Psychology

Course summary

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. It is a subject that attempts to provide us with many different theories about our way of acting. This might be why we forget things that we have been told, or why we might copy the behaviour of other people, or do what someone asks us, even when we know it is the wrong thing to do. Whilst most of the course is the consideration of these fascinating theories of behaviour, it also looks carefully at the evidence that these ideas are based on. Through the study of the theories and evidence you will build up an understanding of how the subject has developed, and how it has had an impact on our lives, and whether these ideas are valid. As part of the course we will look at how psychological research is conducted in a scientific and ethical manner, as well as ways in which to assess different types of data. Many of the skills that are studied we will use to conduct some small pieces of research in order to test their validity and reliability.