Psychology

Psychology is a field of enquiry that is sometimes defined as the science of the mind, sometimes as the science of behaviour. 

It concerns itself with how and why organisms do what they do; why humans think and speak; why wolves howl; why we remember how to ride a bicycle twenty years after the last try; why birds sing; why children rebel against their parents.  Psychology as a science studies them all.

For a student of Psychology the scope for development covers an enormous range.  Some aspects border on Biology; others encounter the Social Sciences in the areas of Anthropology and Sociology.  Some concern behaviour in animals; many others pertain to behaviour in humans.  Some are about conscious experience; others focus on what people do regardless of what they may think or feel inside.  Some involve humans or animals in isolation; others concern what they do in groups.  However, whatever the emphasis, Psychology as a subject offers a standard of preparation for adult life that is unsurpassed and unobtainable by the study of any other subject.

A graduate of Psychology could expect to work in a vareity of areas, for example: as a Clinical or Educational Psychologist; Research Psychologist, including teaching at undergraduate level and A Level; Forensic Psychologist working within the prison or probation service; Health and Sports Psychology; Counselling; Advertisng, Management and Marketing.  A Level and AS Level Psychology introduce the student to several of these aspects.  Assessment for A Level is by examination and coursework.  Assessment for AS Level is by examination only.

The present A Level course comprises a combination of AS modules including:

• Unit 1 - Cognitive Psychology (memory), Developmental Psychology (attachments in development)
• Unit 2 - Physiological Psychology (stress), Individual Differences (models of abnormality)
• Unit 3 - Social Psychology (social influence), Research Methods

A2 modules include:

• Unit 4 - Social Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Comparitive Psychology
• Unit 5 - Perspectives and debates in Psychology
• Unit 6 - Coursework- one pychological investiagation