Psychology

Course summary

In Year 12, students begin by exploring what psychology entails and the exciting history of psychological theories and research. By understanding the different approaches psychologists take and the experimental method that can be employed in research students develop a foundation of knowledge that can be built on throughout the course. Students then zoom in on core units that embody these approaches, cognitive understanding of memory, social understanding of infleunces to behaviour, developmental understanding of attachment and biological understanding of the physical influences on behaviour. Psychopathology completes this journey and fully embodies the multi-disciplined nature of psychology and pulls on students now developed ability to compare and contrast different ways of explaining and treating the same, atypical, mental disorder. At the end of the year students complete their own research project, applying their knowledge of quantitative, statistical processes to identify and objectively test a hypothesis. Year 13 builds upon the foundations developed in Year 12, beginning with reviewing the topics they have previously learned under the lens of the issues and debate to the discussions that are central in the world of academic psychology. Students complete the course by looking at psychology in context of ‘Gender’, ‘Schizophrenia’ and ‘Forensic Psychology.