A Level Psychology

• Approaches in psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h

  AQA only

  This topic covers the major theoretical approaches named in the AQA specification: learning approaches (including behaviourist and social learning theory), the cognitive approach, the biological approach, and humanistic psychology, plus comparison of approaches. In the exam, students must explain assumptions and key concepts, use named studies where relevant, apply approaches to scenarios, and evaluate each approach using issues such as scientific status, determinism and practical applications.

  • Explain the behaviourist approach, including the assumptions of learning theory and the features of classical conditioning, operant conditioning and reinforcement.
  • Explain social learning theory, including imitation, identification, modelling, vicarious reinforcement, the role of mediational processes, and how social learning theory differs from behaviourism.
  • Evaluate the learning approaches using concepts and evidence such as scientific methods, environmental determinism, explanatory power and real-world application.
  • Explain the cognitive approach, including internal mental processes, inference, the use of theoretical and computer models, and the emergence of cognitive neuroscience.
  • Evaluate the cognitive approach using relevant strengths and limitations, including scientific methods, machine reductionism and application.
  • Explain the biological approach, including the influence of genes, neurochemistry and evolution, and evaluate it using concepts such as scientific methods, biological determinism and implications for treatment.
  • Explain humanistic psychology, including free will, self-actualisation, Maslow and Rogers, and evaluate the approach in relation to scientific status, optimism and holistic explanation.
  • Compare approaches by analysing similarities and differences in assumptions and explanations, including nature-nurture, free will-determinism, reductionism-holism and idiographic-nomothetic features where relevant.

• Biopsychology

  ≈ 2%2 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This topic covers the biological bases of behaviour required by AQA: the nervous system, endocrine system, brain structure and localisation, hemispheric lateralisation and split-brain research, plasticity and functional recovery, and biological rhythms. Exam questions test factual explanation, application to unfamiliar contexts, interpretation of research findings and evaluation of evidence and methods.

  • Describe and explain divisions of the nervous system, including the central and peripheral nervous systems and the somatic and autonomic branches.
  • Explain the structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neurones, the process of synaptic transmission, and the role of excitation and inhibition.
  • Explain the function of the endocrine system, including glands and hormones, and the role of the fight-or-flight response in relation to adrenaline.
  • Identify and explain the functions of key regions of the brain, including the motor, somatosensory, visual and auditory areas, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area.
  • Explain localisation of function in the brain and evaluate localisation theory using evidence from methods and case studies, including research into aphasia and brain scanning.

• Research methods and maths skills

  ≈ 2%2 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This topic covers the full AQA research methods specification and the associated mathematical requirements for psychology. The exam tests students on designing, analysing and evaluating investigations, selecting appropriate methods and statistics, interpreting data and graphical displays, and performing or checking simple calculations without a calculator.

  • Distinguish, select and evaluate research methods and designs used in psychology, including experiments, observations, self-reports, correlations and case studies, together with experimental designs, control techniques and procedures such as randomisation, standardisation and pilot studies.
  • Explain and apply sampling methods, hypotheses, operationalisation, ethical issues, reliability and validity, including ways of assessing and improving research quality and dealing with demand characteristics, investigator effects and social desirability.
  • Construct, interpret and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods, including questionnaires, interviews, observations, psychological tests and content analysis, and explain features of the scientific process such as peer review, primary and secondary data, meta-analysis and report writing.

About 7 h of study, lessons and core practice

• Issues and debates in psychology

  ≈ 1.8%2 h

  AQA only

  This topic covers the major conceptual and methodological debates that run across psychology: gender and culture, free will and determinism, nature and nurture, holism and reductionism, idiographic and nomothetic approaches, and ethical implications. In the exam, students must explain each debate, use psychological examples, and evaluate how theories and research sit within or contribute to these issues.

  • Explain what is meant by the nature–nurture debate and evaluate the interaction of inherited and environmental influences on behaviour using psychological examples.
  • Explain what is meant by the free will–determinism debate, including biological, environmental and psychic determinism, and evaluate the implications of each position for psychology.
  • Explain what is meant by reductionism and holism and evaluate different levels of explanation in psychology using relevant theories and research.
  • Explain what is meant by the idiographic and nomothetic approaches and evaluate their features, methods and contributions to psychological knowledge.
  • Explain universality, gender bias and cultural bias in psychological theory and research, including alpha bias and beta bias, and evaluate their consequences for findings and applications.
  • Discuss the ethical implications of psychological research and theory, including the effects of socially sensitive research on participants, groups and wider society.

• Option: relationships

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers explanations for attraction, romantic relationships and virtual relationships, alongside theories and research into parasocial relationships. Exam questions test AO1 knowledge of models and studies, AO2 application to relationship scenarios, and AO3 evaluation of explanations and research evidence.

  • Explain evolutionary explanations for partner preferences, including sexual selection and anisogamy, and the role of physical attractiveness as a factor in attraction.
  • Explain social explanations for attraction, including self-disclosure, filter theory and social exchange theory, and evaluate the extent to which they account for the formation of romantic relationships.
  • Explain equity theory and Rusbult’s investment model as theories of romantic relationship maintenance, and evaluate research evidence for each.
  • Explain Duck’s phase model of relationship breakdown and evaluate its account of the processes involved in relationship dissolution.
  • Explain the effects of reduced cue environments on virtual relationships and self-disclosure, including relevant explanations of online attraction and relationship formation.

• Option: gender

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers biological, cognitive and social explanations of gender development, including gender dysphoria, and the role of culture in gender-related behaviour. Exam questions require accurate use of concepts, comparison of explanations, and application to scenarios involving gender development and identity.

  • Explain chromosomal, hormonal and brain-based explanations of sex and gender development and evaluate biological evidence for gender behaviour and identity.
  • Explain social learning theory as an explanation of gender development, including reinforcement, punishment, direct tuition and modelling, and evaluate research support.
  • Explain Kohlberg’s cognitive developmental theory of gender and evaluate its account of gender constancy and developmental change.
  • Explain gender schema theory as an explanation of gender development and evaluate how schemas influence attention, memory and behaviour.
  • Explain the influence of culture and media on gender roles, including cross-cultural variation and changes over time, and evaluate evidence about biosocial influences on gender-related behaviour.

• Option: Cognition and development

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Vygotsky’s theory, Baillargeon’s account of early infant abilities, and explanations of perspective-taking. The exam tests knowledge of developmental concepts and studies, comparison of theories, and application to situations involving children’s thinking.

  • Explain Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, including schema, assimilation, accommodation, equilibration and the stages of intellectual development.
  • Explain Piaget’s theory of conservation, class inclusion and perspective-taking, and evaluate the methods and conclusions of Piaget’s research with children.
  • Explain Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, including the zone of proximal development, scaffolding and the role of language, and compare it with Piaget’s account.
  • Explain Baillargeon’s explanation of early infant physical reasoning, including violation of expectation research into object permanence, and evaluate what infant studies suggest about the timing of cognitive abilities.

• Option: schizophrenia

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers the classification, diagnosis and symptoms of schizophrenia, plus biological, psychological and family-based explanations and treatments. In the exam, students must describe and evaluate explanations and therapies, interpret stem material, and discuss issues such as reliability, validity and ethical concerns.

  • Describe the classification and diagnosis of schizophrenia, including positive and negative symptoms, and evaluate reliability, validity, comorbidity, symptom overlap and cultural or gender bias in diagnosis.
  • Explain genetic, neural and dopamine-based explanations of schizophrenia and evaluate biological evidence for vulnerability and mechanisms.
  • Explain family dysfunction explanations of schizophrenia, including schizophrenogenic mother, double-bind theory and expressed emotion, and evaluate the evidence for each.
  • Explain cognitive explanations of schizophrenia, including dysfunctional thought processing and metarepresentation or central control deficits, and evaluate supporting evidence.
  • Explain drug therapy for schizophrenia, including typical and atypical antipsychotics, and evaluate effectiveness, side effects and practical issues.

• Option: Eating behaviour

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers neural and hormonal mechanisms in eating, evolutionary and psychological influences on food choice, and biological and psychological explanations of anorexia nervosa, obesity and bulimia nervosa. Exam questions test explanation, application and evaluation, often through comparison of competing accounts or discussion of treatment implications.

  • Explain neural and hormonal mechanisms involved in the control of eating, including the role of the hypothalamus and relevant gut or fat-related hormones, and evaluate evidence for homeostatic regulation.
  • Explain the evolutionary explanation of food preferences, including neophobia and taste aversion, and evaluate how far evolved predispositions explain human food choice.
  • Explain psychological explanations for food choice, including learning, social factors and mood, and evaluate evidence for environmental and cognitive influences on eating behaviour.
  • Explain biological explanations of anorexia nervosa and evaluate neural, genetic and biochemical evidence for the disorder.

• Option: stress

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers the physiology of stress, stress as a source of illness, and methods for measuring, managing and coping with stress. In the exam, students are asked to explain models and mechanisms, apply stress-management strategies, and evaluate evidence from laboratory, clinical and field research.

  • Explain the body’s response to stress, including the fight or flight response and the role of the sympathomedullary pathway and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system.
  • Explain sources of stress, including life changes, daily hassles and workplace stress, and evaluate theories and evidence about individual differences in stress response.
  • Explain and evaluate physiological and psychological methods of measuring stress, including self-report, life changes scales and biological measures.
  • Explain and evaluate the role of stress in illness, including immunosuppression and cardiovascular disorders, using relevant psychoneuroimmunology and health psychology evidence.
  • Explain drug therapy and behavioural methods for managing stress, including stress inoculation therapy, biofeedback and relaxation training, and evaluate their effectiveness and appropriateness.

• Option: aggression

  ≈ <1%1 h 30 min

  AQA only

  This option covers neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, ethological and evolutionary accounts, social psychological explanations, and institutional aggression. Exam questions require explanation and evaluation of theories, interpretation of scenario material, and comparison of biological and environmental influences.

  • Explain neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, including the role of the limbic system, serotonin and testosterone, and evaluate biological evidence.
  • Explain ethological and evolutionary explanations of aggression, including the adaptive value of aggression and sexual selection, and evaluate research support and limitations.
  • Explain social psychological explanations of human aggression, including social learning theory and de-individuation, and evaluate evidence for environmental and cognitive influences.
  • Explain institutional aggression in the context of prisons and evaluate dispositional and situational explanations, including importation and deprivation models.
  • Apply theories of aggression to novel contexts such as media violence, group behaviour or institutional settings, using appropriate psychological terminology.

• Option: Forensic psychology

  ≈ <1%5 h

  AQA only

  The current AQA A-level specification includes Forensic psychology as a Paper 3 option, covering offender profiling, explanations of offending, custodial sentencing and offender behaviour modification.

  • Describe top-down and bottom-up approaches to offender profiling
  • Explain biological and Eysenck’s personality explanations of offending behaviour
  • Assess cognitive explanations of offending, including level of moral reasoning
  • Compare the aims and effectiveness of custodial sentencing and behaviour modification in custody
  • Evaluate theories and treatments using research evidence and methodological criticism

• Option: addiction

  ≈ <1%5 h

  AQA only

  The current AQA A-level specification includes Addiction as a Paper 3 option, covering gambling, smoking and binge-eating addiction, risk factors and ways of reducing addiction.

  • Describe the characteristics and major types of addiction
  • Explain risk factors in addiction, including vulnerability to addiction
  • Compare learning, cognitive and biological explanations of addictive behaviour
  • Apply relapse-prevention and intervention strategies to gambling, smoking and binge eating
  • Evaluate explanations and treatments using supporting and contradictory evidence

About 22 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Social psychology

  ≈ 1.2%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the Edexcel social psychology content on obedience and prejudice, including the main explanations, situational factors and ways prejudice may be reduced. In the exam, students are tested on accurate knowledge of theories and specified evidence, plus application and evaluation in unfamiliar social situations.

  • Describe and apply the key concepts, processes and research evidence for obedience, including factors that increase or reduce obedience and resistance to social pressure.
  • Explain and evaluate theoretical explanations of obedience using official terminology, including agency theory and social impact theory.
  • Describe and apply the nature of prejudice and discrimination, distinguishing between attitudes, stereotypes and discriminatory behaviour.
  • Explain and evaluate psychological explanations of prejudice, including individual and situational or social explanations specified by the Edexcel course.
  • Explain and evaluate ways of reducing prejudice, including the contact hypothesis and the conditions under which intergroup contact is most effective.
  • Interpret, compare and evaluate the findings, procedures and methodological features of the specified social psychology studies.

• Cognitive psychology

  ≈ 1.2%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the Edexcel cognitive psychology content on memory, forgetting and the cognitive processes involved in remembering. The exam tests explanation of models and processes, interpretation of evidence, and evaluation of the strengths and limitations of cognitive research.

  • Describe and explain the structure and processes of the specified models of memory using official terminology such as coding, capacity and duration where relevant.
  • Explain and evaluate psychological explanations of forgetting, including how interference and retrieval failure account for memory loss.
  • Apply cognitive concepts and evidence to examples of remembering and forgetting in everyday and novel contexts.
  • Interpret and evaluate the findings, procedures and conclusions of the specified cognitive psychology studies.
  • Compare cognitive explanations and assess the extent to which evidence supports different accounts of memory and forgetting.

• Biological psychology

  ≈ 1.2%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the Edexcel biological psychology content on the biological bases of behaviour, including the nervous system, brain and related mechanisms. The exam tests knowledge of structures and processes, application to behaviour, and evaluation of biological explanations and evidence.

  • Describe the structure and function of the nervous system and explain how biological communication affects behaviour.
  • Explain neuronal transmission and synaptic transmission using correct biological and psychological terminology.
  • Describe and apply knowledge of brain structure and localisation of function to examples of human behaviour and experience.
  • Explain the role of neurochemistry and endocrine processes in behaviour where required by the specification.
  • Evaluate biological explanations of behaviour using evidence from the specified studies and relevant methodological issues.
  • Interpret diagrams, findings and source material related to biological processes, brain function and behaviour.

• Learning theories

  ≈ 1.2%1 h 30 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the Edexcel learning theories content on how behaviour is acquired and maintained through experience. In the exam, students are tested on classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning explanations, together with application and evaluation.

  • Describe and apply the principles of classical conditioning, including the roles of stimuli, association and conditioned responses.
  • Describe and apply the principles of operant conditioning, including reinforcement, punishment and schedules or patterns of reinforcement where specified.
  • Explain and evaluate social learning theory, including imitation, identification, modelling, vicarious reinforcement and the role of mediational processes.
  • Compare behaviourist and social learning explanations of behaviour, identifying similarities, differences and limitations.
  • Apply learning theories to the acquisition, maintenance or modification of behaviour in familiar and unfamiliar scenarios.

• Developmental psychology

  ≈ 1.2%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the Edexcel developmental psychology content on psychological development across childhood, including social and cognitive change in early life. The exam tests understanding of developmental explanations and evidence, as well as the ability to apply ideas to behaviour and evaluate research.

  • Describe and explain key processes of psychological development in childhood using the concepts and terminology specified by the Edexcel course.
  • Explain and evaluate theories of attachment and early social development, including the role of caregivers and early experience where specified.
  • Describe and assess the effects of separation, deprivation or disrupted early relationships where these are part of the specification.
  • Explain and evaluate cognitive or developmental explanations of children’s behaviour and development specified for this topic.
  • Apply developmental concepts and evidence to examples of children’s behaviour, relationships and change over time.

About 8 h 45 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Clinical psychology

  ≈ 1.5%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This topic covers the concepts, diagnosis, explanations and treatment of mental disorder in clinical psychology. In the exam, students are tested on accurate knowledge of clinical concepts, the ability to apply explanations and therapies to case material, and evaluation of diagnosis and treatment using evidence.

  • Define mental health, mental disorder, classification and diagnosis, and explain key issues in identifying psychological disorder, including reliability, validity and bias in diagnostic systems and practice.
  • Describe the clinical characteristics and diagnostic features of the disorders specified by Pearson Edexcel, using correct psychological terminology.
  • Explain biological explanations of the specified mental disorder(s), including the role of genes, neurochemistry and other relevant physiological mechanisms where required by the specification.
  • Explain psychological explanations of the specified mental disorder(s), including cognitive and learning-based accounts where required by the specification.
  • Describe and evaluate biological and psychological treatments for the specified mental disorder(s), including how therapies work, their effectiveness and appropriate methodological and ethical criticisms of the evidence base.
  • Apply clinical concepts, explanations and treatments to unfamiliar scenarios, case studies and data in the style used in Paper 2 questions.

• Option: Child psychology

  ≈ 1.5%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This option covers psychological explanations of child development and childhood disorders, together with evidence and applications relevant to development in children. In the exam, students must explain developmental processes, apply theory to childhood contexts and evaluate research and interventions.

  • Describe key stages and processes in child development covered by the specification, including cognitive, social andor emotional development as required by Pearson Edexcel.
  • Explain the major psychological theories used to account for child development, using the official terminology and concepts named in the specification.
  • Describe the features, diagnosis andor developmental pattern of the childhood condition(s) specified by Pearson Edexcel.
  • Explain psychological and biological explanations of the specified childhood condition(s) and developmental difficulties, using supporting research evidence.
  • Describe and evaluate interventions, support strategies or treatments relevant to the specified area of child psychology, including strengths, limitations and practical applications.

• Option: Criminological psychology

  ≈ 1.5%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This option covers psychological explanations of crime and criminal behaviour, together with ways psychology is applied to offending, investigation and rehabilitation. Exam questions test knowledge of theories and evidence, application to criminal scenarios and evaluation of interventions and research.

  • Define key concepts in criminological psychology, including crime, offending and antisocial behaviour, using the terminology required by Pearson Edexcel.
  • Explain the psychological explanations of criminal or antisocial behaviour specified in the course, including relevant biological, learning, cognitive and social accounts where applicable.
  • Describe the research evidence used in criminological psychology, including classic and contemporary studies named in the specification, and evaluate their methods and conclusions.
  • Explain how psychology is applied to criminal investigation, offender profiling, eyewitness or jury processes, andor offender management and rehabilitation where these are included in the specification.

• Option: Health psychology

  ≈ 1.5%1 h 45 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  This option covers how psychological factors influence health, illness and healthcare behaviour, and how psychology can improve health outcomes. In the exam, students are expected to explain models of health behaviour, apply them to realistic contexts and evaluate interventions and evidence.

  • Define health, illness and health-related behaviour, and explain the assumptions of the approaches and models to health specified by Pearson Edexcel.
  • Explain psychological factors that influence the onset, experience or management of illness, including cognition, emotion, behaviour and social context where required by the specification.
  • Describe and evaluate theories or models used to predict and explain health behaviour, using the correct constructs and terminology.
  • Explain psychological approaches to changing health behaviour and improving adherence, prevention or health promotion, including the evidence for their effectiveness.
  • Describe and evaluate the role of communication, patient-practitioner interaction andor stress, pain or lifestyle factors where these are included in the specification.

About 7 h 15 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Research methods, statistics and practical investigation

  ≈ 2.5%2 h 30 min

  Pearson Edexcel only

  Research methods, quantitative and qualitative data handling, inferential statistics, and practical investigation skills drawn from all areas of the Edexcel A Level Psychology specification. In the exam, students must design and critique investigations, identify and justify methods, calculate and interpret statistics, and apply these skills to unfamiliar scenarios and practical reports.

  • Explain, compare and apply research methods used in psychology, including experiments, laboratory experiments, field experiments, natural experiments, observations, self-reports, questionnaires, interviews, case studies, correlations and content analysis.
  • Identify, operationalise and evaluate variables and controls, including independent, dependent and extraneous variables, experimental design, randomisation, counterbalancing, standardised procedures, pilot studies and ways of improving validity and reliability.
  • Select and justify appropriate sampling techniques and participant allocation procedures, including random, opportunity, volunteer, stratified and systematic sampling, and explain the strengths and limitations of each in context.
  • Explain and apply ethical issues and ways of dealing with them, including informed consent, deception, confidentiality, privacy, protection from harm, debriefing and the role of ethics committees and socially sensitive research.
  • Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data; describe, calculate and interpret descriptive statistics and graphical presentation, including tables, bar charts, histograms, frequency polygons, scattergrams, measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion.
  • Select, calculate and interpret appropriate inferential statistical tests from the specification, including the sign test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s rho and chi-squared test, with reference to levels of measurement, experimental design, observed and critical values, significance and probability.
  • Explain, calculate and apply standard deviation and percentage calculations required by the specification, and interpret what these indicate about variability, consistency and difference between data sets.
  • Analyse practical investigations by forming aims and hypotheses, choosing suitable methods and controls, planning procedure and materials, identifying target populations, sampling, ethics, data collection and analysis, and drawing justified conclusions with reference to methodological strengths, limitations and improvements.

• Synoptic analysis, evaluation and issues

  ≈ 2.5%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel only

  Synoptic content requires students to draw together knowledge, evidence and methods from across social, cognitive, biological, learning, developmental, clinical and the chosen option. In the exam, this is tested through extended analysis and evaluation of theories, studies and applications, including debate-based discussion and comparisons between topics.

  • Apply theories, concepts, studies and findings from across the specification to novel contexts, showing connections between different areas of psychology and between basic and applied psychology.
  • Analyse and evaluate psychological explanations and research by using methodological concepts accurately, including reliability, validity, objectivity, replicability, sampling, controls, reductionism and the scientific status of evidence.
  • Compare and contrast approaches, theories and studies across topic areas, identifying similarities, differences, assumptions and relative explanatory power.
  • Evaluate the contribution of both classic and contemporary research to psychological knowledge, including how evidence is generated, challenged, developed and used in real-world settings.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Research design, conduct and ethics

  ≈ 2.5%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  Planning, carrying out and evaluating psychological research in OCR A Level Psychology: experimental and non-experimental designs, sampling, variables, controls, procedures, ethics and practical investigation decisions. In the exam, this is tested through scenario-based method selection, design improvement, operationalisation, ethics/application questions and extended evaluation of methodological choices.

  • Distinguish between experimental methods and non-experimental methods, including laboratory experiments, field experiments, natural experiments, observations, self-reports, correlations, case studies and quasi/independent-groups, repeated-measures and matched-participants designs where relevant to planning research.
  • Identify, operationalise and apply key features of research design, including aims, hypotheses, variables, experimental and control conditions, allocation to conditions, standardised procedures, randomisation, counterbalancing and controls for extraneous and confounding variables.
  • Select, describe and evaluate sampling techniques, including opportunity, volunteer, random and systematic sampling, and explain how sample characteristics and participant variables affect representativeness, generalisability and bias.
  • Plan and justify appropriate procedures for collecting primary data using psychological methods, including questionnaires, interviews and observations, with attention to reliability, validity and practical conduct in investigations.
  • Explain and apply ethical considerations in psychological research, including informed consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality, privacy, the right to withdraw and debriefing, and suggest ways to manage ethical issues in context.
  • Evaluate research design decisions using methodological concepts such as reliability, validity, objectivity, control, ecological validity, internal validity, population validity and reduction of bias.

• Data analysis, statistics and reporting

  ≈ 2.5%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  Processing, presenting, interpreting and reporting quantitative and qualitative psychological data for OCR, including descriptive statistics, graphical display, inferential testing and research conclusions. In the exam, this is tested through calculation, choice of statistical test, interpretation of findings, graph/table work, and writing evidence-based conclusions and evaluations.

  • Calculate, interpret and compare descriptive statistics used in psychological research, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, and explain what they show about a data set.
  • Select and construct appropriate graphical displays and tables for different kinds of data, and interpret patterns, trends, distributions and possible anomalies from presented results.
  • Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data and between primary and secondary data, and explain the implications of data type for analysis, presentation and interpretation.
  • Choose and justify appropriate inferential statistical tests from OCR specification requirements, including the sign test, Mann-Whitney $U$, Wilcoxon signed-rank, chi-squared and Spearman’s rho, with reference to differences or associations, related or unrelated designs, and nominal or ordinal data.

About 5 h of study, lessons and core practice

• Social area through core studies

  ≈ 1.1%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  The social area is assessed through the assumptions and key concepts of social psychology and through the core studies of Milgram and Bocchiaro et al. In the exam, learners explain, compare and evaluate social explanations of behaviour using study detail, methodology, ethics and real-world application.

  • Explain the assumptions of the social area, including how behaviour is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people and by social roles, norms and situations.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Milgram’s study of obedience to authority, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and social explanation of obedient behaviour.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Bocchiaro et al.’s study of disobedience and whistle-blowing, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the social processes involved.
  • Compare Milgram and Bocchiaro et al. in terms of social explanations, research methods, sample features, data collected, ethics and the extent to which findings can be generalised.
  • Evaluate social research in this area using methodological issues, ethical considerations and the practical applications of research on obedience, disobedience and resistance to unjust authority.
  • Apply knowledge of the social area and its core studies to novel scenarios and exam questions, including identifying how situational and dispositional factors may affect social behaviour.

• Cognitive area through core studies

  ≈ 1.1%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  The cognitive area is tested through the assumptions of cognitive psychology and through the core studies of Loftus and Palmer and Grant et al. Exam questions require accurate knowledge of memory processes and strong comparison and evaluation of cognitive explanations and methods.

  • Explain the assumptions of the cognitive area, including the idea that internal mental processes can be studied scientifically and that behaviour is affected by processes such as attention, perception and memory.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Loftus and Palmer’s research into eyewitness testimony, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the reconstructive nature of memory.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Grant et al.’s context-dependent memory study, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the effects of environmental context on recall.
  • Compare Loftus and Palmer with Grant et al. in terms of cognitive explanations, memory tasks, research design, controls, ecological validity, data and conclusions.

• Developmental area through core studies

  ≈ 1.1%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  The developmental area is assessed through major assumptions about how behaviour changes over time and through the core studies of Bandura, Ross and Ross and Chaney et al. Exam questions focus on social learning, behaviour change, study detail and evaluative comparison.

  • Explain the assumptions of the developmental area, including that behaviour and cognition change across the lifespan and that development is shaped by maturation, learning and experience.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Bandura, Ross and Ross’s Bobo doll study, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and observational learning of aggression.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Chaney et al.’s Funhaler study, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and how behavioural principles can improve children’s treatment adherence.
  • Compare Bandura, Ross and Ross with Chaney et al. in terms of developmental explanation, learning processes, research methods, controls, ethics and usefulness of findings.

• Biological area through core studies

  ≈ 1.1%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  The biological area is examined through assumptions about brain, nervous system and heredity, together with the core studies of Sperry and Casey et al. Students must explain biological mechanisms, compare methods and evaluate the contribution of biological evidence to understanding behaviour.

  • Explain the assumptions of the biological area, including that behaviour has a physical basis in the brain, nervous system, genes and other biological processes.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Sperry’s split-brain research, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and hemispheric lateralisation.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Casey et al.’s research on delayed gratification, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the role of brain processes in self-control.
  • Compare Sperry with Casey et al. in terms of biological explanation, use of scientific methods and technologies, sample features, data collected, strengths and limitations.

• Individual differences area through core studies

  ≈ 1.1%2 h 30 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  The individual differences area is tested through assumptions about psychological variation between people and through the core studies of Freud and Baron-Cohen et al. The exam rewards precise study knowledge, comparison of explanations for difference and evaluation of methods, ethics and applications.

  • Explain the assumptions of the individual differences area, including that people differ in their behaviour and experience and that these differences can be understood and classified psychologically.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Freud’s case study of Little Hans, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the psychodynamic explanation offered for Hans’s phobia.
  • Describe and apply the key concepts and evidence from Baron-Cohen et al.’s Eyes Test study, including aims, procedure, findings, conclusions and the explanation of autistic spectrum characteristics through theory of mind and empathy-related differences.
  • Compare Freud with Baron-Cohen et al. in terms of explanations of individual difference, type of evidence, research methods, validity, reliability, ethics and usefulness.

About 12 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Mental health

  ≈ 1.4%2 h

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  This topic covers the concept of mental health, explanations of mental illness, key diagnostic systems, and ways of improving mental health through prevention and treatment. In OCR Applied Psychology, questions test AO1 knowledge of definitions, theories and interventions, AO2 application to scenarios, and AO3 evaluation of explanations, diagnosis and treatments.

  • Define mental health and mental illness, including historical and contemporary views of abnormality and the distinction between mental health problems and mental disorders.
  • Explain biological, cognitive and behavioural explanations of mental illness, including how each account interprets the development and maintenance of disorders.
  • Describe and compare systems used to classify mental illness, including features of diagnosis and categorisation in manuals such as the DSM and ICD.
  • Explain the characteristics, symptoms and diagnosis of selected mental disorders named in the specification, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia-related disorders.
  • Evaluate explanations of mental illness and diagnostic classification with reference to issues such as reliability, validity, culture, gender bias, stigma and labelling.
  • Explain and evaluate methods of treating and improving mental health, including drug therapy, cognitive and behavioural therapies, and prevention or mental-health-promotion strategies.

• Criminal psychology

  ≈ 1.4%2 h

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  This topic covers why criminal and antisocial behaviour occurs, how offending is explained and measured, and how psychology is used in the justice system. OCR assesses knowledge of theories and applications, application to offender or crime scenarios, and evaluation of evidence, methods and ethical implications.

  • Define criminal behaviour and antisocial behaviour and explain psychological and legal issues involved in measuring and identifying offending.
  • Explain biological, cognitive and learning explanations of criminal or antisocial behaviour, including how these accounts explain the onset and maintenance of offending.
  • Describe the role of differential association and other social explanations of criminal behaviour, including the influence of family, peers and environment.
  • Explain the use of psychological techniques in criminal investigations and the criminal justice system, including offender profiling and the collection or interpretation of evidence from witnesses or suspects.
  • Evaluate explanations of criminal behaviour with reference to supporting evidence, methodological strengths and weaknesses, reductionism, determinism and social sensitivity.

• Child psychology

  ≈ 1.3%2 h

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  This topic covers psychological development in childhood, factors affecting development, and applications to education and child care. Questions typically require accurate knowledge of developmental theories and research, application to child-based scenarios, and evaluation of explanations and interventions.

  • Describe major patterns of child development, including cognitive, social and emotional development across childhood.
  • Explain biological, learning and cognitive explanations of child development, including the role of maturation, environment and interaction with others.
  • Describe and evaluate key developmental research and theories relevant to attachment, intelligence, moral development or social learning where specified in the OCR content.
  • Explain influences on children’s behaviour and development, including family factors, schooling, peer relationships and deprivation or enrichment.
  • Apply psychological knowledge to educational and child-care contexts, including strategies for supporting learning, behaviour and wellbeing.

• Environmental psychology

  ≈ 1.3%1 h 45 min

  OCR (H567; new H569 from Sept 2027) only

  This topic covers how physical environments influence behaviour and experience, including crowding, noise, personal space and urban design. OCR examines knowledge of environmental concepts and research, application to real settings, and evaluation of methods, findings and practical implications.

  • Define environmental psychology and explain how physical surroundings can affect cognition, emotion and behaviour.
  • Explain psychological research into crowding, density and personal space, including explanations of how these variables influence stress and social behaviour.
  • Explain the effects of noise on performance, health and behaviour, including psychological explanations for why noise can be stressful or disruptive.
  • Describe and evaluate research into urban environments, design features and pro-environmental behaviour, including how settings can be planned to improve wellbeing or behaviour.
  • Apply environmental psychology to real-world contexts such as schools, workplaces, housing, transport and public spaces.

About 7 h 45 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Past to present: key psychological approaches

  ≈ 2%2 h 30 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers the main psychological approaches specified in Component 1 and how their assumptions, concepts, methods and explanations compare across the development of psychology. In the exam, learners are required to describe core features accurately, apply an approach to behaviour or evidence, and evaluate strengths, limitations and relative scientific status.

  • Explain the assumptions, key concepts and view of human behaviour of the behaviourist approach, including the role of environmental determinism, learning and conditioning.
  • Explain the assumptions, key concepts and view of human behaviour of the cognitive approach, including internal mental processes, inference and the use of models and information processing ideas.
  • Explain the assumptions, key concepts and view of human behaviour of the biological approach, including genetics, the nervous system, brain structures and neurochemistry as explanations of behaviour.
  • Explain the assumptions, key concepts and view of human behaviour of the psychodynamic approach, including the unconscious, early experience, conflict and personality structure.
  • Explain the assumptions, key concepts and view of human behaviour in positive psychology, including its focus on wellbeing, strengths and flourishing.
  • Compare and evaluate the approaches in terms of explanations of behaviour, methods of investigation, determinism and free will, nature and nurture, reductionism and holism, and usefulness in psychology as a science.

• Past to present: classic studies and historical development

  ≈ 2%2 h

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers how psychology has developed from earlier philosophical and scientific roots to modern psychology through classic studies, changing methods and changing explanations of behaviour. In the exam, learners are tested on knowledge of landmark research, the historical development it illustrates, and evaluation of methodological, ethical and conceptual change over time.

  • Outline the historical development of psychology from early philosophical inquiry to modern scientific psychology, including the emergence of schools of thought and changing views of evidence and explanation.
  • Describe and interpret the classic studies named in the specification, including their aims, procedures, findings and conclusions, using accurate psychological terminology.
  • Explain how classic studies illustrate the development of psychological ideas over time, including shifts from introspective and case-study traditions to experimental, cognitive, biological and positive approaches.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Responding to people: social and cognitive processes

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers how psychology explains responses to other people and to incoming information using social and cognitive processes. In the exam, learners are typically asked to explain key concepts and evidence, apply them to scenarios, and evaluate how convincingly social and cognitive accounts explain behaviour.

  • Explain social processes involved in responding to other people, using appropriate psychological terminology and supporting research evidence.
  • Explain cognitive processes involved in attending to, interpreting, storing and retrieving information, using appropriate psychological terminology and supporting research evidence.
  • Apply social and cognitive explanations to novel contexts, examples and source material about human behaviour.
  • Interpret findings from studies of social and cognitive processes, including what the results suggest about explanations of behaviour.
  • Evaluate social and cognitive explanations and the evidence for them, considering strengths, limitations, methodology and real-world usefulness.
  • Compare social and cognitive accounts of behaviour, identifying similarities, differences and points of interaction where appropriate.

• Responding to people: biological, developmental and individual-differences explanations

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers biological, developmental and individual-differences explanations of how people respond, behave and vary from one another. In the exam, learners are tested through short responses and essays that require accurate knowledge, application to contexts, interpretation of evidence and evaluative comparison of explanations.

  • Explain biological explanations of behaviour and response, including the role of inherited, neural and physiological factors, using appropriate psychological terminology and evidence.
  • Explain developmental explanations of behaviour and response, including how behaviour changes through maturation, experience and early relationships, using appropriate psychological terminology and evidence.
  • Explain individual-differences explanations of behaviour and response, including why people vary from one another, using appropriate psychological terminology and evidence.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Implications in the real world: applied psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers the specification-listed areas of applied psychology in Component 3, focusing on how psychological theories, concepts and research are used to explain behaviour and experience in real-world contexts. In the exam, learners are tested through short answers and essays that require accurate knowledge, application to scenarios and comparison of explanations from different approaches.

  • Explain the specification-listed real-world applications of psychology using appropriate concepts, theories and evidence.
  • Apply psychological knowledge to novel real-life scenarios, identifying how behaviour or experience can be understood through the relevant explanation.
  • Compare psychological explanations of applied issues in terms of assumptions, mechanisms and usefulness in practice.
  • Interpret the role of biological, cognitive, learning, social and individual-differences factors where these are relevant to the specified applied content.
  • Use evidence from classic and contemporary research to support explanations of the applied topic areas named in the specification.
  • Evaluate applied psychological explanations with reference to strengths, limitations and practical implications.

• Implications in the real world: evidence, interventions and evaluation

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic focuses on the evidence base behind applied psychology, including how interventions are developed, assessed and judged in real-world settings. Exam questions typically require learners to use research evidence, evaluate effectiveness, discuss practical and ethical issues, and make justified conclusions about interventions or policy implications.

  • Describe the specification-listed interventions, treatments or strategies linked to the applied topic areas.
  • Explain how psychological evidence is used to design, justify and implement interventions in real-world contexts.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions using empirical evidence, including methodological quality, validity and reliability of supporting research.
  • Assess the practical, ethical and social implications of psychological interventions for individuals, groups and wider society.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Controversies in psychology: major debates

  ≈ 2%2 h

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic covers the major conceptual debates that run through psychology, including competing ways of explaining behaviour and evaluating psychological knowledge. In the exam, learners are typically required to explain each side of a debate, apply it to psychological material from elsewhere in the specification, and make reasoned evaluative judgements.

  • Explain the terms and implications of the major debates in psychology, including nature-nurture, free will-determinism, reductionism-holism, idiographic-nomothetic approaches, and person-situation explanations of behaviour.
  • Apply each debate to theories, explanations, studies and treatments drawn from core and applied psychology in the specification.
  • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each side of a debate, including implications for explanation, prediction, control and practical usefulness.
  • Compare contrasting positions within a debate and judge the extent to which they can be integrated rather than treated as simple opposites.
  • Interpret psychological evidence in relation to a debate and use that evidence to support a balanced conclusion.
  • Construct synoptic essay arguments about controversies, using accurate psychological terminology and relevant examples from different topic areas.

• Controversies in psychology: ethics and social implications

  ≈ 2%1 h 45 min

  WJEC Eduqas onlyWJEC (Wales) only

  This topic focuses on ethical issues in psychological research and practice, and on the social implications of psychological claims, methods and interventions. The exam tests learners on explaining ethical principles, evaluating socially sensitive psychology, and judging the wider impact of psychological knowledge on individuals, groups and society.

  • Explain key ethical issues in psychology, including informed consent, deception, protection from harm, confidentiality, privacy, withdrawal and debriefing, in relation to research and professional practice.
  • Apply ethical principles to psychological studies, investigations and interventions, and judge whether procedures can be justified.
  • Evaluate the social implications of psychological explanations and applications, including effects on public policy, education, mental health, criminal justice and everyday social behaviour.
  • Assess socially sensitive research and theory, including the risk of stigma, labelling, discrimination, social control and misuse of findings.

About 3 h 45 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Core approaches: biological, cognitive, learning and social

  ≈ 2.5%2 h 30 min

  Cambridge International only

  This topic covers the four named core approaches in Cambridge International Psychology 9990: biological, cognitive, learning and social. In Paper 1, candidates are tested on the assumptions, key concepts, explanations of behaviour, strengths and limitations, and the ability to use approach-based evidence to interpret psychological material.

  • Explain the assumptions and key features of the biological approach, including the role of genes, neurochemistry, brain structure and function, hormones, and evolution in explaining behaviour.
  • Explain the assumptions and key features of the cognitive approach, including internal mental processes, information processing, inference, schemas, and the use of cognitive neuroscience in understanding behaviour.
  • Explain the assumptions and key features of the learning approach, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and social learning.
  • Explain the assumptions and key features of the social approach, including the influence of actual, imagined and implied presence of others, social context, social cognition, and interaction between the individual and the social environment.
  • Apply each core approach to explain psychological behaviour, findings or scenarios using appropriate specialist terminology and relevant supporting evidence.
  • Evaluate each core approach by assessing the methods it typically uses, the strengths and limitations of its explanations, and comparisons between approaches.

• Issues and debates in psychology

  ≈ 1.5%2 h

  Cambridge International only

  This topic covers the major conceptual issues and debates that run across psychological research and explanation in the Cambridge International course. In Paper 1, candidates are tested on their ability to define each debate, use evidence from studies and approaches, compare positions, and construct balanced evaluation.

  • Explain the nature-nurture debate and assess the extent to which behaviour can be explained by inherited characteristics or environmental influences.
  • Explain the individual-situational debate and assess whether behaviour is better explained by personal characteristics or by features of the situation.
  • Explain the free will-determinism debate and assess whether behaviour is under conscious personal control or determined by internal and external factors.
  • Explain the usefulness of psychological research and assess practical applications to everyday life, society and real-world problems.
  • Explain reductionism and holism and assess whether behaviour is better understood by breaking it into constituent parts or by considering the whole person or system.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Research methods: designs, sampling and ethics

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  Cambridge International only

  This topic covers how psychological investigations are planned and conducted, including experimental and non-experimental designs, sampling techniques, controls, variables, data collection and ethical considerations. In the exam, learners are tested through questions that require them to identify, describe, justify and apply appropriate research methods to unfamiliar psychological scenarios.

  • Distinguish between experiments and non-experiments, including laboratory, field and natural experiments, and explain the features, uses, strengths and limitations of each.
  • Identify and apply research designs, including independent measures, repeated measures and matched pairs, and explain the problem of participant variables, order effects and relevant controls.
  • Define and operationalise independent, dependent and control variables, and explain standardisation, randomisation, counterbalancing and other procedures used to improve control.
  • Describe and select sampling techniques, including random, opportunity and volunteer sampling, and evaluate each in terms of bias, representativeness and practicality.
  • Explain and apply common data collection methods used in psychology, including self-report techniques, observations and correlational approaches, with reference to the type of data obtained and the practical demands of each method.
  • Assess ethical issues in psychological research, including informed consent, deception, protection of participants, confidentiality, right to withdraw and debriefing, and justify ways of dealing with ethical problems in the design of investigations.

• Research methods: analysis, interpretation and evaluation

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  Cambridge International only

  This topic covers how psychological data are presented, summarised, interpreted and evaluated, together with how conclusions are drawn from evidence and how investigations are judged for quality. In the exam, learners are tested through calculations, interpretation of tables or results, evaluation of evidence and recommendations for improving validity, reliability and generalisability.

  • Identify and classify qualitative and quantitative data, and distinguish between primary and secondary data in psychological investigations.
  • Construct, read and interpret tables, graphs and charts commonly used in psychology, and select appropriate ways to present data for different research aims and data types.
  • Calculate and interpret descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion, using the official terminology accurately.
  • Interpret patterns, trends and relationships in data, including the meaning of positive and negative correlations, and explain what can and cannot be concluded from correlational evidence.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Specialist option: Abnormality

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Cambridge International only

  This option covers psychological explanations, characteristics and treatments of key disorders within abnormality, together with classic and contemporary evidence. In Cambridge International papers 3 and 4, candidates are tested on knowledge of theories and studies, evaluation of explanations and therapies, and application of abnormality psychology to novel scenarios or interventions.

  • Describe and distinguish concepts of abnormality, including defining and classifying abnormal behaviour and the use of diagnostic systems.
  • Explain the characteristics, explanations and evidence for anxiety-related disorders, including phobias and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, using biological, cognitive and learning approaches where relevant.
  • Explain the characteristics, explanations and evidence for mood disorders, including depression, and for schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.
  • Evaluate psychological and biological explanations of abnormality using evidence, methodology, usefulness, reductionism, determinism, individual and situational factors, and cultural validity.
  • Describe and assess treatments and management of disorders, including biological treatments and psychological therapies such as behaviour therapies and cognitive-behavioural approaches.
  • Apply knowledge of abnormality to unfamiliar case material, including identifying symptoms, suggesting appropriate explanations or treatments, and justifying practical interventions or research-based recommendations.

• Specialist option: Consumer behaviour

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Cambridge International only

  This option covers how psychological principles explain consumer decision-making, advertising, branding, retail environments and the influence of social and cognitive factors on buying behaviour. Cambridge assesses both theoretical understanding and the application of consumer psychology to marketing contexts, campaigns, shop design and research problems.

  • Explain psychological influences on consumer choice, including perception, attention, learning, memory, motivation, emotion and attitudes in consumer contexts.
  • Describe and evaluate theories and evidence about advertising effectiveness, persuasion and the communication of marketing messages.
  • Explain the role of branding, packaging and product design in shaping consumer expectations, preferences and purchasing behaviour.
  • Describe and assess the effects of retail and service environments, including store layout, atmospherics and point-of-sale factors, on consumer behaviour.
  • Evaluate consumer research evidence and methods in terms of validity, reliability, ethics, practical usefulness and the extent to which findings generalise across contexts and cultures.

• Specialist option: Health psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Cambridge International only

  This option covers psychological factors in health, illness and healthcare, including beliefs about illness, health-related behaviour, pain, stress and adherence to medical advice. In papers 3 and 4, candidates must explain and evaluate models and evidence, then apply health psychology to prevention, intervention and patient-care scenarios.

  • Explain psychological models of health, illness and patient behaviour, including how beliefs and cognitions influence health-related decisions.
  • Describe and evaluate theories and evidence about the causes, experience and management of pain, stress and illness behaviour.
  • Explain factors affecting adherence or non-adherence to medical advice and treatment, including patient, practitioner and situational influences.
  • Describe and assess methods of promoting health and preventing illness, including behaviour-change interventions, education and community or media campaigns.
  • Evaluate health psychology research and interventions using evidence, methodological strengths and weaknesses, ethics, practicality, and cultural or situational validity.

• Specialist option: Organisations

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Cambridge International only

  This option covers psychological explanations of behaviour in the workplace, including motivation, leadership, group processes, organisational culture and performance. Cambridge tests both theoretical knowledge and the application of organisational psychology to management, employee wellbeing, selection, productivity and workplace change.

  • Explain theories of work motivation and job satisfaction and relate them to performance, commitment and employee wellbeing.
  • Describe and evaluate leadership and management theories, including styles and situational explanations of effective leadership.
  • Explain group behaviour in organisations, including communication, decision-making, conflict, cooperation and team performance.
  • Describe and assess organisational structure and culture and their effects on behaviour, change, productivity and satisfaction at work.
  • Evaluate organisational psychology research and evidence in terms of methods, validity, reliability, ethics, practical usefulness and generalisability across workplaces and cultures.

About 8 h of study, lessons and core practice

• Social psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  This topic covers core social influence and intergroup processes in social psychology, especially obedience and prejudice/discrimination, using classic evidence and competing explanations. In the exam, students are required to describe theories and studies accurately, evaluate them, and apply social-psychological ideas to novel scenarios and source material.

  • Define social psychology and explain how the behaviour of individuals is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other people.
  • Explain obedience as a form of social influence, including situational explanations and theoretical accounts used to interpret obedience research.
  • Describe and evaluate classic and contemporary evidence on obedience, including procedures, findings, conclusions, strengths, limitations and ethical issues.
  • Explain prejudice and discrimination using psychological explanations of intergroup behaviour, including how stereotypes, competition and group processes can produce biased attitudes and behaviour.
  • Apply theories and evidence from obedience and prejudice research to unfamiliar social situations, source extracts and exam scenarios.
  • Evaluate social-psychological explanations and studies using methodological concepts such as validity, reliability, sampling, controls, ethics and social sensitivity.

• Cognitive psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  This topic covers how cognitive psychologists explain memory, remembering and forgetting, with emphasis on models of memory and research evidence about memory processes. In the exam, students must explain and compare models, use evidence from studies, interpret findings, and apply cognitive theory to everyday memory situations.

  • Describe and compare models of memory, including the structure and processes proposed in the multi-store model and the working memory model.
  • Explain encoding, storage and retrieval as key memory processes and use them to interpret findings from cognitive research.
  • Describe and evaluate psychological explanations of forgetting, including competing accounts of why information cannot be recalled accurately.
  • Explain reconstructive memory and how post-event information or other cognitive factors can affect the accuracy of recall.
  • Apply cognitive theories and research findings to unfamiliar examples of remembering, forgetting and eyewitness or everyday memory situations.

About 4 h of study, lessons and core practice

• Biological psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  This topic covers the biological explanations of behaviour, including the nervous system, the brain, hormones, genes and evolutionary ideas. In the exam, learners are tested on accurate knowledge of biological structures and processes, the ability to apply them to behaviour, and evaluation of biological explanations and evidence.

  • Describe the structure and function of neurons, synaptic transmission, and the role of neurotransmitters in explaining behaviour.
  • Explain the organisation and function of the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system, including how biological systems coordinate responses.
  • Identify major brain structures and explain localisation of function in relation to cognition, emotion and behaviour.
  • Explain how hormones and the endocrine system influence behaviour, including interaction with the nervous system.
  • Interpret the role of genetic inheritance and evolutionary processes in shaping behaviour, using the terms genotype, phenotype, natural selection and adaptation appropriately.
  • Evaluate biological explanations and evidence by considering strengths, limitations, methodology and the nature--nurture implications of a biological account.

• Learning theories and developmental psychology

  ≈ 2%2 h 15 min

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  This topic covers behaviourist and social learning explanations of behaviour together with key ideas in developmental psychology about how children change over time. The exam tests knowledge of conditioning and observational learning, understanding of developmental processes, and the ability to compare, apply and evaluate theories and research.

  • Explain classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning theory using the correct concepts, including reinforcement, punishment, imitation, modelling and identification.
  • Apply learning theories to the development of behaviour in childhood and to everyday examples of acquisition, maintenance and change in behaviour.
  • Describe key features of cognitive and developmental change in childhood, including how children think differently at different stages of development where required by the specification.
  • Explain how developmental psychology accounts for changes in social, moral or cognitive behaviour across childhood and adolescence.

About 4 h 15 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Applications of psychology

  ≈ 4%2 h 30 min

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  This topic covers the compulsory applied content for Pearson Edexcel International A Level Unit 3, requiring students to use psychological theories, concepts, studies and debates in real-world contexts. In the exam, students are tested through short answers and extended essays that assess knowledge, evaluation and application to unfamiliar scenarios drawn from the prescribed applied areas.

  • Explain and apply psychological theories, concepts and evidence from the prescribed applied areas in Unit 3, using accurate specialist terminology.
  • Describe and evaluate classic and contemporary studies relevant to the Unit 3 applications, including their aims, procedures, findings, conclusions, methodological strengths and limitations.
  • Compare psychological explanations within and across the applied areas, making reasoned judgements about the usefulness, validity and scientific status of different approaches.
  • Apply knowledge of research findings to practical problems, scenarios and interventions in the Unit 3 applied contexts.
  • Interpret how nature-nurture, individual-situational and other key psychological issues shape explanations and applications in Unit 3.
  • Construct coherent extended responses that integrate knowledge, application and evaluation in relation to the prescribed Unit 3 applications.

About 2 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Clinical psychology

  ≈ 2.5%2 h

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  Clinical psychology covers how mental disorder is defined, classified, explained and treated, with students expected to use specialist terminology accurately and evaluate competing explanations and therapies in extended responses. In the exam, this topic is tested through knowledge, application to symptoms or case material, and evaluation of diagnosis, classification and treatment.

  • Define and distinguish key concepts in clinical psychology, including mental disorder, abnormality, deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.
  • Describe and compare classification and diagnostic systems used in clinical psychology, including the purpose of diagnostic classification and issues of reliability and validity in diagnosis.
  • Identify and interpret the characteristics, symptoms and diagnostic features of the disorder or disorders specified in the Pearson Edexcel International A Level clinical psychology content.
  • Explain biological and psychological explanations for the disorder or disorders specified in the clinical psychology content, using appropriate concepts, mechanisms and evidence.
  • Evaluate biological and psychological treatments or therapies for the disorder or disorders specified, including consideration of effectiveness, appropriateness, ethics, patient factors and methodological strengths and weaknesses of supporting evidence.
  • Apply clinical psychology knowledge to stimulus material, case studies and exam scenarios to justify diagnosis, explanation or treatment choices using evidence-based reasoning.

• Psychological skills

  ≈ 2.5%2 h 30 min

  Pearson Edexcel International A Level only

  Psychological skills is the synoptic methods-and-analysis topic for Unit 4, requiring students to integrate content from across the course with research methods, statistics, data handling and issue-based evaluation. The exam tests this through design questions, data-response items, interpretation of evidence and extended evaluative writing.

  • Apply psychological theories, concepts and evidence from across Units 1 to 4 to unfamiliar contexts, source material and synoptic issues.
  • Plan and evaluate psychological investigations by identifying aims, hypotheses, variables, operationalisation, controls, experimental design, sampling, procedures and ethical considerations.
  • Select, justify and critique appropriate research methods, techniques and materials for quantitative and qualitative investigations, including strengths, limitations and practical implications.
  • Present, interpret and evaluate quantitative and qualitative data using tables, graphs and summary measures, and draw justified conclusions from patterns, trends and anomalies.

About 4 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice