Psychology
Warminster School - Wiltshire
01985210100
Church Street, Warminster, Warminster, BA12 8PJ
Course summary

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, and the AQA course is broken into three parts: Part 1 – General topics • Approaches in Psychology looks at the Psychodynamic, Behaviourist, Cognitive, Humanist and Biological approaches to understanding behaviour • Research methods evaluates both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research, the different research methods (experiments, correlations, descriptive, case studies), and the various data gathering techniques (observation, interview, questionnaire, psychometric, physiological) • Issues and debates focuses on the issues of culture, gender and ethics, and the debates of nature vs nurture, free will vs determinism, holism vs reductionism, and idiographic vs nomothetic Part 2 – Key theories • Social psychology is about the power of the situation and other people to influence individual behaviour, and includes the study of conformity, obedience and minority influence. • Cognitive psychology is about mental processes influencing behaviour, and includes the study of models of memory, forgetting, reliability of memory and how to improve memory • Biopsychology is about how our anatomy and physiology influence behaviour, and includes the study of the nervous system, endocrine system, localization of function, evolution, genetics and rhythms Part 3 – Applications • Developmental psychology considers how people change and develop throughout their lives, with a particular focus on cognitive development and attachment theory • Psychopathology is the study of the causes of mental disorders including depression, OCD, phobias and eating disorders • Forensic psychology is the application of psychological theory in the criminal justice context and includes offender profiling, biological causes of offending, psychological causes of offending, and treatment and prevention of crime

Entry requirements

Grade 5 or above in Biology or Chemistry, Mathematics and English Language.

How you'll be assessed

A Level Psychology is a linear subject, assessed at the end of two years of study. There are three examinations to assess pupils. Each of these 2 hour exams comprises a number of short questions, essay questions and scenarios to which you are required to apply your knowledge. Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology (Social Influence, Memory, Attachment, and Psychopathology). Paper 2: Psychology in Context (Approaches in Psychology, Research Methods and Biopsychology). Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology (Section A is a compulsory section on Issues and Debates in Psychology. Sections B, C, D each contain questions on the in-depth option topics you've studied.

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionSouth West
Local AuthorityWiltshire
Ofsted Rating
Gender TypeCo-Educational
ISI ReportView Report
Boarding Fee£9,747 - £19,521
Sixth Form Fee£9,747 - £19,521
AddressChurch Street, Warminster, Warminster, BA12 8PJ