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Advanced Level Psychology Entry Requirements
Approaches in Psychology
Students will require Grade 5 or above in Mathematics and English Language, as well as Grade 6 in Biology. No prior knowledge of Psychology is necessary but you will need to be able to think critically and analyse statistical data.
Behaviourism – how we learn through reward and punishment. Freud - the unconscious mind. Humanism and how we seek to improve our lives.
Course Content
Research Methods
Year 12:
The research methods that underlie most psychological research are taught in depth throughout the course.
Memory
Year 13:
Models of memory. Explanations for forgetting. Factors affecting the accuracy of eye witness testimony as used for sentencing in law courts.
Issues and Debates in Psychology
Social Influence Why we conform in society. Why we obey people in authority. How behaviour can bring about social change.
Gender and cultural issues in Psychology. Are we driven by Free will or are our lives determined by external factors? Are we a product of nature or nurture? Romantic Relationships
Psychopathology
Attraction, maintenance and breakdown of relationships. Virtual/ online relationships and parasocial relationships, e.g. stalkers.
Explaining and treating phobias. Explaining and treating depression. Explaining and treating OCD.
Schizophrenia
Attachment Caregiver-infant interactions in humans. Deprivation and its effects, including the Romanian orphans. The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships. Biopsychology Circadian Rhythms – sleep patterns, jet lag. How our brain can change and adapt to situations and events. The fight or flight response. Localisation of function in the brain – how the different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviour.
What is schizophrenia? What are the causes, therapies and treatment, for schizophrenia? Forensic Psychology Offender profiling. Explanations of why people commit crime. Treatment and the effectiveness of prison and non-prison sentences.
Examination Format There are three written examinations of 2 hours each at the end of Year 13. There is a separate examination for each unit which is worth one third of the full A Level.