United Kingdom · National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Year 13 Psychology.
This Year 13 Psychology curriculum builds upon foundational concepts to explore complex human behaviours and psychological disorders. Students will critically evaluate major psychological debates, delve into biopsychology, and apply theoretical frameworks to real-world scenarios such as forensic psychology and mental health.
01Issues and Debates in Psychology
Students will critically examine the overarching issues and debates that run through all psychological research and theory. This unit encourages high-level evaluative thinking regarding bias, determinism, and reductionism.
Students examine alpha and beta bias in psychological research. They will also evaluate ethnocentrism and the importance of cultural relativism.
This topic explores the extent to which human behaviour is self-determined or driven by internal and external forces. Students will evaluate hard and soft determinism across different psychological approaches.
Students investigate the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour. The interactionist approach is highlighted as a modern synthesis of this classic debate.
02Biopsychology
An in-depth look at the biological structures and processes that underpin human behaviour. Students will study brain localisation, neuroplasticity, and the biological rhythms that govern our daily lives.
Students map the motor, somatosensory, visual, and auditory centres of the brain. They also study Broca's and Wernicke's areas and the effects of specific brain damage.
This topic covers the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience and new learning. Students explore how the brain recovers and rewires itself after trauma.
Students evaluate various scanning techniques used to investigate brain activity. This includes functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), and post-mortem examinations.
An exploration of circadian, infradian, and ultradian rhythms. Students will examine the crucial roles of endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers in regulating these cycles.
03Schizophrenia
This unit focuses on the clinical characteristics, biological and psychological explanations, and treatments for schizophrenia. Students will critically assess the reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnoses.
Students learn about the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. They will critically evaluate the reliability and validity of diagnosis using the DSM-5 and ICD-10 classification systems.
This topic examines the genetic basis, dopamine hypothesis, and neural correlates of schizophrenia. Students will also evaluate the effectiveness and side effects of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs.
Students explore family dysfunction and cognitive explanations for schizophrenia. They will assess the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), family therapy, and token economies in managing the condition.
04Forensic Psychology
Students will apply psychological theories to the understanding of criminal behaviour and the justice system. The unit covers offender profiling, explanations of offending, and methods for dealing with offenders.
Students compare the top-down approach used by the FBI with the British bottom-up approach to offender profiling. They will evaluate the effectiveness of investigative psychology and geographical profiling.
This topic investigates historical and modern biological theories of crime, including atavistic form, genetics, and neural explanations. Students will debate the ethical implications of biological determinism in the legal system.
Students examine Eysenck's theory of the criminal personality, cognitive distortions, and differential association theory. They will also look at psychodynamic explanations such as the inadequate superego.
An evaluation of the aims of custodial sentencing and its psychological effects on inmates. Students will also explore behaviour modification, anger management, and restorative justice programmes as alternatives or supplements to prison.