Unit 3: Applications of psychology: Students should know, understand, apply, critically analyse and evaluate the content, including performing procedures and making connections where appropriate. Students must study Topic E and choose either Topic F or Topic G. Topic E: Developmental psychology Students must show an understanding that developmental psychology is about the development of the individual from before birth to adolescence and beyond, in that what we experience as children affects us including our later development. Topic F: Criminological psychology Students must show an understanding that criminological psychology is about the definition and causes of crime and anti-social behaviour, issues around identification of offenders, and treatment of offenders. Topic G: Health psychology Students must show an understanding that health psychology is about understanding health from a biological, cognitive and social basis, focusing on stress, and that health psychology is about promoting good health.
At BIC, we have opted to focus on Criminological Psychology.
There are opportunities for students to develop mathematical skills throughout the content. Students are required to apply the skills to relevant psychological contexts.
● The assessment is 1 hour and 30 minutes. ● The assessment is out of 64 marks. ● Students must answer all questions from Section A and all questions from a choice of two topic areas in Section B. ● Section A: Developmental psychology, totals 32 marks and comprises short-answer questions and two eight-mark extended open-response questions. One eight-mark question focuses on developmental psychology and the other is an eight-mark synoptic question based on developmental psychology and issues from Units 1 and 2. ● Section B: presents students with a choice of one from either criminological (or health) psychology. Each section totals 32 marks and comprises short-answer questions and two eight-mark extended open-response questions. ● The formulae and statistical tables given in Appendix 8: Formulae and statistical tables will also be given in the paper. ● Calculators may be used in the examination. Please see Appendix 6: Use of calculators. ● Students may be required to respond to stimulus material using psychological concepts, theories and/or research from across topic areas. ● Students may be asked to consider issues of validity, reliability, credibility, generalisability, objectivity, and subjectivity in their evaluation of studies and theories. ● Students should be able to define any terms given in the specification. ● Research methods from Units 1 and 2 may be assessed in the written examination for this unit (which can be found in the Module 4 section of this website under 'Skills') :