. We offer Pearson Edexcel Psychology at S6F. You are not expected to have studied psychology before, just to have an interest in how the mind works and why people behave in the ways that they do.

Course Modules

Foundations of Psychology

You will learn about various approaches in explaining behaviour; social, cognitive, biological and learning theories. Social Psychology covers topics of obedience and prejudice. Cognitive Psychology covers the topics of memory and dementia. Biological psychology aims to develop understanding of how behaviour is learnt – in particular aggression, looking at how our biology affects the way we behave and learning theories focuses on how behaviours such as phobias have been learned through environmental influences such as parenting, upbringing and the media. These are studied through learning about key studies, theories, and research methods within the topics.

Applications of Psychology

The aim of this unit is to enable you to study how psychology can be applied to the real world. The two units that you will study are Criminological Psychology (understanding why crime is committed, how to treat criminals, reliability of eyewitness testimonies and different factors that may affect juries in their decision making) and Clinical Psychology (how different approaches in psychology can explain and treat mental illness – focusing on schizophrenia and depression). There is a focus on detailed understanding, application and evaluation of theories, as well as assessment.

Psychological Skills

This unit focuses on issues and debates within psychology (for example the nature-nurture debate) and methods of conducting research. In this synoptic unit you will be asked to draw upon other areas of the course to understand the issues and debates. You will develop an understanding of how to use theories and evidence and apply them to real life events. You will also learn how to carry out psychological research using various research methods and to statistically analyse data and draw conclusions from the findings.

Assessment

Psychology A Level is assessed in three exams (2 x 2hr15 and 1 x 2hour exam)

Course Fact

You will explore whether our biology dominates our decisions and behaviours, or whether our behaviour is determined by those around us

Example Career Opportunities

Forensic Psychologist | Cognitive Behavioural Therapist | Counsellor | Community Development Worker
Youth Offending Team Officer | Consumer Scientist | Barrister | Life Coach | Mental Health Worker