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A Level in Psychology

Cantrbury college main entrance

Course overview

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it influences behaviour, from communication and memory to thought and emotion.

It is about understanding people and how this understanding can help us address and solve many of the problems in society. As a science psychology is dedicated to the study of human behaviour through observation, measurement, and testing, in order to form conclusions that are based on sound scientific methodology. Psychologists employ their knowledge and expertise in many areas of society, such as: Helping us prevent and overcome mental disorder, stress, and trauma; speeding up recovery from brain injury; improving performance both at school and in the workplace; assisting the police, courts, and prison services in the operation of their duties; and, analysing and improving athletic performance.

Course information

You will cover a range of topics such as:

  • Social Influence ? This is the study of how society influences the individual. Why we do as we are told, why we do what everyone else is doing. Why some people rebel against society
  • Memory ? Different types of memory. Why eyewitnesses to crime make such poor witnesses. Why we forget.
  • Attachment ? How our relationships with our first carers influence all our future relationships. The impact of institutionalisation in childhood on relationships
  • Approaches ? Different fields of psychology and how they explain human behaviour
  • Psychopathology ? What is normal and what is abnormal. Explanations and treatments for phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Research Methods ? The methods used by psychologists to investigate human behaviour
  • Biopsychology ? How the brain, neurotransmitters, and other aspects of our biology influence our behaviours, thoughts, and feelings
  • Forensic Psychology – Psychological expertise as it applies to the justice system