Key Stage Five

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it influences our behaviour, from communication and memory to thought and emotion. The role of a psychologist is to try and understand what it is that makes people tick and how this understanding can help us address many of the problems and issues in society today.

At A level we follow the OCR Psychology specification, which is split into 3 components. Component 1 is research methods, which aims to explore how psychological research is undertaken. As well as learning about what makes a psychological experiment, students will be expected to carry out their own small scale practical experiments and reflect on their experiences. Component 2 is psychological themes through core studies. Students need to know the ten key themes and the classic and contemporary study from each. Using these core studies students will then apply areas, perspectives and debates to understand how these studies impact everyday life. Component 3 students will study issues in mental health, criminal psychology and child psychology and explore the issues and debates that run through this component.

The course allows students to work in a variety of ways, and promotes active learning through discussion, and listening to and assessing a range of opinions. Students are encouraged to work both independently and in groups.

Exam Papers:

Paper 1: Research Methods (2 hours)

Paper 2: Psychological themes through core studies (2 hours)

Paper 3: Applied Psychology (2 hours)