Sutton Grammar School students can study Psychology at AS and A-Levels, and the subject has proved very popular throughout the time for which it has been available.
Psychology is the study of the mind and of human behaviour.
It is a science, and is looked upon favourably by universities as a worthwhile A-Level subject. By its nature, psychology helpfully prepares students for life beyond education.
Psychology lessons are taught in the Sixth Form Centre.

Course Outline

Exam Board: OCR

AS-Level

The AS-Level course is approached through twenty case-studies and covers the five main areas of Psychology. These areas, and the relevant case-studies, are outlined below:

Cognitive Psychology

This area of Psychology deals with the processes of the mind - in particular, the roles of memory, language and perception.

• Loftus and Palmer
  "Do you see what I see?"
• Deregowski
  "Why did the antelope cross the road?"
• Baron-Cohen
  "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
• Gardner and Gardner
  "Are you making a monkey of me?"

Developmental Psychology

In this area, psychologists study how children learn and what is necessary for so-called 'normal' development.

• Samuel and Bryant
  "Square pegs in round holes"
• Bandura and Ross
  "Do you do what I do?"
• Hodges and Tizard
  "Are you home or away?"
• Freud
  "Are you scared of horses?"

Physiological Psychology

Physiological Psychology is concerned with linking brain activity and behaviour; sleep and dreaming, emotion and brain hemisphere connection are areas studied.

• Schacter and Singer
  "Can you feel it?"
• Dement and Kleitman
  "Do you R.E.M or do you just ZZZZZZ...?"
• Sperry
  "Are two minds better than one?"
• Raine
  "Is murder in the brain?"

Social Psychology

This area deals with human interaction - in particular, obedience, conformity, helping behaviour and prejudice.

• Milgram
  "Are you a good boy?"
• Zimbardo
  "Do you do as you are told?"
• Piliavin
  "Would you walk on by?"
• Tajfel
  "Do you want to be in my gang?"

Psychology of Individual Differences

We are all different and this area of psychology seeks to explore why. Intelligence testing, racial self-identification, abnormality and mental health issues are features of this area.

• Gould
  "How is your I.Q?"
• Hraba and Grant
  "Is everything in life black or white?"
• Rosenham
  "Can you prove that you are not mad?"
• Thigpen and Cleckley
  "Who am I today?"

As part of the AS-Level syllabus, students are required to carry out four short practical investigations in order to develop critical thinking and to see how psychological research is performed. The AS-Level course is assessed by written examination; there are two papers devoted to the core studies as outlined above, plus one paper focusing on the psychological investigations.

A-Level

The A-Level content builds on the work of the AS-Level units and focuses mainly on the ways psychology has been applied. Students study two areas...

• Psychology and Crime
• Psychology and Sport

Students will sit a written examination on both these applied areas. In addition, practical work requires the candidate to expand on the skills developed during the AS-Level course to carry-out, and write-up, a psychological investigation. Students must also submit a brief, written assignment relating psychological theory and evidence to a real-life event.

The course allows for a variety of activities, with plenty of scope for individual development as well as a lot of fun!