Psychology

Course summary

Students taking A’ Level Psychology follow the GCE AQA 7182 syllabus. Students have two 2 hour lessons, one 1 hour lesson per week and additional study periods. Module 1 ▪ Social Influence o Types of Conformity o Explanations for Conformity o Variables Effecting Conformity (The Asch Experiment) o Conformity to Social Roles (Zimbardo Experiment) o Obedience – The Milgram Experiment o Explanations for Obedience; Situational Variables, Socio-Psychology Explanations & Dispositional Explanations o Explanations of Resistance to Social Influence o Minority Influence o The Role of Social Influence in the Process of Social Change ▪ Research Methods o Independent, Dependent, Control Variables & Extraneous Variables o Directional and Nondirectional Hypothesis o Pilot Studies o Experimental Designs o Sampling o Observational Techniques o Demand Characteristics and Investigator Effects o Ethics o The role of Peer Review in the Scientific Process Module 2 ● Memory o Coding, Capacity and Duration o The Multi-Store Model of Memory o Types of Long Term Memory o The Working Memory Model of Memory o Explanations of Forgetting o Factors Effecting the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony o The Use of the Cognitive Interview ● Research Methods o Self-Report Techniques – Questionnaires and Interviews o Correlations o Qualitative and Quantitative Data o Primary and Secondary Data ● Attachment o Carer-Infant Interactions o Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment Module 3 ▪ Attachment o Animal Studies – Lorenz and Harlow o Explanations of Attachment; Learning Theory and Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory o Types of Attachment o Cultural Variations in Attachment o Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation o Romanian Orphan Studies o The Influence of Early Attachment on Adult Relationships ▪ Research Methods o Measures of Central Tendency o Measures of Dispersion o Calculation of Percentages o Presentation of Data o Distributions o The Sign Test Module 4 ▪ Approaches in Psychology o Origins of Psychology: Wundt, Introspection and the Emergence of Psychology as a Science o The Behaviourist Approaches: Classical & Operant Conditioning, and Social Learning Theory o The Cognitive Approach o The Biological Approach ▪ Biopsychology o The Divisions of the Nervous System o The structure and function of neurons (Sensory, Motor & Relay) o The Process of Synaptic Transmission o The Function of the Endocrine System o The Time of Flight Response and Adrenaline Module 5 ▪ Psychopathology o Definitions of Abnormality o The Behavioural, Emotional and Cognitive Characteristics of Phobias, Depression & OCD o The Behavioural Approach to Explaining and Treating Phobias o The Cognitive Approach to Explaining and Treating Depression o The Biological Approach to Explaining and Treating OCD Module 6 Revision of the year