Psychology

Course summary

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. It has roots in both the natural and social sciences, making it a fascinating subject that is directly relevant to our everyday life. Psychology develops a huge range of skills and competencies, balancing essay writing with statistical and data analysis. Students are given opportunities to design and conduct their experiments, applying various methodological techniques, experimental designs and data analysis, whilst maintaining ethical principles, on a chosen topic. This helps to develop their understanding of biological, cognitive and social influences on human behaviour. Psychology is a two-year course. In the Lower Sixth year students explore the foundations of Psychology, looking at social psychology, cognitive psychology, biological psychology and some learning theories. In the Upper Sixth year students will apply this knowledge to different fields within Psychology, including schizophrenia, human relationships and Forensic Psychology for the A Level students and Abnormal Psychology and Personal Relationships for the IB students.