The Psychology Department
AS and A2 Psychology
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the science of mind, behaviour, and experience. By studying this course pupils will obtain an excellent introduction to the key areas of psychology. The A level in psychology is an excellent course for pupils who may consider studying at a higher level or for those simply wishing to study one of the most popular A level courses.
Psychology lies at the intersection of many other different disciplines, including biology, medicine, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology.
For example, neuropsychology is allied with biology, since the aim is to map different areas of the brain and explain how each underpins different brain functions like memory or language. Other branches of psychology are more closely connected with medicine. Health psychologists help people manage disease and pain. Similarly, clinical psychologists help alleviate the suffering caused by mental disorders.
For the AS and A2 courses pupils will study the five core areas of psychology: Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Individual Differences and Social Psychology.
Entry requirements
At Mascalls School psychology is offered at AS and A2 levels. No previous experience or knowledge is required in psychology except that a minimum grade C at GCSE in science is required with your other GCSE passes.
It is possible to study the AS course only and there is no requirement to continue to the A2 course. However, admission to the A2 course does require a minimum pass grade of E in the June psychology examinations.
The Specification
We follow Specification A, AQA ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY GCE 5181 and AQA ADVANCED GCE 6181
How the A Level is organised
The Advanced Level examination is in two parts:
- Advanced Subsidiary (AS) - 50% of the total award;
- A second examination, called A2 - 50% of the total award.
How the exam is organised
To obtain the full A level pupils must sit four papers (or units) on different areas of psychology.
Year 12:
- Unit 1 Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Research Methods. (25%)
- Unit 2 Physiological Psychology, Individual Differences and Social Psychology. (25%)
Year 13:
- Unit 3 Topic based questions. (Relationships, Aggression, Eating Disorders) (25%)
- Unit 4 Psychopathology(Schizophrenia), Psychology in action (Addictive behaviour) and Psychological Research and Scientific Method. (25%)
Some additional background
The different disciplines of psychology are extremely wide-ranging. They include:
- Clinical psychology
- Cognitive psychology: memory
- Cognitive psychology: intelligence
- Developmental psychology
- Evolutionary psychology
- Forensic psychology
- Health psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Occupational psychology
- Social psychology
What all these different approaches to psychology have in common is a desire to explain the behaviour of individuals based on the workings of the mind. And in every area, psychologists apply scientific methodology. In unit 4 pupils will be given the opportunity to formulate theories, test hypotheses through observation and experiment, and analyse the findings with statistical techniques that help them identify important findings.
Downloads and Links
