Psychology (A level only)
Psychology is the scientific study of human mind and behaviour.
Learning more about human thoughts and actions is essential to support future generations to flourish. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem each year in England. This has led the UK Government to invest resources in people. Public Health England launched a major new mental health campaign, called Every Mind Matters, in 2019. Studying Psychology, therefore, is vital to develop a genuine care, respect and support for all human life.
This qualification offers an engaging and effective, in-depth insight in to the fascinating world of psychology. Students will explore the reasons for human thought and behaviour and develop skills in research, application and critical analysis. Communication and independent research skills are also enhanced as we discuss current and engaging real-world dilemmas. As a result, students become very supportive lead learners who thrive working independently and with peers. Opportunities to undertake new ventures by planning projects investigating individuals and society creates initiative, with staff support readily available if needed. These aptitudes support our students to thrive in their future careers and lives.
Psychology is highly popular at A level and at university. Psychology can lead to many different career paths ranging from psychologist, teacher, child care practitioner, NHS worker, police officer, marketing and law-based work; plus, much more!
Key Stage 5 Overview
A Level Course: Course Content
Paper 1 Introductory topic in Psychology
- Social influence: Conformity, social roles, obedience, resistance to social influence, minority influence and social change.
- Memory: Multi-store model of memory, types of long-term memory, the working model of memory, forgetting, eyewitness testimony, improving eyewitness testimony accuracy.
- Attachment: Caregiver-infant interactions, stages of attachment, multiple attachments and the role of the father, animal studies, explanations of attachment, deprivation studies and how early attachment can impact later relationships.
- Psychopathology: Abnormality, phobias, depression, OCD and treatments.
Paper 2 Approaches in Psychology
- Approaches: Learning approaches, cognitive, biological, psychodynamic, humanistic approaches.
- Biopsychology: Nervous system, neurons, endocrine system, fight or flight response, localisation of function in the brain, hemispheric lateralisation, how we study the brain, biological rhythms.
- Research Methods: Scientific processes and techniques of data handling and analysis.
Paper 3 Issues and options in Psychology
- Issues and debates in Psychology: Gender and culture bias, ethical issues, debates in psychology, approaches to psychological investigation.
- Relationships: Partner preference, attraction, maintenance and breakdown of romantic relationships, different types of relationships.
- Schizophrenia: Classification, explanations, therapies and treatments.
- Forensic Psychology: Offender profiling, explanations of criminal behaviour and dealing with offending.
Homework
Each week students:
- - Create revision tools for current learning.
- - Test themselves using SENECA quizzes (a free online learning tool).
- - Answer exam questions.
Students will also complete group presentations, independent research and can take part in our super curriculum.
Assessment and Exams
AQA A Level Psychology (7182)
Please see full specification: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/specification-at-a-glance
Exam Structure
To achieve an A Level Psychology qualification students take three 2-hour written exams at the end of the second year, all worth 33.3% of the overall grade. The exams include multiple choice, short answer and extended writing. There is no coursework but practical research is included in the course to develop understanding of research methods.
Paper One: Social influence, Memory, Attachment, Psychopathology. Research Methods throughout. Two Hours, 96 marks. 30 minutes on each section.
Paper Two: Approaches in Psychology, Biopsychology, Research Methods. Two Hours, 96 marks. 30/35 mins section one and two. 50/60 mins research methods.
Paper Three: Select one topic from each section, write answers in a separate booklet. Issues and debates, Relationships, Schizophrenia, Forensic Psychology. Research Methods throughout. Two Hours, 96 marks. 30 mins on each section.
Students are also assessed through out the school year to prepare for the end of course externally-marked exams.
Extra-curricular Activities
Students are welcome to attend revision sessions each week: Group and one-to-one support is available. Half term break revision sessions are also popular with students. Students can represent Psychology on Opening evenings and in taster sessions.
Subject Related Visits - Examples of Previous Visits
The Guide Dog Association kindly visited school to present key information about how dogs are trained using psychological techniques, including classical and operant conditioning.
It is amazing to see how Psychology is used in the real-world to support the training of Guide Dogs and how Psychology is used in careers.
Students improved their understanding of how stimulus and response works in training dogs.
Students enjoyed the presentation and got involved in using treats and reward to practice the techniques on the dogs themselves.
Additional trips available:
Chester Zoo: Psychological workshop and observational skills.
Tutor2u Conference: Grade booster exam workshop in the second year.
Useful Links
Exam specification: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182
Past papers and mark schemes: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources
Revision websites:
https://www.tutor2u.net/psychology
https://www.youtube.com/@PsychBoost
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/free-aqa-psychology-a-level-revision/
Super-curriculum
Super curricular activity is focused on exploring a subject in more depth; it demonstrates commitment to the study of Psychology, expanding knowledge and understanding beyond the AQA Psychology specification. It can involve researching a topic in more depth or even looking at a new topic altogether.
AQA guide to super-curriculum: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/psychology/AQA-TG-SUPER-CURRICULAR-GUIDE.PDF
Complete online virtual work experience: https://www.springpod.com/
Access interesting articles and modern research on Twitter: https://twitter.com/researchdigest or the BPS website has some information: https://www.bps.org.uk/
Find articles of interest on: https://scholar.google.com/
Extra reading: https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/magazines/magazines-extras/psychology-review-extras
Complete past papers and mark using online resources: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources
Complete a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Unifrog involving psychology. Search Unifrog for other psychology related opportunities. / https://www.my-mooc.com/en/categorie/psychology7. Other online courses: https://www.coursera.org/search?query=psychology
Link Psychology to the news: https://www.tutor2u.net/psychology/blog/in-the-news
Find Ted talks that are psychology related:https://www.ted.com/talks?sort=relevance&q=Psychology
Documentaries/reading/films related to each topic:
Social influence: The Lucifer Effect; The invisible Gorilla (Books).
Memory: Memento; Twelve Angry Men (Films).
Attachment: Genie (Documentary).
Psychopathology: Shutter Island (Film) Langer Mindfulness (Book).
Approaches: Three Identical Strangers (Documentary).
Research Methods: Google Scholar for journal articles.
Biopsychology: Regarding Henry (Film).
Issues and Debates: Crash; Save the last dance (Films).
Schizophrenia: A beautiful mind (Film).
Relationships: The notebook (Film).
Forensic psychology: Identity; One flew over the cuckoo’s nest (Films).
Extra reading:
Bad Science - Ben Goldacre.
Affluenza - Oliver James.
Bounce - Matthew Syed. The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice.
Flow - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. How to achieve happiness.
Mindset - Dr. Carol Dwek. Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential.
Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman.
Outliners: The Story of Success - Malcolm.
Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman.
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell. The power of thinking without thinking.
Phantoms of the brain; probing the mysteries of the human mind - V.S. Ramachandran. Unravelling the weirder cases in neurology can provide insights into how we perceive ourselves.
Steve Pinker: How the mind works. Why do memories fade? Why do we lose our tempers? Why do fools fall in love? Why do we pursue higher callings like art, religion and philosophy?
Carol Jung; the Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Our minds are connected to a deeper layer of consciousness that speaks n terms of imagery and myth.
Competitions
Tutor2u and https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competition occasionally advertise competitions you can independently get involved in. https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/schools-and-colleges/activities-by-subject/psychology/psychology-resources/national-psychology-competition/ also advertise competitions.
Listen to:
All in the mind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qxx9
APPS
Illuminate Publishing: https://www.illuminatepublishing.com/revision-apps
Research digest BPS: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/research-digest-app-here
Visit:
The Freud Museum: https://www.freud.org.uk
The science museum: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Department Facilities:
Psychology text books, topic booklets.
Staff
Mrs J Machin Teacher of Psychology jmachin@westonroad.staffs.sch.uk