Why do we learn psychology?
The social sciences enable students to understand, through an academic perspective, what makes individuals think and behave the way they do, why society is the way that it is, and how this powerful knowledge can encourage them to become critical and active members of their community and wider society.
An important part of our vision as the social science department is to consider what makes social science students unique to their peers. They have an insight into understanding themselves, others and the society we live in. They benefit from the development of knowledge, skills and attributes to become active and considerate citizens, by developing the qualities of care, compassion and empathy for others. Sociology students learn to challenge gender inequality and racial inequality. Psychology students learn to challenge stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues and neuro-diversity.
Head of Department
Emma Isaac
Our approach
Social science students following a scheme of learning which takes them on a journey. They are first introduced to the overarching perspectives or approaches to understanding individuals or society and they also to how research is conducted by psychologists and sociologists. Both psychology and sociology are assessed against the same objectives. These are knowledge, application and evaluation of psychological and sociological theory and methods. We endeavour to have students thinking hard both in and out of lesson and provide them with consistent and scaffolded written practise to ensure they are able to confidently address the assessment objectives.
Year 12
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How scientific is psychology? When Wundt opened the first Labotory dedicated to studying the human mind, his aim was to establish psychology as a science. Since then, psychology has seen numerous approaches and perspectives dominate thinking and then fade away. We consider how far psychology is and should be a science. |
Is psychology filled with consensus or conflict? Cognitive approach is the dominant perspective within contemporary psychology but its superiority is being challenged. We examine the contributions, validity and applications of the core theories including psychoanalysis, biopsychology and behaviourism. |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
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Can psychology explain the holocaust? Psychologists examine the way conformity and obedience can have disastrous consequences. We consider the reasons why individuals and whole populations blindly follow a dictator even when it goes against their own principles. |
How can we identify, explain and treat abnormal behaviour? We consider the emotional, cognitive and behavioural symptoms of common disorders. We also assess the effectiveness and ethics of various treatments. |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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What happens if we do not bond with our parents? Psychologists have long questioned whether a bond between a caregiver and an infant is essential for a healthy and happy life. We assess the impact of insecure attachment on intellectual, moral and social development. |
How does our memory work? Why do we forget? Cognitive psychologists have created models to explain what we cannot directly study, we examine two models of memory. We also assess the implications and applications of memory research. |
Year 13
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Is the psychological always at first biological? We examine how far psychologists are able to explain behaviour in terms of our hormones, genes and brain structure. Evidence from PET scans and post-mortems suggests that they can |
Is gender decided at birth? We consider how far our gender identity is socially constructed. We examine biological, social and psychological explanations for both typical and atypical gender development. |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
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What influences our eating behaviour? We examine behaviours related to eating. This includes normal behaviours (e.g. explanations for food preferences, neural and hormonal mechanisms involved in controlling eating) or abnormal behaviours (e.g. eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa Could psychology keep us safe? We assess profiling methods employed by the police in the United Kingdom and America. We ask if psychologists are really able to explain and predict criminality by looking at our personality types, genes or cognitive biases. |
What are the key debates in psychology? What are the key issues in psychology? We consider some of the important arguments in relation to conducting research and explaining behaviour in psychology. The key issues and debates include gender and culture in psychology; free will and determinism; the nature-nurture debates; idiographic and nomothetic approaches and ethical issues and social sensitivity. |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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| Exam revision | Exams |