Psychology Edexcel (9698) What will I learn?

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour.

Psychology is now a recognised science subject in the curriculum and always popular. Edexcel psychology focuses on How Science Works by applying psychological theories and methodologies in small-scale research projects. The subject matter relates in particular to the Sciences, Mathematics and English but can also combine successfully with a range of other subjects such as Business and Sociology. At AS Level, students are introduced to 5 major approaches to understanding human behaviour. In each approach you will discover a key topic of research, learn about important studies related to that topic and find out how research is conducted in that area of psychology. You will learn statistical tests to help interpret data collected in classes. UNIT 1  Cognitive: Memory and Forgetting. How reliable is Eye Witness Testimony?  Social: Prejudice and Obedience. What makes people obey orders, even when they are known to be wrong? UNIT 2 Personality and gender development  Psychodynamic: Are repressed memories true memories?  Biological: How ethical are transgender operations?  Learning: How much influence does the media have on our behaviour? A2 Level students will then apply their knowledge of the above approaches into real life issues that psychologists face every day: UNIT 3  Criminology: Are criminals born or made? An opportunity to find out about causes of criminal behaviour, problems with eye witness testimony and treating offenders.  Health Psychology: Is there an addictive personality? An investigation into how drugs work, what makes people take them and how addiction can be treated. UNIT 4  Clinical Psychology: understanding schizophrenia. In this section we explore the symptoms and causes of psychological problems such as schizophrenia and phobias and discover how people with these disorders can be diagnosed and treated.  Issues and Debates in psychology. In this section we consider the social and moral dilemmas raised by psychological research and arguments and the contributions psychology has made to society. At both levels, students are required to engage in small-scale research projects, which underpin their knowledge of psychological research methods and issues, assessed through written examination at both levels. In all areas you will be encouraged to use recent evidence from events in the news.

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