Psychology

Psychology is commonly defined as the scientific study of human thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Psychology is a fascinating subject to study because it is primarily all about you! – how and why human beings think, feel and behave in different situations.

Students of Psychology cover a variety of stimulating topics such as memory and forgetting, prejudice and discrimination, perception, the development of gender identity and mental illness. The emphasis throughout these topics is on understanding how Psychologists do their work - carrying out investigations through experiments, observation and surveys. Students develop skills in relation to the design, planning, execution and reporting of psychological investigations, including the analysis and interpretation of data.

Studying Psychology at Shrewsbury International School will introduce pupils to a variety of perspectives, encouraging an ability to appraise and understand different points of view and theoretical frameworks. The study of Psychology allows many opportunities for reflection on the beliefs and values of different cultures, allowing students to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

Studying Psychology will also:

1. provide opportunities for students to take responsibility for their own learning.
   

2. assist in developing strong language skills and promoting confidence in the use of Psychological terminology.
   

3. develop an ability to communicate knowledge and understanding through a variety of oral, written, technological and graphic media.
   

Key Stage 4

Students follow the AQA syllabus which is examined after two years of study. The course covers the following topics which are examined through a 2 hour written examination:

1. Cognitive Psychology
   

2. Social Psychology
   

3. Developmental Psychology
   

4. Pro- and anti-social behaviour
   

Students will also plan and conduct a small-scale research project which will be internally assessed and will contribute to 20% of the final GCSE grade.

Research projects chosen by previous students have covered a variety of topics such as memory and forgetting, pro-social behaviour and social influence.

Sixth Form

Students follow the Edexcel specification.

The AS course

The AS level is examined at the end of the Year 12 with two written papers. The course focuses on five of the major Psychological approaches:

1. The Cognitive Approach
   

2. The Social Approach
   

3. The Psychodynamic Approach
   

4. The Learning Approach
   

5. The Biological  Approach 
   

Within each approach, students will learn about the main assumptions of the approach, the main theories and studies and a contemporary key issue. Students are required to have a thorough knowledge of Psychological research methods throughout the course which will be assessed through the completion of five short practical investigations.

The A2 course

The A2 part of the course is examined at the end of Year 13 with two written examinations. In the first A2 unit, students study two applications of Psychology: Criminological Psychology and Child Psychology. In the second A2 unit students study Clinical Psychology and Psychological issues and debates.