Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour. Our intent is to offer a Psychology curriculum that:

Develops student's curiosity about the world around them, in order to better understand the mind of themselves and others.
To engage students using real world examples of theories that link to their experiences, helping them to build skills they can use in their day to day lives.
To provide an effective Psychology curriculum that draws on previous skills from other subject areas in order to enhance learning.

The courses are structured to cover the specification in a way that leads to academic success but also to develop a love of the subject, and a wider development of Psychological skills that link to multiple careers.

We offer both GCSE level and A level Psychology at Farlingaye High School, further details on both can be found below.

Interested in Psychology? Here are some recommended films and podcasts that link to the topics we cover at both GCSE and A level.

Psychology recommended Films and Podcasts

Exam Board

AQA A Level:

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/a-level/psychology-7182/specification/specification-at-a-glance

AQA GCSE:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182

GCSE Psychology:

We follow the AQA syllabus. It is 100% exams at the end of Year 11. The exams consist of two papers, 1 hour 45 mins long, covering the following topics:

Paper 1	Paper 2
Memory - How do we store and remember information?	Social Influence - How do other people affect our behaviour?
Perception - How can two people look at the same thing and 'see' different things?	Language, Thought and Communication - What are the 3 functions of eye contact in communication?
Development - What are the 4 stages in child development?	Brain and Neuropsychology - What are the parts of the brain called and what behaviour are they involved in?
Research Methods - How do we study behaviour?	Psychological Problems - What are the possible causes of depression or addiction?

During the course we will answer these questions and more.

A level Psychology:

We follow the AQA syllabus. It is 100% exams at the end of Year 13. The exams consist of three papers, 2 hours long, covering the following topics:

Paper 1	Paper 2	Paper 3
Memory - How can memory be affected and therefore be inaccurate?	Research Methods - How do we study behaviour?	Gender Development - What is the difference between sex and gender?
Attachments - How does the first primary relationship with your care giver affect the rest of your life?	Approaches - How can we explain behaviour using 5 different approaches?	Stress - What is the most damaging source of stress to our health?
Social Influence - How to other people affect our behaviour?	Biopsychology - Is brain function localised or can different parts take over function if damage occurs?	Aggression - Can aggression be caused by a single gene?
Clinical Psychology and mental health – how can we explain mental illnesses, including OCD depression and Phobias.

A Level Psychology Reading Lists

Non Fiction

Fiction