psychology

Psychology AS and A level

Exam Board: AQA, Specification A

Course requirements: English: BB

Science: BB

Maths: C

Head of Subject: Miss K. Sually

Psychology AS

In the first year, students will be sitting 2 exam papers which consist of the following units;

Paper 1 : Introductory topics in psychology

Memory
Attachment
Social influence conformity and Obedience

Paper 2: Psychology In context

Research methods
Approaches
Psychopathology

Psychology A level

In the second year, students will be sitting 3 exam papers which consist of the following units; some
of the topics are the same but exam questions will be more difficult in the A level papers. All papers
have a combination of multiple choice, labelling diagrams and short answer questions.

Paper 1: Introductory topics in psychology

Attachment
Memory
Social Influence
Psychopathology

Paper 2: Psychology in context

Approaches
Biopsychology
Research methods

Paper 3: Issues and debates in psychology

Issues and debates

Options: Schizophrenia, Relationships and Forensic psychology
 PSYCHOLOGY - AS LEVEL

Exam Board: AQA Exam Code: Website:

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182

Unit: 7181 ,7182 Psychology

Date Topic Key Content

Jan- Social Influence Types of conformity: Internalisation, Identification and

Feb compliance. Explanations for conformity eg informational social
influence and variables affecting conformity.
Conformity to social roles
Explanations for obedience: agentic state and legitimacy of
authority. Situational factors affecting conformity eg proximity,
location and uniform.
Explanation of resistance to social influence including social
support and locus of control
Minority influence
The role of social influence processes in social change.

Nov - Memory The multi-store model of memory, short term and long term
Dec memory, features of each store including capacity, duration and
encoding.
Types of long term memory including episodic, semantic and
procedural.
The working memory model
Explanations for forgetting: proactive and retroactive
interference.
Factors affecting eye-witness testimony: misleading
information, anxiety and post event discussion.
Improving the accuracy of eye witness testimony including the
use of cognitive interview.
Sept- Attachment Caregiver-infant interactions in humans. Stages of attachment
Nov Identified by Schaffer. Multiple attachments and the role of the
father.
Animal studies of attachment Lorenz and Harlow
Explanations of attachment - learning theory and Bowlbys
monotropic theory. The concept of a critical period and an
internal working model.
Ainsworths strange situation: Types of attachment, secure,
avoidant and resistant. Cultural variations in attachment
including the work of Ijendoorn.
Bowlbys Theory of maternal deprivation. Romanian orphan
studies, effects of institutionalisation.
The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult
relationships, including the role of an internal working model.
Feb Approaches in The basic assumptions of the following approaches :
Mar Psychology and Learning approaches: the behaviourist approach, operant,
Research classical and social learning.
methods The cognitive approach: the role of schema and computer
models to explain and make inferences about mental
processes.
The biological approach: the influence of genes, biological
structures and neurochemistry on behaviour. Genotype and
phenotype. Genetic basis of behaviour, evolution and
behaviour.
Bio-psychology Divisions of the nervous system, central and
peripheral, the structure and function of the neuron. The
function of the endocrine system
The flight or fight response to stress.
Research methods will be within the topics of the specification, but will
also be revisited;
Experimental method. Lab and field experiments, natural and
quasi-experiments.
Observational techniques natural and controlled observations.
Covert and overt observations. Participant and non-participant
observations.
Self report techniques, questionnaires, interviews, structured
and unstructured.
Correlations. Analysis of the relationship between co-variables.
The difference between correlations and experiments.
Psychopathology Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social
Mar- norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and
Apr deviation for ideal mental health.
The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias,
including classical and operant conditioning.
The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression:
Becks cognitive triad model.
The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD
including drug therapy.
 Resources
Textbooks

1. Psychology for AS Cara Flanagan and Michael Eysenck

2. Psychology AS A complete companion

By Cara Flanagan and Mike Cardwell

3. Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour 5th edition

By Richard Gross

4. Key studies in Psychology: By Richard Gross

5. Psychology AS Exam Companion: By Cara Flanagan

6. Psychology for AS: B Michael. E Eysenck

7. AQA Psychology For A level and AS Cara Flanagan, Dave Berry

8. AQA A level psychology. Jean Marc-Lawton

9. Psychology Introductory Topics In Psychology Molly marshall

Useful websites for Unit 1: Attachment Memory, Social Influence and Research methods

http://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html
http://www.simplypsychology.org/memory.html
http://www.simplypsychology.org/memory.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xccs9
https://www.verywell.com/interesting-social-psychology-experiments-2795916
http://www.slideshare.net/jamiedavies/week-11-as-biological-psychology-28550906 (unit 2)
http://www2.qeliz.ac.uk/psychology/

http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html
http://aspsychologyblackpoolsixth.weebly.com/conformity.html

http://www.psychology4a.com/memory.html

http://www.psychology4a.com/research-methods.html

about.com
psych.com
psychology4a
*Psychlotron.org.uk excellent for power points, revision notes and diagrams
AboutPsychology
Films and Documentaries

http://www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrNIuFrso8I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5_IyqCeobI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blzLkfKsQqs

http://www.aqa.org.uk/resources/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology/teach/lesson-plan-social-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqr5-dWk6Gw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4N-7AlzK7s
 Summer work For Year 12 - Psychology

Specification: Resources
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/specifications/ale
vel/AQA-2180-W-SP-14.PDF

To take out any AS level psychology text book Books

Psychology GCE (Specification A), then read and Psychology for AS Cara Flanagan and
make notes on the first section of Attachment Michael Eysenck
under the following headings;
AS Psychology companion by Cara
Why attachments occurs in children Flanagan and Mike Cardwell
Theories of Attachment
What are the 3 stages of an
Attachment proposed by Shaffer? http://www.simplypsychology.org/a-
What is John Bowlbys theory of level-attachment.html
Attachment
http://psychology.about.com/od/lovean
Students should be ready to discuss these areas in dattraction/a/attachment01.htm
class and do a short test on the above subjects after
the first week.

Exam style questions for Unit 1

Attachment

Describe and evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate Schaffers stages of attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate animal studies of attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the Strange Situation (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research into cultural variations in attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research into Romanian orphans (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research into the influence of attachment on childhood and adult
relationships (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate Schaffers stages of attachment (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate animal studies of attachment (12 marks)

Memory

Outline and evaluate research related to the features of short-term memory (coding, capacity and
duration)(12 marks)

Discuss the multi-store model of memory (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate different types of long term memory (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the working memory model (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate interference as an explanation for forgetting (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research into the influences of misleading information on the accuracy of
eyewitness testimony (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research that has investigated the influence of anxiety on the accuracy of
eyewitness testimony (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the cognitive interview as a way of improving the accuracy of EWT (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions (12 marks)

Exam style questions for Unit 2

Approaches

Outline and evaluate the behaviourist approach in psychology (12 marks)

Outline and evaluate the social learning theory approach (12 marks)

Describe the cognitive approach in psychology. Evaluate the research methods used by cognitive
psychologists (12 marks)

Discuss the contribution of the biological approach to our understanding of human behaviour (12
marks)

Describe and evaluate two ways of defining abnormality (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate at least two definitions of abnormality (12 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias (9 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of depression (9 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD (9 marks)

Describe and evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the use of the behavioural approach to the treatment of phobias (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate cognitive behavioural therapy for depression (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the biological approach to OCD (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the biological approach to the treatment of OCD (12 marks)

Psychopathology

Describe and evaluate two ways of defining abnormality (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate at least two definitions of abnormality (12 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias (9 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of depression (9 marks)

Outline the behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD (9 marks)

Describe and evaluate the behavioural approach to explaining phobias (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the use of the behavioural approach to the treatment of phobias (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate cognitive behavioural therapy for depression (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the biological approach to OCD (12 marks)

Describe and evaluate the biological approach to the treatment of OCD (12 marks)