Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and experience. This course offers a lively introduction to the methods psychologists use and the range of explanations they give to understand humans and their interaction to the world. Psychology integrates well with a wide range of subjects as it incorporates interpretive and argument skills with a rigorous scientific approach. It is respected as a subject at A level by all universities. The aim of the department is to welcome all students and to work with them in a way that will suit individual requirements and to equip them to go into the examination with confidence. It is also our aim to make time spent in the department as stimulating and fun as possible. The most important entry requirement is an interest in people.

A/S
Students study 15 set pieces of research, including both historical and current work. These are chosen because they have been influential in some way, either in terms of developing knowledge or generating further research. They represent a fascinating overview of the type of explanations of human behaviour that Psychology offers. Students also cover a range of data collection methods including observation, questionnaire and laboratory experiments. Although there is no coursework students may expect to have plenty of hands-on experience running mini-research projects.

A2
The A2 syllabus covers the experimental methods in more detail and we also choose from two areas of applied Psychology, (Forensic, ie.Crime, Health and Clinical Psychology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Psychology of Education). Currently we study Forensic and Education but this can be changed according to student interest. There are many topics and skills that overlap with other subjects, both in arts and sciences.

Currently in the second year, students attend a Conference on Crime, where they can meet reformed criminals and ask them in person how they became involved in crime, why they did it and what helped them to reform.  This is a truly memorable day and brings all the theory to life. 

 We also make visits where we experience theoretical knowledge being applied in a practical context, these include:

• Visit to a police station to get an insight into police procedures,
• Trip to Exeter Crown Court to help us understand techniques of persausion and decision making in criminal cases.

www.bps.org - British Psychological Society

www.ocr.org.uk - OCR Examination Board.

www.psychblog.co.uk - An interesting site geared to OCR.