Psychology

Have you ever gone upstairs to get something and totally forgotten what it is you wanted? Then when you went back downstairs to where you had been when you realised you needed it and remembered what it was? Have you ever wondered why some people seem to glide through life totally relaxed about everything while others seem to be constantly in a stressed?

Psychology is the scientific study of the brain and behaviour and answers the above questions - and many more. The subject is principally taught at A/S and A Level and is academic in nature, focusing on procedures and findings of both classic and contemporary scientific research. There is also a strong focus on real-life applications of psychological research. At A/S Level, such applications of psychology include memory improvement, coping with stress, the social and emotional effects of day care and biological and psychological treatments for abnormalities. At A2 Level, we look at aggression, sleep and dreaming, cognitive development, psychopathologies and current philosophical debates within psychology.

Currently, a short GCSE course is also offered to year 11 girls who have completed their Modern Hebrew GCSE in year 10. The Psychology GCSE follows the AQA specification and students are required to sit one examination.

Teachers

• Ms A. Lloyd - Subject Leader
• Mrs E. Maurer

KS4: Year 11

The topics covered by the course are detailed below under five main headings.

• Processes of encoding, storage and retrieval
• The multi store model
• The Levels of Processing model
• Forgetting (interference, context forgetting and brain damage)
• Eyewitness testimony: young people's accounts of incidents
• Applications of memory research.

• Distinctions between verbal and non-verbal communication (vocal features that accompany speech, tone of voice, emphasis and intonation)
• Types on non verbal communication (eye contact, facial expression, body language)
• Personal space
• Implications of research into non-verbal communication.

• Definitions of personality and temperament
• Eysenck's type theory (introversion, extraversion, neuroticism)
• Personality Scales
• Antisocial personality disorder (APD).

• Definitions of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
• Stereotyping as oversimplification
• Studies of prejudice and discrimination
• Explanations of prejudice and discrimination
• Ways of reducing prejudice and discrimination
• Applications of research into stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination.

• Methods of investigation
• Aims and hypothesis testing
• Experimental methods and designs
• Samples and sampling methods
• Calculations of mean, mode, median, range and percentages.
• Graphical representations
• Ethical considerations.

Post 16

The Psychology A level follows the AQA-A Specification. Students are required to sit two exams for A/S, and a further two for A2.

Year 12 (A/S)

Details of the specification followed by year 12 students appear below.

MODULE 1

Part 1: HUMAN MEMORY

• The Multi Store Model
• The Working Memory Model
• Eyewitness testimony
• Cognitive interview
• Strategies for memory improvement.

• Explanations of attachment
• Types of attachment
• Cultural variations
• Disruption of attachment
• The impact of day care.

• Methods and Techniques
• Investigation design
• Data Analysis and presentation.

MODULE 2

• The body's response to stress
• Stress related illness
• Sources of stress
• Personality and stress
• Coping with stress
• Psychological and physiological methods stress management.

• Majority Influence (Conformity)
• Minority Influence
• Obedience to Authority
• Resisting social influence
• Implications or social change.

• Definitions of Abnormality
• Approaches to abnormality
• Biological therapies
• Psychological therapies.

Year 13 (A2)

Through their study of Psychology in A2, students will develop an understanding of the following areas:

• Cognitive
• Biological
• Behavioural
• Psychodynamic.

• Culture and gender bias
• The role of animals in research
• Ethical issues.

• Free will and determinism
• Nature/Nurture
• Reductionism.

Details of the specification followed by year 13 students appear below.

MODULE 3

• Circadian, Infradian and Ultradian Rhythms
• Endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers
• Consequences of disrupting biological rhythms
• The nature and function of sleep
• Lifespan changes in sleep
• Disorders of sleep (insomnia, sleep walking and narcolepsy).

• Top down and bottom up theories of perceptual organisation
• The development of perceptual abilities
• The nature nurture debate in relation to explanations of perceptual development
• Face recognition and prosopagnosia.

• Theories of cognitive development
• Applications of these theories to education
• Theories of moral understanding
• Development of the sense of self & theory of mind.
• Development of understanding of others and perspective taking
• Biological explanations of social cognition.

MODULE 4

• Clinical characteristics
• Issues surrounding classification
• Biological explanations and therapies
• Psychological explanations and therapies.

• Explanations of media influences on pro- and anti-social behaviour
• The effects of video games on young people
• Persuasion and attitude change
• Influence of attitudes on decision making
• Explanations for the effectiveness of television in persuasion
• Explanations for the attraction of celebrity
• Research into intense fandom and celebrity worship.

• The major features of science and the scientific process
• Validating new knowledge and the role of peer review
• Selection and application of appropriate research methods
• Sampling Strategies
• Issues of reliability and validity
• Ethical Considerations
• Data analysis and reporting on investigations
• Graphical representations
• Probability and significance
• Statistical tests and inferential analysis.

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