Psychology

A Level

BASIC COURSE DETAILS

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and human behaviour. Psychologists observe and conduct experiments to find out more about the way people act and interact. They try to understand what motivates, challenges or changes us and use this understanding to help us tackle personal and social problems. A Level Psychology is a two-year course, which prepares students for the OCR specification examination.

IS IT FOR ME?

If you ever wondered why people do the things they do, then psychology is a good subject to study. You will develop a psychological understanding of human behaviour including an appreciation of the factors that can influence our behaviour. You will also develop your ability to analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas and evidence.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

This course offers the opportunity to examine and investigate a range of topics from the various approaches in psychology including:

Memory and why it is not reliable.
Explanations for why people either help or do not help someone in need.
How the structure of the brain can change and adapt due to the demands we put on it.
The contentious debates that concern psychologists.
The causes of mental illness and methods of treatment.
Applying psychological theories to explain everyday behaviours.
Criminal psychology including explaining criminal behaviour and how psychology can help improve detecting and sentencing of suspects.
Sports and exercise psychology including the psychological benefits of exercise and how psychology can be used to improve sports performance.

You will also have the opportunity to undertake your own psychological research study.

WHAT DOES STUDYING PSYCHOLOGY LEAD ON TO?

A Level psychology students can go on to study the subject at degree level at university. This can lead to a career as a psychologist specialising in many fields such as health, sport, forensics/crime, education, business to name a few. The transferable communication, evaluation and analytical skills you will develop studying psychology are also relevant to many occupations involving interactions with other people.