KS5 Curriculum Map for: Psychology AS 1
Year Group: 12
Exam Board & Syllabus: AQA
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit title
Introductory topics in Psychology
Psychology in context
Driving questions for
the unit
Social influence
 Why and how do we conform?
 Why do we obey authority and with
what consequences, for example, in
Nazi Germany?
 What factors enable us to resist
social influence, e.g. peer pressure?
 What are the origins of the
Memory
 What is memory and how do
different types of memory work?
 Why do we forget?
 How accurate is eyewitness
testimony and how can it be
improved?
Attachment
 As infants, how and why do humans
form attachments to primary
caregivers?
 How does attachment vary across
different cultures?
 What are the effects of caregiver
deprivation?
Main assessment
task
Half-term assessments
Regular essays and short answer
questions
Psychological investigations
 Written exam: 1hr 30mins
Stretch and
challenge task (s)
All students are taught to the highest
level and are supported if struggling with
additional, adapted materials.
discipline of Psychology?
 Can Psychology be considered a
science?
Approaches in Psychology
 What different perspectives have
been developed within Psychology
to explain human behaviour?
Biopsychology
 How is the nervous system
organised?
 How does the endocrine system
(glands and hormones) function in
humans?
 How does the body react to stress?
Psychopathology
 How is ‘abnormality’ defined?
 How can we understand different
kinds of ‘abnormality’ such as
phobias, depression and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD)?
 How can phobias be treated?
Research methods
 How should we study human
beings in society?
 What are the different methods
that Psychologists use?
 How can we judge the usefulness
of different research methods?
Half-term assessments
Regular essays
Psychological investigations
 Written exam: 1hr 30mins