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What will I study?


Social influence

This topic explores how a person’s opinion, behaviour and emotions are affected by others.  Some of the questions it examines include, why do people conform in groups? Why do we obey authority figures? Can the pressure to conform sometimes lead people to commit atrocities?

Memory

This topic explores theories and models of memory exploring how we remember. It also examines explanations for forgetting and factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Attachments

This topic explores the formation of different types of attachment; it considers the nature /nurture debate of attachments. Partly using animal research, we investigate the importance of early attachment on subsequent development and adult relationships.

Clinical Psychology and Mental Health

Psychopathology is the study of mental/psychological disorders. This topic considers different explanations, and treatments for, various psychological disorders e.g. phobias, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Cognition and development

This topic explores the way we learn about the world around us; how we develop our general knowledge and understanding but also an understanding of our physical and social world.

Schizophrenia

This explores symptoms and diagnosis of this mental illness. It also explores explanations for and treatments of schizophrenia.

Forensic psychology

This branch of psychology applies psychological theories and principles to different stages of the criminal justice system, including understanding the cause of crime and ways to deal with offenders.

Approaches

We also consider how different psychologists might develop an understanding of behaviour in different ways by looking at five major approaches within Psychology which include; Behaviourism and Social Learning Theory; Humanism; Psychodynamic Theory; Biological approach; Cognitive approach and a combination of the two, the emerging Cognitive Neuroscience.  In the second year we have a focus on Biopsychology as a topic in its own right.

Research Methods and Data Handling 

All of our Psychological knowledge is based on the foundations of research.  It is important for students to gain an appreciation of how this research is conducted and how data is gathered and analysed in order for appropriate conclusions to be made.

Issues and Debates

In our quest to successfully understand behaviour different psychologists believe that we should conduct research in different ways.  Within his topic, studied in the second year, we debate which approach to research is most beneficial to the advancement of the aims of Psychology.