Psychology

Course summary

Why do individuals behave the way they do? Why do entire cultures have such diametrically opposed attitudes to social issues from each other? A Level Psychology is an exciting course that introduces you to the scientific study of human behavior, while also helping you learn how to plan and conduct your own research. Psychology explores the idea of 'nature vs. nurture'; is our behavior determined by biological factors, or the environment we are exposed to? For example, how infant-caregiver relationships influence people's lives, how our memory works (or doesn't), and what makes some people criminals and not others. You will also learn about the role of biology in influencing our behavior, set against psychological explanations for mental health issues including depression, phobias, OCD and schizophrenia. In addition, you will study how culture and gender influence our ways of thinking. Throughout the course, you will be learning about how to plan and conduct research in psychology, and how to mathematically analyze your results.