Psychology

Introduction

Psychology is the study of how humans think and behave. Psychologists try to understand more about how mind and why we act the way we do. There are lots of different areas within Psychology, such as Forensic Psychology (the study of criminals), Biopsychology (the study of the brain) and Clinical Psychology (the study of mental health). It helps us understand people better, which can be useful for all future careers that involve working with others.

Staff

Ms. Z. Ramage, Psychology & Business

Curriculum

Broad General Education

In the Broad General Education (S1 and S2) you will learn about the importance of research in Psychology and start to develop your research skills, such as evaluating different experimental methods and deciding if research is ethical or not.

You will start to develop your understanding of how Psychologists research human behaviour by exploring topics including Phobias and Non-Verbal Communication. This will help you understand potential causes of human behaviour, such as genetics, social learning theory and classical conditioning.

Senior Phase

In S3 and S4, you can choose to study Psychology as a National 5 (there is no National 4 in this subject). You will study Psychology under different topics including:

  • Phobias
  • Sleep and Dreams
  • Conformity
  • Non-Verbal Communication

You will develop communication skills and will learn how to apply your knowledge to real life situations.

At Higher level, the topics covered are:

  • Depression
  • Sleep and Dreams
  • Conformity and Obedience
  • Research Methods

Your research skills will become more refined as your carry out your own research project. You will develop the ability to analyse, synthesising different theories and to come to a conclusion around someone’s behaviour.  

Learning Experiences

  • Pupils will be engaged through creative and dynamic teaching methods.
  • Pupils will be given opportunities to work collaboratively and learn from each other.
  • Pupils will be provided with resources on Google Classroom to support at home consolidation.
  • Notes and retrieval quiz booklets will be provided for all topics.
  • Pupils will be supported by their class teacher and will have various opportunities to attend supported study throughout the year.

Life and Work

Studying Psychology will enhance your clinical reasoning (ability to analyse evidence and make an informed recommendation as a result). Furthermore, you will develop your communication (via essay writing and report writing), empathy (the ability to discern and recognise the emotions of others), problem solving (by making you consider new strategies and look at problems from different angles) and project management skills (through experience of planning and undertaking research).

Studying Psychology allows you to develop a wide range of skills and better understand human behaviour. This is essential for any future career where you will work directly with others, such as the Police, Entrepreneurs, Nursing, Social Work, HR, Teaching, Researcher, Sports Coaching or Acting. People may also go on to studying a Psychology Degree and choose to specialise via Masters in a particular area of Psychology, such as Counselling, Educational Psychology or Sports and Exercise Psychology.

Resources

The best resources for National 5 and Higher Psychology are provided by your teacher, who has developed a full set of notes, summary sheets, retrieval practice quizzes and tutorial tasks. These will be provided to you both in class and on Google Classroom. You will also be provided with a set of websites to explore further research beyond the course content.

SQA Past Papers can be found here – https://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/findpastpaper.htm