Psychology (Year 11)
See Year 11s Psychology ‘Schedule of Learning’ for the 2025/26 academic year:
| Topic | Sub-topic |
|---|---|
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Divison of the nervous system |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | James Lange theory of emotion |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Neurons & synaptic transmission |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Hebb’s theory of neuronal growth |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Structure and function of the brain |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Penfield’s study of the interpretive cortex |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Scanning techniques |
| Brain & Neuropsychology | Tulving’s gold memory study |
| Psychological Problems | Introduction to mental health |
| Psychological Problems | Characteristics and biological explanations of depression |
| Psychological Problems | Psychological explanation of depression and CBT |
| Psychological Problems | Aversion therapy and self-management |
| Psychological Problems | Reductionist and holistic therapies |
| Social Influence | Asch’s study of conformity |
| Social Influence | Social and dispositional factors affeting conformity |
| Social Influence | Milgram’s agency theory |
| Social Influence | Adorno’s theory of the authoritarian personality |
| Social Influence | Piliavin’s subway study |
| Language Thought and Communication | Piaget’s and Sapir Whart Hypothesis |
| Language Thought and Communication | Von Frisch bee study |
| Language Thought and Communication | Non verbal communication |
| Revision | Yuki’s study of emotion |
| Revision |
Exam Board – AQA
What will you study?
Finishing topics started in the summer term of year 10 – Social Influence and the Brain and Neuropsychology
Psychological problems
– An introduction to mental health
– How the incidence of significant mental health problems changes over time
– Effects of significant mental health problems on individuals and society
– Characteristics of clinical depression
– Theories of depression
– Interventions or therapies for depression
– Characteristics of addiction
– Theories of addiction
– Interventions or therapies for addiction
Language, thought and communication
– The possible relationship between language and thought
– The effect of language and thought on our view of the world
– Differences between human and animal communication
– Non-verbal communication
– Explanations of non-verbal behaviour
Finishing topics from autumn term
Revision
Exams
Useful tips and resources
– There are extended writing / essay questions worth 9 marks
– Psychology is scientific with the study of the brain; structure of the brain and function of different parts, nervous system, neurons, synaptic transmission etc.
– Psychology is heavily based on research methods which means learning about how experiments are designed and conducted
– The key assessment objectives are knowledge, application and evaluation
– You will have end of topic tests as well as termly assessments
– You will be provided with the log-on details for the digital textbook once you start the course
– Learndojo has useful booklets that reduce the content down to what you need to learn (as the textbook is too detailed)
– PsychBoost is a brilliant YouTube channel with content videos for the whole course
– Save my exams has past questions and useful tips to help refine exam skill
What super curricular activities can KS4 students engage with outside of school?
There are hundreds of TED Talks relating to Psychology, here are some of my favourite that link to the GCSE:
TED Ben Ambridge
TED Nancy Segal
TED Alison Gopnik
TED Beau Lotto
TED Nathan Jacobs
TED Elizabeth Loftus
There are some fantastic podcasts to listen to here
Two great books to get you excited about Psychology are:
Opening Skinner’s Box – Lauren Slater
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sacks