Psychology

AS and A2 Level

Awarding body: WJEC

AS

Unit PY1:

  • A range of psychological problems and therapies are explored in relation to each of the four approaches in Psychology. Four major psychological approaches form the basis of this Unit: the Biological (Physiological/Medical) approach, the psychodynamic approach, the Behaviourist approach, and the Cognitive approach.

Unit PY2:

  • The core theme for this unit is psychological research. It is designed to encourage candidates to explore the nature and practice of psychological enquiry. The unit comprises two parts: the 10 Core Studies and Applied Research Methods.

A2

Unit PY3:

  • This Unit develops the candidate’s knowledge, application and evaluation of research methods acquired in PY2. The Unit assesses the candidate’s knowledge, understanding and evaluation of research methods, data analysis and issues in research. This includes the consideration of scientific and ethical issues in the design and implementation of an investigation.

Unit PY4:

  • This unit tests the ability of candidates to describe and evaluate understanding of Controversies, Topics and Applications in Psychology. There are seven controversial issues which include the status of psychology as a science, the balance of genetic and environmental influences on human behaviour and issues of cultural and gender bias in psychology.

Course requirements

Students should have achieved a C grade or above at English and Maths GCSE

About the course

This course gives students a general introduction to psychological theory, research and application. Topics studies include memory, child development, stress, normal and abnormal behaviour and therapies. The course will appeal to students who enjoy exploring issues dealing with how and why people behave in certain ways. They will learn how psychologists conduct experiments, and about major problems and controversies in psychology, including moral and ethical issues.

The study of psychology will help students to gain a better understanding of your own behavior as well as that of other people. Not only is it this an interesting A level subject, but it also equips students with a wide range of scientific, social and essay writing skills that are transferable to any chosen career path.