"Everything that irritates us about each
others can lead us to an understanding of
ourselves."
- Carl Jung
Welcome to Psychology!
You have chosen to study A-level psychology at Lady Lumley’s Sixth
Form.
In psychology we cover lots of new and interesting topic areas which will
interest the majority of students.
You will be studying AQA Psychology. For year 1 you will study 2 units
consisting of 6 different topic areas:
 Unit 1:
o Memory
o Social influence
o Attachment
 Unit 2:
o Approaches
o Psychopathology
o Research methods
In September we will be starting with research methods from unit 2 and
followed by approaches and psychopathology. Unless otherwise told,
these are the topic areas you will be assessed on for the trial exam in
January. After the trial exam we will then cover the content for unit 1
until the Easter holidays in preparation for your exam in May.
As psychology is a new subject for the vast majority of students it is
important that all students have a clear understanding about the nature
of psychology and what is required for the course. So I have put
together a pack containing a few research based activities which will
give you a good grounding in the subject.
Course requirements:
Psychology is a subject that requires skills from all of the core subjects:
English, mathematics and science. Students are required to write
coherent and well planned essays; interpret data and conduct
mathematical tests; to know and understand some basic anatomy.
Although there is no entry requirement for the course it is worth noting
that it combines all of these elements which some students find difficult.
Tasks:
Task 1: Preparation.
You will need to bring the following to your first psychology lesson:
 Leaver arch folder
 Dividers – already labelled
 Normal stationary: pens, pencil, ruler, highlighters etc.
 Lined paper
 Plastic wallets.
Task 2: Individual Research.
As psychology is a new subject it is important that you understand
what the subject is.
Your task is to research the following areas and be able to talk
about them in detail. You will have to make notes on this area, but it
is up to you how you present this information (e.g. mind maps,
notes, presentation, video etc.). I will be expecting to see what you
have produced during your first lesson. There will be no extensions.
 What is psychology?
 What do psychologists do?
 What are the different areas of psychology and what do they
assume?
 Name one famous psychologist and explain why they are
famous.
 What jobs can psychology lead you to?
 Why do you want to study psychology?
This is a useful place to start:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/psychology/
what_is_psychology.shtml
Please make sure you state where you are finding the information
from.
I have attached a worksheet that you can use if you are struggling
with how to answer the questions.
Extension Task:
If you want to push yourself and extend your knowledge then I
would advise that you read the following articles. Although these do
not all link directly to the exam specification they are very good at
demonstrating psychology in practice.
 BBC news article: children and memory (Unit 1)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33204165
 The Stanford Prison Experiment (Unit 1)
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/15/fact-basedthriller-the-stanford-prison-experiment-unshackles-trailer
 Can a questionnaire tell if you’re a psychopath?
http://www.theguardian.com/science/headquarters/2015/jun/10/can-an-online-quiz-spot-a-psychopath
 Psychology in football.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/10568730/Mind-gameshow-footballers-use-sports-psychology.html
What is psychology?
Psychology is…
What do psychologists do?
Psychologists have lots of
different roles in society. For
example…
What are the different areas of
psychology and what do they
assume?
There are_______different areas
in psychology. They are…
Name one famous psychologist
and explain why they are
famous.
____________________is a
famous psychologist. They are
famous because they…
They assume…
What jobs can psychology lead
you to?
Psychology can lead you to lots
of different jobs. Such as…
Why do you want to study
psychology?
I want to study psychology
because…