Psychology Year 12 & 13

Topics studied in this module are: 

• Social Influence – This topic explores the impact of groups of people on human behaviour. Conformity and obedience to authority are the key focus of this unit.  
• Memory – This topic focuses on factors that influence human memory, models of memory and forgetting are key theoretical perspectives explored. This topic also looks at factors that affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimonies.
• Attachment – Caregiver-infant interaction in humans is explored within this topic, with emphasis on theories of attachment. This topic explores the long-term effects of attachment disruption in later adult life. 
• Psychopathology – One of the most popular topics amongst students, this topic focuses on a wide range of mental health conditions such as phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Students explore the causes of such conditions as well as the psychological and biological therapies that are used to treat them. 

Assessment Information: External examinations to be sat at the end of the two-year course.

Topics studied in this module are: 

• Approaches in Psychology – This topic enables students to explore the origins of Psychology and the emergence of Psychology as a science.  
• Biopsychology – This is the science of the brain and nervous system and how they influence behaviour. This topic enables students to look at the impact of normal function of the brain as well as injured brain. 
• Research Methods – This practical aspect of the subject enables students to explore how psychologists conduct research. It allows students to carry out controlled experiments giving them the opportunity to analyse and discuss the statistical significance of data they have gathered. 

Assessment Information: External examinations to be sat at the end of the two-year course. 

Topics studied in this module are: 

• Issues and debates in Psychology – This topic explores a wide range of issues within Psychology such as gender bias in research and controversial debates such as the extent to which human behaviour is the result of nature and/or nurture. 
• Gender Development – This topic focuses on the acquisition of our gender identity, research explores the extent to which gender development is the result of our biological or the result of our environmental experiences.  
• Forensic Psychology – Problems in defining and measuring crime are debated in this topic. Theories go on further to explain the causes of criminal behaviour and what can be done to reduce re-offending. 
• Eating Behaviours – This topic explores evolutionary explanations of our food preferences, explanations for the failure and successes of dieting giving students the opportunity to see how psychology can be applied in everyday life. 

Assessment Information: External examinations to be sat at the end of the two-year course.