Psychology

Course summary

The aims and objectives of the AQA GCE Advanced Psychology are to enable students to: • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of psychological concepts, theories, research studies, research methods, and ethical issues in Psychology. • Apply psychological knowledge and understanding in a range of contexts. • Analyse, interpret and evaluate psychological concepts, theories, research studies, and research methods about the Psychological content. • Evaluate therapies and treatments including in terms of their appropriateness and effectiveness. • Develop knowledge and understanding of research methods, practical research skills, and mathematical skills through the study of the specification content and ethical practical research activities, involving: o Designing research o Conducting research o Analysing and interpreting data Students are introduced to Psychology by covering topics that show that we can explain human behavior from a range of viewpoints and with an emphasis on conducting their research wherever possible. They extend their GCSE Mathematics by applying data-handling techniques and learning how to understand inferential statistics. They extend their GCSE Science in Biology, in particular in how the brain works and how it is studied. A qualification in Psychology provides students with opportunities to pursue careers in these fields: • Clinical psychology • Occupational psychology • Media • Counselling • Sport and fitness psychology • Advertising • Forensic psychology • Teaching • Research