A Level Psychology- AQA (7182) Psychology is one of the fastest growing subjects at A Level and beyond. Its growth in popularity has been enormous (perhaps a good topic for a psychological enquiry). It is a varied and exciting subject which uses many skills developed during your mainstream GCSE education. You will need to have an interest in the human mind, a clear scientific approach and sound analytical skills. You should be someone who enjoys writing essays and reading text. It will be assumed for the purpose of teaching that most students undertaking the course will have no previous experience in the subject. The Psychology Specification (2015) is made up of both Compulsory and Optional topics. The Optional topics that we will cover include: Relationships (Formation, Maintenance and Break-up of Relationships, Evolutionary Explanations, Virtual and Parasocial Relationships) Schizophrenia (Symptoms, Biological and Psychological Explanations, Drug Therapies Forensic Psychology (Problems in Defining Crime, Offender Profiling, Psychological Explanations of Offender Behaviour and Dealing with Offending Behaviour) Recent students who have studied Psychology have been successful in gaining places on degree courses such as Psychology, Criminology, Economics, Law, Dentistry and Medicine at both Russell group and Oxbridge universities. You should spend some time researching the Psychology Specification before making a decision about whether it is the right subject for you. All prospective students are invited and encouraged to attend our Open Days/Evening where members of the Psychology department will be on hand to give you more information and answer any questions about the course. The Psychology Team (Sept 2014) The Compulsory topics include: Social Psychology (Conformity, Obedience, Resistance to Social Change) Memory (Short-term / Long-Term Memory, Models of Memory, Eyewitness testimony) Attachment (Caregiver-Infant Interactions, Bowlby’s Theory, Institutional care) Psychopathology (Definitions of Abnormality, Biological and Psychological Explanations and Treatments) Approaches to Psychology (Learning Theory, Cognitive, Biological and Psychodynamic Approaches) Biopsychology (Nervous and Endocrine Systems, Functions on the Brain, Biological Rhythms and Brain Imagery)