Psychology

Why we teach Psychology

Whilst it is not possible to make a window into the mind of a person to understand the motives behind their actions, it is possible to explore, investigate and understand contributory factors that helps us identify why people act or respond as they do through the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. This involves scrutinizing biological factors such as the structure of the brain, cognitive factors such as the growth of intelligence and social factors such as de-individualization and peer pressure. It is through the study and understanding of these elements that we can begin to make sense of why people act and respond the way they do in mundane and/or extreme situations. To do these students are encouraged to evaluate the wide range of social, biological, and cognitive explanations we cover in order to analyse and draw conclusions about these theories and how they are applied.

The course content is extensive, ranging from classical to modern psychological theories and research. There are many connections to the Biology curriculum within the programme of study, as well as a focus on issues such as social influence and mental health. The rigorous curriculum looks to challenge and inspire students, whilst encouraging them to take a greater role in their learning. The corresponding growth in these abilities allows them to build on the qualities of debate, critical thinking and reflection which are key in a student’s learning journey.

As a scientific discipline, students will gain skills in identification, analysation, assimilation and the evaluation of information from a variety of sources. They will practise discernment in relation to the information used, applying the concepts of validity and reliability to the studies covered. These skills are eminently transferrable and will allow students to apply their learning going forward to the new and novel situations they come across throughout their lives. Psychology also focuses a light on our behaviour and that of others, which allows students to build their understanding, empathy, and tolerance for complexity of the human condition. This makes psychology relevant to a number of careers such as medicine, police, social work, teaching and law.

Overview of Content

Course Followed: OCR GCSE Psychology J203, which is a 2 year course with 1 hour lessons over a 2 week period.

Syllabus: The syllabus consists of two units and covers a wide range of different psychological areas.

•  Unit 1 (Year 10) This unit covers four topics: criminal psychology, development, psychological problems and social influence.

• Unit 2 (Year 11) This unit also covers three topics: memory, sleep and dreaming and the application of research methods.

The breakdown of the syllabus is given below.

Year 10

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn – 1	Crime Key Concepts inc types of crime, criminal behaviour as a social construct, and how it is measured. Theories inc Social Learning theory Cooper and Mackie (1986) Eysenck’s Criminal Personality Theory (1964, 1992) Application inc rehabilitation and he effects of punishment Research Methods	Mid Unit Assessment   6 and 13 mark extended writing practise   Formal End of Unit Assessment
Autumn – 2	Development Key Concepts inc stages of development, the development of the brain and IQ Theories inc Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and the Role of Learning on Development -          Piaget (1952) -          Dweck’s Mindset Theory -          Willingham’s Learning Theory -          Blackwell et al. (2007) Application inc The changing role of education
Spring – 1	Development Key Concepts inc stages of development, the development of the brain and IQ Theories inc Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and the Role of Learning on Development -          Piaget (1952) -          Dweck’s Mindset Theory -          Willingham’s Learning Theory -          Blackwell et al. (2007) Application inc The changing role of education Research Methods	Mid Unit Assessment   6 and 13 mark extended writing practise   Formal End of Unit Assessment
Spring – 2	Psychological Problems Key Concepts inc Mental Health and the significance of mental health problems Theories inc the Biological and Psychological explanation of Schizophrenia Daniel, Weinberger, Jones et al (1991) The biological and psychological explanation of clinical depression Tandoc et al (2015) Application inc the development of treatments
Summer – 1	Social Influence Key Concepts inc conformity, collective and crowd behaviour and obedience Theories inc Situational factors Bickman (1974) And Dispositional factors NatCen (2011) Application inc changing attitudes in reducing stigma and discrimination Research Methods Revision	Mid Unit Assessment   6 and 13 mark extended writing practise   Formal End of Unit Assessment

Year 11

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn – 1	Memory Key Concepts inc stages of information processing, forgetting and the structure of the brain Theories inc The multi-store model of memory Wilson, Kopelman and Kapur (2008) The theory of Reconstructive memory including work from Lotus et al Application inc techniques used for recall Wechsler Memory Scale Research Methods	Mid Unit Assessment   6 and 13 mark extended writing practise   Formal End of Unit Assessment
Autumn – 2	Sleep and Dreaming Key Concepts inc function and features of sleep, sleep disorders and endogenous pace makers and zeitgebers Theories inc The nature of dreaming and the Freudain Theory of Dreaming focusing on the study of ‘The Wolfman’, and Activation Synthesis theory of dreaming Williams et al (1992) Application inc the development of treatments for insomnia
Spring – 1	Research Methods and Practical’s Focus on designing and putting into operation a series of psychological experiments in preparation for the research methods aspect of the exam.	Mid Unit Assessment   13 mark extended writing practise   Formal End of Unit Assessment
Spring - 2
Summer - 1	Revision Period of Formal Exams
Summer - 2

Within the first three topics of each unit we will look at two core studies, as well as studying key concepts, theories and applications.

Research methods looks at how psychologists collect and analyse their data and includes looking at observations, experiments, interviews and questionnaires. Students will also have the opportunity to design and carry out their own pieces of research.

How is it assessed

Each unit makes up 50% of the GCSE and will be assessed through a 90‑minute written exam at the end of year 11, therefore 2 papers will be sat.

The exam contains a mixture of short and longer answer questions.

Learning outside the classroom

I would strongly encourage students to take the opportunity to complete research that is developed in the classroom and also use the wealth of videos, podcasts and information that can be found on the internet that supports their learning and other areas of interest.

Parental support and extension

There will be set homework each week, including tasks such as conducting your own research, answering past paper questions or researching different theories or studies. Please encourage your child to complete this homework or ask for help if required, as well as discussing the different topics with them where possible.

Everybody is somebody