Psychology at A-level

Psychology is usually defined as the scientific study of behaviour. Its’ subject matter includes behavioural processes that are observable, such as gestures, speech and physiological changes and processes that can only be inferred, such as memory and attention

A-level Psychology We follow the OCR specification. This involves studying 20 core studies across 2 years Research methods involving a range of practical activities Applied Psychology – mental health, sport, criminal

A-level Psychology Core Studies This unit uses easily accessible examples of psychological research to introduce students to the five core areas of the subject.

A-level Psychology Core Studies The 5 core areas are: Cognitive psychology Social psychology Developmental psychology Biological psychology Individual differences

A-level Psychology Core Studies Cognitive Psychology This includes the study of memory Loftus and Palmer

A-level Psychology Core Studies Social Psychology This includes the study of the responses to people in need and authority PiliavinMilgram

A-level Psychology Core Studies Developmental Psychology This includes the study of the different theories of development and learning e.g. does watching violent images on TV teach children to be violent Bandura Ross and Ross

A-level Psychology Core Studies Biological Psychology This includes the study of the structure and function of the brain e.g. what happens when we cut the connections between the two different sides of the brain Sperry

The visual pathways

A-level Psychology Core Studies Psychology of Individual Differences This includes the study on intelligence testing and autism e.g. Baron-Cohen

Autism Baron-Cohen

A-level Psychology Practical work This is designed to give students some practical experience of psychological research. They have the opportunity to carry out a range of practical exercises involving a variety of research methods.

A-level Psychology Practical work These involve questionnaires, observation, experiments and correlations

Year 2 Applied Psychology Issues in mental health Issues in mental health Sport and Exercise Psychology Sport and Exercise Psychology Criminal Psychology Criminal Psychology

A-level Psychology The examination 3 exams each 2 hours. Research Methods - multiple choice questions, a research design and response and data analysis and interpretation. Core Studies - questions on the core studies, areas, perspectives and debates and also practical applications Applied Psychology - short answer and extended response questions.

Student support Experienced teaching staff Experienced teaching staff Regular monitoring and assessment Regular monitoring and assessment Textbooks Textbooks Moodle VLE Moodle VLE Talks given by visiting speakers Talks given by visiting speakers Student conferences Student conferences Psychology society Psychology society

Brain Day Brain Day

A level result averages for last 3 years A*-B = 82% A*-B = 82% A*A = 34% A*A = 34%

Subject entry requirements B grades in GCSE English Language, GCSE Dual or Separate Science, GCSE Mathematics. Although general subject matter is accessible, the core study texts often involve a high level of complexity.