Psychology will give you an insight into your behaviour and the behaviour of other people around you. Sociology will also do this but, whereas Sociology looks for the answers external to people (eg, family, friends, school, religion), Psychology tends to look for the answers inside them (their brains, their minds, their genes, their understanding of the world); although it does also consider factors outside of the person as well.
We study things like social and peer influences, how we remember and why we forget, sleep and dreams and causes of aggressive behaviour, as well as famous psychologists like Freud, Pavlov, Skinner and Bandura. In this specification there is a strong emphasis on you DOING Psychology, so you try out the various research methods that psychologists use and determine what your results mean. As a result it is excellent preparation for studying Psychology at university.
At A2 level students study Criminal Psychology, Health Psychology and Clinical Psychology: * In Criminal Psychology you will learn about the reasons for criminal behaviour; eye-witness memory; jury decision-making; and the treatment of offenders. * In Health and Clinical Psychology you will learn how to use psychology to relieve stress; the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders like anxiety and mental illnesses like schizophrenia. * You will also study a range of perspectives, issues, methods & debates; also aspects of research design and implementation
Student Comments include: Starting a subject from scratch means that it is new to you, therefore fresh and interesting.
Psychology is a really interesting subject and gives you an insight into the workings of people’s minds. Whether you know what you want to study after the sixth form or not it is a really useful subject to take, as well as being really enjoyable. The work is not easy but it’s not difficult either and the things you learn can help you out in other subjects and also at exam time.
I think the teaching methods were good, particularly group work and practical learning (eg, drama, getting involved and doing our own studies).
The various teaching methods made the lessons enjoyable and fun to come to.
I like being tested at the end of each Case Study because it shows our progress and gives us feedback.
The way we were tested helped us prepare for when we had our exams as we knew what to expect.
The following two videos will give you more insight into Psychology and what it is like to study. The first offers an overview of the subject, including reference to several of our case studies. Does it sound like the kind of subject you would enjoying studying?
In the second video, Rhiannon, a student of A Level Psychology outlines her experience of studying the subject. Although the specification she studies if different to the one followed at BIC, her experiences are relatively general and worth thinking about. Studying Psychology will require a great deal of commitment and self-discipline. Have you got what it takes to be successful?