Psychology

PSYCHOLOGY

Unit 1: How are behaviour and mental processes shaped?

Students study the role of the brain in mental processes and behaviour in order to understand how brain plasticity allows for the brain to change due to development or damage. The complexity of psychological development in light of the nature/ nurture debate, attachment and cognition are evaluated in terms of research findings as well as atypical development, including mental disorders.

Outcome 1: Examine how our understanding of brain structure and function has changed over time and how the brain enables us to interact with the external world around us.

Outcome 2: Explore how complex interactions between biological, psychological and social factors influence different aspects of a person’s psychological development, including factors that may lead to typical or atypical development

Outcome 3: Apply and extend knowledge and skills developed in Areas of Study 1 and/or 2 to investigate a question related to brain function and/ or psychological development.

Unit 2: How do external factors influence behaviour and mental processes?

Students investigate how perception of stimuli enables a person to interact with the world around them and how their perception of stimuli can be distorted. They evaluate the role social cognition plays in a person’s attitudes, perception of themselves and relationships with others, and explore factors and contexts that can influence the behaviour of an individual and groups.

Outcome 1: Consider how biological, psychological and social factors can influence a person’s perception of visual and taste stimuli, and explore circumstances where perceptual distortions of vision and taste may occur.

Outcome 2: Consider how biological, psychological and social factors can influence a person’s perception of visual and taste stimuli, and explore circumstances where perceptual distortions of vision and taste may occur.

Outcome 3: Develop a question, undertake an investigation to collect the appropriate primary qualitative and/or quantitative data, organise and interpret the data and reach a conclusion in response to the question.

Unit 3: How experience affects behaviour and mental processes

Students study how specialised structures and functioning of neurons allow the nervous system to transmit neural information, and how stress in particular can affect both mind and body. Biological processes are also studied to examine factors that influence learning and memory.

Outcome 1: Explain how the structure and function of the nervous system enables a person to interact with our world and analyse different ways in which stress can affect nervous system functioning.

Outcome 2: Apply biological and psychological explanations for how information is learnt and stored in memory, and provide biological, psychological and social explanations for forgetting or memory loss.

Unit 4: How wellbeing is developed and maintained

Students focus on states of consciousness and the relationship between consciousness and thoughts, feelings and behaviours in both normal and altered states such as sleep. They explore the concept of a mental health continuum and apply a biopsychosocial approach to analyse mental illness and factors that influence its development and management, and the strategies for mental wellbeing including coping and resilience.

Outcome 1: Explain consciousness as a continuum, compare theories about the purpose and nature of sleep, and elaborate on the effects of sleep disruption on a person’s functioning.

Outcome 2: Explain the concepts of mental health and illness, explain the development and management of specific phobia, and explain the psychological basis of strategies that contribute to mental wellbeing. Outcome 3: Undertake an experiment to collect primary data. Identify an aim, develop a question, formulate a hypothesis and plan a course of action that takes into account safety and ethical guidelines.