Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and human behaviour. Psychologists observe and conduct experiments to find out more about the way people act and interact with one another. They try to understand what motivates, challenges or changes us and use this understanding to help us tackle personal and social problems. Psychologists can work in mental health, education, business, research and sports.

In Year 12 we will explore four different areas of psychology. The first being Social Psychology where we look at behaviours such as obedience and prejudice. In Cognitive Psychology we look at current and past theories of memory as well as topical issues such as Dementia and Alzheimer's. In Biological Psychology we look at the central nervous system and the link to emotions and consequential behaviour. Lastly we examine Learning Theories such as conditioning and social learning theory and explore the area of phobias.

In the second year we look at the application to psychology to Clinical Psychology and Criminological Psychology. We examine issues such as mental health diagnosis, the causes of schizophrenia, aggression and the issues with eye witness testimonies.

Throughout the course you will learn about research methods leading to the conducting of your own psychological practicals, self-reports, observations and statistical analysis. Maths skills are therefore 10% of this qualification.

You will also be required to answer key questions in which you discuss contemporary issues from today’s society, using your knowledge from the topics and applying the key issues and debates that run throughout the psychology course with topics such as ethics, reductionism and reliability.