Many people, when they hear the word Psychology, think of mental disorders and abnormal behaviour. Psychologists, however, are not only concerned with extremes of behaviour. Many psychologists investigate very ordinary everyday behaviour such as child rearing, memory, relationships and gender. Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of human behaviour and experience. It aims to describe, explain, predict and modify behaviour. It is a fascinating subject because it is about ordinary people and ‘what makes them tick’. Unit 1: Social Psychology (Social Influence) - includes obedience, conformity and independent behaviour. Memory – includes models of memory, types of memory, forgetting and eyewitness testimony. Developmental Psychology (Attachments) – includes types of attachments, types of caregiver-infant interaction, studies of orphans, and the effects of early attachment on adult relationships. Abnormality (Psychopathology) – includes definitions of abnormality, the biological, cognitive and behavioural approaches to abnormality, and the characteristics of OCD, phobias and depression. Unit 2: Approaches – includes the learning, cognitive and biological approaches. The Humanistic and Psycho-dynamic approaches. Biopsychology – includes the nervous system, neurones, the endocrine system and the fight or flight reaction. Brain functions, techniques for the study of the brain and biological rhythms. Research Methods – includes quantitative and qualitative research methods, research design and implementation, and data analysis. Reliability & Validity, the scientific method and report writing in research. Unit 3: 1 optional topic from each of the 3 lists: • Relationships, gender or cognition and development • Schizophrenia, eating behaviour or stress • Aggression, forensic psychology or addiction