Advanced Psychology Level 4

The first unit introduces you to the philosophical beginnings and foundations of new thinking in psychology. You’ll look at modern personality types, the four humours, types of memory, personal responsibility, and psychologists such as William James and Carl Jung.

In this unit, you’ll uncover the roots of bio-psychology: the nature and nurture approach. You’ll also consider schools of thought on intelligence, with particular focus on theorists Binet and Thorndike.

In this unit, you’ll learn about Attachment Theory in detail, including the four styles of attachment, behaviours associated with avoidance attachment in children, as well as the work of Mary Ainsworth.

In this unit, you’ll gain insight into various theories, including the Cooley’s looking glass self, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Freud’s view on self-esteem, and Carl Rogers’ fully-functioning person model.

In this unit, you’ll acquire knowledge of varying types of human development, including factors influencing early cognitive development,  child development, neurological and brain development, holistic development, and theoretical perspectives in relation to development.

In this unit, you’ll explore the person-centred approach developed by Carl Rogers, with insight into psychotherapy and unconditional acceptance, changing approaches to mental health treatments, the value of self, existentialism, and theorist Alfred Adler.

In this unit, you’ll become familiar with Social Learning Theory developed by Albert Bandura, with insight into developmental psychology, behaviourism, the discipline dilemma for schools, reinforcement, and unethical means of investigating children’s learning.

In this unit, you’ll gain awareness of B.F. Skinner’s incremental learning programme and Pigeon Project. You’ll also learn about classical conditioning, Watson’s ‘Little Albert’ experiments, and radical behaviourism in child-rearing.

In this unit, you’ll examine the Memory Studies Approach, with particular focus on German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus and his memory experiments, forgetting curve, hypothesis, and his best methods for increasing strength and memory.

In this unit, you’ll continue to cover the Memory Studies Approach, with particular emphasis on semantic and episodic memory, and Daniel Schacter’s Seven Sins of Memory.

In this unit, you’ll develop knowledge of Jerome Bruner and his theories, with particular insight into his Processes in Education, Spiral Curriculum, MACOS project involvement, and The Culture of Education.

In this unit, you’ll acknowledge the effects of latent learning in relation to the principles of Gestalt psychology, Tolman’s Maze and cognitive map concept, as well as metal states as a result of behaviour.

In this unit, you’ll study various applications of Cognitive Behaviour Theory, including information on conditioned responses, unlearning a response, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour rituals. With insight into Ivan Pavlov, Paul Salkovskis and panic disorders.

This unit explores the concepts of mind/body dualism, subconscious trauma and stream of consciousness. You’ll also contemplate the early beginnings of hypnosis, conflicts that exist in the unconscious, psychic tension, and Freud’s emphasis on childhood development and personal history.

In this unit, you’ll consider Freud’s model of the psyche, regarding the id, ego and super-ego. You’ll also look at the concepts of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ – everything that lies beyond the boundaries of ourselves. Of the latter, you’ll consider it in terms of language and in psychoanalysis. With insight into French psychiatrist Jacques Lacan.

In this final unit, you’ll examine the work of Solomon Asch, including insight into Asch’s paradigm, as well as his studies on conformity and obedience.