The AQA A Level Psychology course is made up of the following units; Approaches, Biopsychology, Research Methods, Psychopathology, Memory, Social Influence, Attachment, Issues and Debates, Schizophrenia, Gender and Forensic Psychology. Course Aims: Through studying Psychology you will develop essential knowledge and understanding of different areas of the subject and how they relate to each other. You will also develop and demonstrate a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods, competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem-solving skills, develop your interest in and enthusiasm for the subject and understand how society makes decisions about scientific issues and also how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society. ‘Approaches’: students will develop a critical appreciation for the variety of psychological approaches offered to explain human behaviour. Students will also develop their evaluative skills by assessing the contribution of the approaches and their various strengths and limitations. ‘Biopsychology’: students will be able to understand the structure and functions of neurons, the nervous system and the endocrinal system. ‘Research Methods’: students will develop an understanding of the data used and produced in Psychological research, various data collection techniques and their strengths and limitations. ‘Psychopathology’: students will develop their understanding of the concepts of what it means to be ‘abnormal’ and various definitions of abnormality. Students will also apply their understanding of different approaches to the contexts of phobias, depression and OCD and will investigate a range of treatments for these disorders. ‘Memory’: students will develop a critical appreciation of the multi-store model, the types of long-term memory and the working memory model alongside developing an understanding of the strengths and limitations of these models. Students will be able to apply their understanding of memory to the context of eye-witness testimonies. ‘Social Influence’: students will develop a critical appreciation of psychological research into conformity and its validity and relevance to real world application. Students will explore a range of research projects focusing on conformity and nonconformity and will be able to discuss the strengths and limitations of these projects. In addition students will understand the role of psychological research in the process of social change. ‘Attachment’: students will develop an understanding of explanations of attachment in both humans and animals. They will explore the importance of early interactions and the types of early attachment formed in childhood. Students will also discover factors affecting the formation of attachments and the consequences for individuals who fail to form these relationships. ‘Issues and Debates’: allows students to contextualise the psychological field of study and tackle questions concerning contemporary considerations. Students will understand arguments surrounding the ethical implications of research. ‘Schizophrenia’: students will have the opportunity to unpick various psychological and biological approaches to explaining schizophrenia, in addition students will know and understand various therapies for the treatment of schizophrenia. ‘Gender’: will allow students to understand the distinction between sex and gender and the formation of gender identity. Students will know the role of chromosomes and hormones, cognitive, psychodynamic and social learning theory approaches. ‘Forensic Psychology’: gives students an insight into offender profiling and a range of explanations for criminal and deviant behaviour including biological explanations, psychological explanations and psychodynamic explanations. Students will also know and understand a range of different ways to deal with offenders to reduce criminal behaviour.