Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. The mind is the most complex machine on Earth; it is the source of all our thoughts and behaviours. If you are passionate about understanding how and why people think and behave in a certain way, then this subject will appeal to you.
Pupils who enjoy psychology tend to be curious, open-minded, non-judgemental and have empathy. You will enjoy reading and thinking critically about theories and concepts. The ability to contribute to class discussions and practical work are very important.
Psychology sits well within most combinations of subjects including both sciences and arts as it seeks to use scientific and mathematical methods in order to understand behaviour. Given this, the subject is best suited to those who have good GCSEs in Biology, English and Maths. A third of all A Level marks are awarded for essay writing. A quarter of all A Level marks are awarded for scientific enquiry and 10% of marks will assess mathematical skills.
This subject is not offered at GCSE.
The AQA A-Level course covers a variety of topics and disciplines and is assessed in three, two-hour examinations.
Paper 1: Introductory topics in psychology (33.3%)
The topic of Social influence investigates the ways in which individuals adjust their behaviour to meet the demands of a social environment. Cranleighans have found this topic fascinating as they study research that has sought answers to the following questions: why did the Germanic people obey the Nazis? Why do people conform? The topic of Psychopathology focuses on how medical institutions define abnormality and how differing psychological perspectives explain the causes and treatments for those with phobias, depression and OCD. This component also includes developmental psychology, the study of how and why humans grow, change and adapt across the course of their lives. Pupils will specifically study the topic of Attachment and cover research investigating the impact of an infant’s attachments on later development. The final topic on Memory requires students to understand how humans create and store memories and whether memories are reliable.
Paper 2: Psychology in context (33.3%)
The second component has a strong focus on scientific enquiry. Students will learn how to create reliable and valid research and will have multiple opportunities to conduct their own psychological research. Scientific enquiry is a fundamental unit of the course, accounting for 25% of all the raw marks. This component also includes Approaches in psychology; pupils will learn how the distinct psychological disciplines explain human behaviour differently. This paper also allows pupils to develop a deep understanding of how brain physiology and chemistry influences human behaviours, thoughts and feelings in the topic of Biopsychology.
Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology (33.3%)
The third paper focuses on key issues and debates in psychology; gender and culture bias; nature-nurture debate; free will and determinism debate and ethical issues. Pupils enjoy debating these issues and sharing their views on whether human behaviour is the product of genetic inheritance or the environment. Pupils will also study Schizophrenia, learning about the differing explanations and treatments of this mental health condition. Cranleighans will study Forensic psychology, which invariably evokes passionate discussions on the preferred societal treatment of criminals. Finally, pupils will study Relationships and learn about the differing theories on why romantic relationships are formed, maintained and breakdown.
Trips & Events
The department organises Dr Guy Sutton to deliver a ‘Cognitive Neuroscience Workshop’ to year 13 students, which includes the dissection of a sheep’s brain and a full day of lectures – this is one of the highlights of the course for many students.
Beyond School
Career options are varied as there are many transferable skills from studying psychology. There are many specific options for applied professional psychological careers, such as, clinical, sport, educational and forensic. In addition, there are many career pathways that operate slightly outside the remit of psychology but to which the skills are transferable to: actuarial analyst, advertising, human resources, social care, public services.
Head of Psychology
Andrew Scarisbrick
Head of Psychology
