PSYCHOLOGY
Induction Booklet
So what is this subject called psychology?
Psychology is the science of human nature and experience. You will have studied
science at GCSE, and so you will know that scientists use scientific methodology in
their investigations. They will conduct experiments and other types of studies, with
the aim of finding out about the cause of things. Likewise in psychology, experiments
are carried out to find out the cause of human behaviour. During a typical psychology
class, you will be given a theory, examine the evidence which supports or contradicts
the theory, and then evaluate both the theory and the evidence to come to a
conclusion. Although people have always been interested in human behaviour,
psychology as a discipline is relatively new when compared against the more established
sciences of physics, chemistry, biology etc. The birth of psychology is often traced
back to 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt set up the first psychology laboratory in Germany.
Since then, psychology has grown massively. However, unlike other sciences, in
psychology there is still a great deal of things that are unknown. The more we learn about
the brain and behaviour, the more we realise we don't know! This is why in psychology
there are often many competing theories to explain the same thing. Part of your job as
budding psychologists is to compare these theories, look for evidence, and come to your
own conclusions.
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In psychology there are even competing arguments as to how human
behaviour should be investigated. In PY1, we will be looking at four
approaches to the study of psychology. Each approach has its own
set of assumptions of how best to explain human behaviour.

The biological approaches argues that the best way to
understand human behaviour is by looking at biological factors,
such as genes, brain structures, neurochemistry and
hormones.

The cognitive approach on the other hand states that we
should focus on the way a person thinks, and the thought
processes they have.
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The behaviourist approach argues that people's thinking is
immeasurable and therefore irrelevant. Psychology is best
investigated through a person's behaviour.

The psychodynamic approach argues that events in childhood, and
unconscious thoughts and feelings that people are unaware of are
the cause of nearly all behaviour.
Each of these approaches has well known psychologists associated
with them, who either helped found the approach, or who have
created influential theories or carried out research within the
approach.
Task One
Using the internet, books in the classroom or the library, research one of
the following psychologists and create a factsheet about them. They are all
Psychologists you will come across in PY1. Your factsheet should be one side
of A4 and can be handwritten or done on a computer.
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Burrhus Frederic Skinner (most often referred to as B. F. Skinner)
Albert Bandura
Sigmund Freud
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Elizabeth Loftus
Hans Selye
See over for success criteria ………
Success Criteria
You Must
 Include the following biographical information about them: date of birth,
date of death (if applicable), place of birth, where they lived, what
University/Institute they are associated with (if any). Continued…
 Describe an important theory that your psychologist is famous for. Some
may be known for more than one theory; you may chose just one theory, or
include more if you feel confident.
 Write about at least one piece of research that the psychologist carried out
. Describe what they did and what they found.
 Use section headers to make your factsheet easy to read
 Include details of where you got the information from (websites, textbooks
etc.
You could:
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Include a photo of the psychologist if you have access to a
printer/photocopier.
Write about the influence the psychologists has had on
psychology/society.
Include some interesting facts about the psychologist, even if they
are not directly linked to psychology.
Task Two
Read the following so you are organized before you start.
Organisation and Expectations

There will be a lot of handouts during this course so you need to be
organised. Make sure you file away your handouts regularly so that you
don't lose anything. Print off all relevant handouts from the Psychology
Blog before lessons, as blog failures will count against your effort
grade. It's recommended that you buy a folder specifically for
psychology. On the blog there will be section dividers with checklists on
them so that you can keep your work organised.

Essential videos, plus all the worksheets and PowerPoints used in class
can be found on the school's blog, and will be updated weekly. We will
occasionally add extra materials to help broaden your understanding.
Anyone wanting to guarantee hitting their target grade should be using
this additional material.

Come to lessons ON TIME and READY TO LEARN - that is with a
FOLDER containing relevant notes, STATIONERY and a TEXTBOOK.
This is so vital to your learning that we have to enforce this expectation
strictly. The first time someone arrives at a lesson without the right
equipment they would receive a warning, the second time they would
need to explain this to the Head of Social Science. IF this were to
happen a third time (ie behaviour you might expect in the lower school)
we will reluctantly contact their parents because they are jeopardizing
their chance of success. There will be regular folder checks.

You will also be asked (in class or on the blog) to watch and make notes
on a video or to read an article and make notes in in preparation for a
lesson. It is vitally important that this is done, as the information will
be needed to complete class work, and you may be tested on the
content. If you miss any lessons, it is your responsibility to catch up.
Likewise, should you lose any of the worksheets it is your responsibility
to print off new copies from the Blog.

Work submitted must be completed to the best of your ability and in
line with your ALPS target grade. We will allocate a lunchtime to help
students repeat work to bring it up to the required standard. Timed
essays can also be repeated then if necessary.

It is expected that all work set is handed in on the date due. Deadlines for
each week of the year can be found in the Assessment Schedule, so it is
impossible for you not to know about a deadline. Should you feel that you
will be unable to complete a piece of work for a set date, speak to your
teacher to arrange an extension.Should work not be handed in on time, and
no extension has been requested, expect to spend a lunchtime catching
up.

Should you require any extra help understanding the topics covered in
class, or would like guidance on subject material, exam technique or
homework, I would be more than happy to arrange a one on one session
at lunchtime/after school. Again, this is your responsibility to know
when to ask for help.
You can expect :

Lessons to be delivered with a clear structure.

Assignments to be constructively marked and returned within a reasonable
time.

Fair treatment from the teacher and other students.
Independent study
You should expect weekly independent study tasks. In Psychology this will
involve :
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Making Cornell notes from videos and other materials
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Regular written assignments (usually completed in class)
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Usually one timed test (under examination conditions) per week.
Task three
Students are expected to visit the blog and print off handouts and worksheets before
lessons. This is a key part of becoming an independent learner, so it’s vital that
you get into the habit from day one. Visit the psychology blog at
stcmpsy14.wordpress.com and print off your worksheet for task 3.
YOUR INDUCTION WORK MUST BE HANDED IN ON THE FIRST LESSON
OF TERM NO EXCEPTION!
HAVE A GOOD SUMMER AND SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!
Mr P Haggerty and Mrs L Rust Ashford