Psychology

The study of the human mind and behaviour

Psychology is the study of the development, structure and functioning of the human brain. Candidates will be encouraged to develop their own psychological awareness through active engagement with the psychological world.

The Eduqas A Level Psychology course sits within the Social Sciences department which is led by Mrs Matthews.  Course entry requirements: Grade 4 and 5 from English and Maths.

Paper 1: Past to Present 

(Written examination 2 hours 15 minutes. 33â…“% of qualification)

The purpose of this component is to give a solid grounding in some of the basic core aspects of psychology.  Students study classic research to gain an appreciation that psychology continues to develop and evolve.  Students explore contemporary debates using their knowledge and understanding of the five approaches (biological, psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and positive); through these approaches students will also gain an appreciation of the fields of social and developmental psychology.  For each of the five psychological approaches it will be necessary for students to study the following strands: assumptions, key therapy, classic research, contemporary debate, evaluation of the approach.  Within each approach, students gain an awareness of the following debates in psychology: Nature v's Nurture; Nomothetic v's Idiographic; Usefulness; Reductionism v's Holism; Determinism v's Free Will; Scientific Status.

Paper 2: Psychology: Investigating Behaviour

(Written examination: 2 hours 15 minutes 33â…“% of qualification)

The purpose of this component is for students to acquire the skills of working scientifically.  The central aspect for this component is that of psychological research, from the initial planning stages through to analysing and evaluating.  It is designed to introduce learners to the methodologies used by psychologists and to gain an appreciation of the impact of choices made on the outcomes of the research.  Students should appreciate the limitations of scientific research and when dealing with the complexities of humans as test material, there are several issues which need to be considered.  In order to contextualise some aspects of research methods, students are required to consider the methodologies used by both social and developmental psychology Personal investigations.  To ensure true appreciation of the principles of psychological investigation the students are expected to gain first-hand experience of two research methods.  Students are required to respond to questions concerning these investigations in the assessment.

Paper 3: Psychology: Implications in the Real World

(Written examination: 2 hours 15 minutes 33â…“% of qualification)

Having learnt about the various psychological approaches in Component 1, students are expected to apply this knowledge and understanding to human/animal behaviours.  Students should be able to explain and draw conclusions about the possible causes of these behaviours and understand that psychology has the potential to impact on society as a whole by developing methods of modifying behaviour.  In addition, students should explore five controversies that continue to pose challenges for psychology. These controversies can be considered synoptically and draw on the content from the whole of the specification. For the Applications section, students must choose to study three from six nominated behaviours. characteristics of the behaviour.   Popular choices at SACS are Criminal Behaviour, Schizophrenia and Stress but there are other options available.