psychology - the course (New Specification)

The following details apply to the new AQA Specification A - first exams 2009

Psychology students follow the AQA Specification A and can take the course at AS level only in either year 12 or 13, or take the full A level course ie. AS followed by A2, over two years. Module 1 will be examined in the January sitting.

For a complete syllabus and other AQA materials, go to www.aqa.org.uk

The first year of the course: AS level

Students follow the AQA course which is divided into three modules:

AS Unit 1 Cognitive Psychology: Memory
Developmental Psychology: Attachments
Research Methods
AS Unit 2 Biological Psychology: Stress
Social Psychology: Social Influence
Individual Differences: Abnormality

Each module is examined as a one and a half hour paper.

For further details of the course content go to Year 1link.

The second year of the course: A2

The A2 qualification is the second half of the 'A' level course. The full 'A' level qualification is achieved when the results of both the AS and A2 halves of the course are combined.

The A2 Psychology course is made up of two modules:

A2 Unit 3

This will be a one and a half hour paper

A selection of three topics is chosen from the following:

Social Relationships
Cognitive Development
Perception
Bodily Rhythms, Sleep, Dreaming
Aggression
Gender

A2 Unit 4 Psychopathology, Psychology in Action, Research Methods

This will be a two hour paper

In this unit students study the causes of either depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorders.

Psychology in Action In this unit students will choose one contemporary application of psychology to investigate in detail. The applicatiosn they can choose from are: Media Psychology The psychology of addiction Anomalistic Psychology
Psychological Research and Scientific Method Students will look in more depth at the different research methods Psychologists use and at the data they generate

See Year 2 link for further details.