AS / A-Level Psychology

Course Content

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and experience. Everything you think, feel and do would be of interest to a psychologist! But how can we study something as complex and mysterious as the human mind? We cannot see someone’s thoughts, emotions, memories, perceptions or dreams. So how do psychologists study the mind? This is what you will find out on this course.

Initially you will learn about classic and contemporary research studies in psychology. You will discover; the causes of phobias, why some people have no self-control and how this links to their brain functioning, how we learn to be aggressive by watching others, how we identify autism in adults, what happens if your brain is split down the middle and why do we obey unjust requests from authority figures.

You will also learn the vital skills of planning and carrying out research and the statistical analysis of data collected.

You will complete three modules in this subject:

• Research Methods – How to conduct Psychological research.
• Psychological themes through Core studies – How behaviour is explained.
• Applied Psychology including ‘Issues in Mental Health’. Child psychology and Criminal psychology.

Progression

Past students have progressed onto a variety of degree courses including psychology, criminology, crime scene science, counselling, teaching, law, sports science, nursing and philosophy.