A2 Psychology

AS/A2 PSYCHOLOGY

AQA (1-2 years)

ANDMathematics at grade B.

Course Content

Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviour. Psychology involves the examination of various theories & consideration of research evidence. You will need to be a critical thinker and evaluate material in an objective and analytical manner.

At AS level, the course will introduce key areas & approaches in Psychology, including cognitive, developmental, biological and social psychology as well as the study of individual differences & research methods.

In Psychology you will look to answer questions such as; How can we improve our memory?'What effect do nurseries have on our children?'How does stress lead to illness?'Would I make a good eye witness?' Why do we follow the crowd?'How successful are treatments for mental disorders?'

AS Level

At AS level there are two units:

Unit 1:One short answer question on each of the following: Memory, Attachments and Research Methods

Unit 2:One short answer question on each of the following: Stress, Social influence and Abnormality

A2 Level

At A2 level there are two units:

Unit 3:Three essays from a choice of the following topics: Biological rhythms and sleep, Relationships, Aggression or Gender.

Unit 4:One essay question from a choice of the following: Abnormal Psychology (Schizophrenia); Media psychology; addictive behaviour; research methods.

Teaching and Learning

The courses are taught by well-qualified and experienced members of staff. Students will learn through a variety of methods including whole-class lessons, group work and individual work. Students will be expected to carry out reading and note-taking as part of their extension work outside of their formal classroom teaching.
Assessment
The Advanced Subsidiary award comprises two assessment units corresponding with the two modules studied. The assessment units take the form of examinations involving structured questions and each last 90 minutes.

The Advanced Level (AS and A2) award comprises the two assessment units from the AS Level plus two further assessment units. The A2 assessment units mainly involving essay style questions of 30 or 40 minutes duration.

Resources

Students are expected to purchase their own text book.In addition to this, the library provides a range of resources which students use throughout the course including books, journals and CD Roms. Students are expected to print out student workbooks from the intranet for each of the topics.

What next?

The skills and knowledge acquired through studying Psychology provide a sound basis for students who wish to enter Higher Education. It is also a suitable course for those who wish to take up employment immediately from college. The course provides a useful background for nursing, personnel work, marketing related careers, advertising and teaching. Some students may which to follow through their interest in this subject to work in an applied area of psychology.