Psychology

A Level

EXAM BOARD – AQA – SPECIFICATION A

Psychology is an exceptionally popular subject at A’ level. Approximately 70,000 students take the exam every year and the majority thoroughly enjoy it. It is not simply one subject – it is many and therefore offers variety to students and there will always be aspects which will engage the student’s imagination and ability.

There are different branches of Psychology

• Social
• Cognitive
• Developmental
• Physiological / Biological
• Individual differences studies aspects of abnormality
• Comparative

There are different theoretical viewpoints – the main ones are

• Psychodynamic [Freudian]
• Behaviourist – Social Learning Theory
• Cognitive
• Biological

There are also Issue and Debates to consider
Issues includes

• Research and ethics – and their affects on gender – animals – socially sensitive issues

Debates include:

• Is Psychology a science?
• Is there such a thing as the mind or does the brain direct personality and behaviour?
• Are people’s lives a result of free will or predetermined by factors out of their control?
• Can behaviour be reduced to a basic explanatory model?

Psychology can be studied at almost all universities on various courses. It can be studied as a BA or as a BSc – the latter involves more scientific research and statistics. Course chosen should be those approved by the British Psychological Society as after university students may want to take up a vocational course leading to a career in psychology. The potential number of careers includes:

• Teaching
• Forensics
• Occupational psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Sports psychology
• Educational psychology – and many more

Psychology requires an open approach where students cast away stereotypes and question how the mind works and what cause behaviour. It encourages debate and an awareness that no single or simple explanation is satisfactory for an understanding of human action.

AS Psychology

Term 1 – we study two topics – Memory and Attachments – each lasting approximately half a term and the last two or three weeks are for intensive revision.

Memory includes developing an understanding of:

• The different types of memory
• Short and long term memory and the differences between them
• Models of memory which try to explain the workings of different types of memory
• Types of amnesia
• Forgetting in short and long term memory
• Flashbulb memories, eg. Knowing precisely where you were when something outstanding happened, eg. twin towers on 9/11
• Repressed memories – memories buried for emotional reasons
• Reconstructive memory – how we recreate memories to suit our own culture, stereotypes, etc.
• Eye-witness testimony- its flaws, uses, abuses and improvement in its accuracy

Attachments relates to the understanding of early close emotional ties between babies and children and their main caregiver[s] – in studying it we look at:

• Universal stages of attachment
• Secure and insecure attachment and what influences each type
• Differing theories which attempt to explain attachment – this includes animal research
• Studies of deprivation and privation – where children are deprived of a strong attachment at an early age + can the effects be reversed?
• Studies of the effects of day care [increasingly common today] in terms of early attachment and long term effects

All of the above include research and students must be aware of the quality of research as well as ethical implications. There is also a significant amount of theory
 
In December we go as a group to a conference specifically designed to cover this exam and presented by the chief examiners of the exam board [AQA Specification A] which we use.

A2 Psychology

Term 1

In Paper 4 there is a choice of topics – we study the following :-

1. Pro- and anti-social behaviour

• Theories attempting to explain aggression
• Environmental effects on aggressive behaviour
• Human altruism – and bystander behaviour
• Cultural differences in pro-social behaviour
• The effects of the media on pro and anti-social behaviour

2. Relationships

• Interpersonal attraction
• Formation, maintenance and breakdown of relationships
• What is love?
• Cultural differences in relationships
• ‘Understudied relationships’ – these are relationships that psychologists have not yet thoroughly researched such as internet and mobile ‘phone and same sex relationships

3. The development of personality

• Psychological theories on the development of personality
• Explanation for the development of gender roles and gender identity
• The social development of adolescence
• Adolescents and relationships with parents and peers + growing autonomy
• Cultural differences in adolescent behaviour

This term we also have to begin a 2000 word research assignment. This is primary research carried out and written up by students in a professional manner using methodology which is used by all academic psychologists at all levels.