Psychology

Course summary

Psychology A Level taught over 2 years.Psychology is best described as the ‘science of mind and behaviour’ and is officially accepted as a Science by all Universities. The main aim of the discipline is to create testable theories about human and non-human animals and apply these theories to a range of behaviours. The hope is that results from research will enable psychologists to cure, or hopefully prevent, a range of disorders as well as finding ways to improve behaviour. Component One – Psychology Past to Present The purpose of this component is to allow students, through the study of classic evidence spanning the last one hundred years, to gain an appreciation that Psychology continues to develop and evolve. Students will be asked to consider contemporary debates using their knowledge and understanding of five approaches: Biological, Psychodynamic, Behaviourist, Cognitive and Positive. For each of the five psychological approaches it will be necessary for students to know the assumptions of each approach, how these assumptions explain a range of behaviours, therapy used by the approach and ground-breaking classic evidence related to each approach.