Psychology
Unit 1: How are behaviour and mental processes shaped?
What influences psychological development?
Students explore how biological, psychological and social factors influence psychological development.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
- Discuss the complexity of psychological development over the lifespan.
- Evaluate the ways of understanding and representing psychological development.
How are mental processes and behaviour influenced by the brain?
Students examine how understanding of brain structure and function has changed, how the brain enables us to interact with our surroundings and interactions between areas of the brain.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
- Describe how understanding of brain structure and function has changed.
- Explain how different areas of the brain coordinate different functions.
- Explain how brain plasticity and brain damage can change biopsychosocial functioning.
How does contemporary psychology conduct and validate psychological research?
Students investigate how science is used to explore and validate psychological research questions.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
- Identify, analyse and evaluate the evidence available to answer a research question relating to contemporary psychology.
Unit 2: How do internal and external factors influence behaviour and mental processes?
How are people influenced to behave in particular ways?
Students explore the interplay of biological, psychological and social factors that shape the behaviour of individuals and groups.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
- Analyse how social cognition influences individuals to behave in specific ways.
- Evaluate factors that influence individual and group behaviour.
What influences a person’s perception of the world?
Students explore vision and taste – and analyse the relationship between sensation and perception of stimuli.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to
- Compare the sensations and perceptions of vision and taste.
- Analyse factors that may lead to the occurrence of perceptual distortions.
How scientific investigations develop understanding of influences on perception and behaviour?
Students design and conduct a practical investigation into the internal or external influences on perception and/or behaviour.
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
- Design and undertake a practical investigation related to the internal or external influences on perception and/or behaviour.
- Draw conclusions based on evidence from collected data.
Unit 3: How does experience affect behaviour and mental processes?
How does the nervous system enable psychological functioning?
Students explore the role of different branches of the nervous system in enabling a person to integrate, coordinate and respond to internal and external sensory stimuli and the specialised structures and functioning of neurons that allow the nervous system to transmit neural information. Students evaluate how biological, psychological and social factors can influence a person’s nervous system functioning. In particular, they consider the ways in which stress can affect the mind and body, the role that the nervous system plays in these processes and how stress can be managed.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
- To explain how the structure and function of the human nervous system enables a person to interact with the external world
- Analyse the different ways in which stress can affect nervous system functioning
How do people learn and remember?
Memory and learning are core components of human identity: they connect past experiences to the present and shape futures by enabling adaption to daily changes in the environment. In this area of study students study the neural basis of memory and learning and examine factors that influence the learning of new behaviours and the storage and retention of information in memory. They consider the influence of biological, psychological and social factors on the fallibility of memory.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
- Apply biological and psychological explanations for how new information can be learnt and stored in memory, and provide biological, psychological and social explanations of a person’s inability to remember information.
Unit 4: How is wellbeing developed and maintained?
How do levels of consciousness affect mental processes and behaviour?
Differences in levels of awareness of sensations, thoughts and surroundings influence individuals’ interactions with their environment and with other people. In this area of study students focus on states of consciousness and the relationship between consciousness and thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
They explore the different ways in which consciousness can be studied from physiological and psychological perspectives and how states of consciousness can be altered. Students consider the nature and importance of sleep and apply biological, psychological and social factors to analyse the effects of sleep disturbances on psychological functioning, including mood, cognition and behaviour.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
- Explain consciousness as a continuum
- Compare theories about the purpose and nature of sleep
- Elaborate on the effects of sleep disruption on a person’s functioning
- What influences mental wellbeing?
In this area of study, students examine what it means to be mentally healthy.
They explore the concept of a mental health continuum and factors that explain how location on the continuum for an individual may vary over time. Students apply a biopsychosocial approach to analyse mental health and mental disorder, and evaluate the roles of predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors in contributing to a person’s mental state. Specific phobia is used to illustrate how a biopsychosocial approach can be used to explain how biological, psychological and social factors are involved in the development and management of a mental disorder. Students explore the concepts of resilience and coping and investigate the psychological basis of strategies that contribute to mental wellbeing.
Explain the concepts of mental health and mental illness including influences of risk and protective factors.
Apply a biopsychosocial approach to explain the development and management of specific phobia.
Explain the psychological basis of strategies that contribute to mental wellbeing.
Practical Investigation: Students identify an aim, develop a question, formulate a research hypothesis including operationalised variables and plan a course of action to answer the question and that takes into account safety and ethical guidelines.
On completion of this unit students should be able:
- Design and undertake a practical investigation related to mental processes and psychological functioning,
- Present methodologies, findings and conclusions in a scientific poster.