GCSE Psychology

About this GCSE Psychology Course

Throughout this GCSE Psychology course students will become acquainted with a variety of different units including social, criminal and developmental psychology. This course is perfect for anyone looking to achieve a GCSE in Psychology to enhance their knowledge of a complex and interesting subject and gain an internationally recognised qualification.

Study Time:	120 hours
Enrolment length:	12 months
Course Format:	Online
Entry Requirements:	None Specific

To get the full Edexcel GCSE, students must enter themselves as a private candidate for the exam. You can learn all about this process by visiting our GCSE exam guide page.

Qualification

The Edexcel GCSE Psychology qualification is available both in the UK and internationally and is seen as a global standard for knowledge in business. The course is accredited with Edexcel, an industry leader with decades of expertise in academic qualifications. For more information regarding Edexcel, click on the Edexcel tab further up this page.

Course Content

Included in this GCSE Psychology course are the following units:

Topic 1: Development

In this first unit of the course you will look at the development of the brain and how children think at different stages in their development.  

You will then go on to explore, in detail, a variety of theorists and focus on the work of each, looking closely at their strengths and weaknesses. 

Finally, you will look at morality issues in psychology differentiating between ‘morality’ and ‘morals’ before researching moral dilemmas.

Topic 2: Memory

In this unit you will explore the definition of the term ‘memory’ covering the key concepts of input, encoding, storage, retrieval and output, looking at each of these concepts in detail before analysing how the memory processes information. 

You will then look in depth at short-term memory and long-term memory before moving on to learn about amnesia and the two forms of memory loss associated with this term.

Topic 3: Psychological problems

In this unit you will look closely at different mental health problems and explore some of the symptoms sufferers experience such as disturbed sleep, poor concentration and lack of an appetite. 

You will then move on to explore addiction and how addiction is often associated with mental health problems.   

Finally, you will research the influence of genes on depression and addiction, exploring cognitive and social learning theories before moving on to look at the different treatments available.

Topic 4: The brain and neuropsychology

In this unit you will begin by looking at the structure and function of the brain, learning about the functions of the temporal lobes. 

You will explore the central nervous system and learn about the impact of neurological damage on behaviour.

Topic 5: Social influence

In this unit you will look closely at the four key areas of social influence, obedience, conformity, deindividuation and the bystander effect, and try to understand why people are heavily influenced by the actions or instructions of others. 

Topic 6: Criminal psychology

In this unit you will explore the different learning theories that are applied in psychology.  

You will look in depth at criminal behaviour, taking into account positive and negative reinforcement and punishment before moving on to personality traits and measurements. 

Topic 7: The self

In this unit you will explore concepts of self and self-concept looking at what having a sense of worth and identity means to us as individuals. 

You will research the internal and external factors on the self and self-esteem taking into account negative emotions, temperament, experiences and comparison with others, before looking at how personality can be measured. 

Finally, you will take into account alternative theories of measuring personality such as traits. 

Topic 8: Perception

Most people can make sense of what they see automatically through perception that, can be argued, is based on two major factors, visual cues and visual constancies. However, sometimes the eye plays tricks on the brain, and in this unit you will look at visual distortions and illusions that result in a person’s inability to perceive something accurately. 

You will then research Gibson’s theory of perception before moving on to explore the four main influences on a person’s perceptual set: motivation, expectation, emotion and culture.

Topic 9: Sleep and dreaming

In this unit you will look at the stages of sleep and what occurs during each before researching the internal and external influences on sleep. 

You will research sleep disorders and the effects that these have on the body’s natural functions before looking at Sigmund Freud’s theory on the unconscious mind.

Topic 10: Language, thought and communication

In this unit you will look closely at the relationship between language and thinking, taking into account research carried out by Piaget and Vygotsky. You will be encouraged to compare and contrast each of the theorists in terms of their views on the relationship between language and thought. 

You will then move on to consider how thought and language structures affect our own views of the world and research the different forms of communication in humans and animals. 

Finally, you will explore forms of non-verbal communication including facial expressions and body language.

Topic 11: Research methods

In this unit you will explore the different methods of carrying out research. 

You will look closely at the different methods of sampling, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each before moving on to gain an insight into the reliability and validity of research outcomes. 

You will learn about the ethical issues that should be considered when carrying out research and understand the importance of gaining participants’ consent. 

Online study and instant enrolment

All of our students are given access to our Online Campus through their own personal login and password. As soon as you complete your enrolment, you would have immediate access to your account which allows you to make a start working through the lessons. Tackle your assignments as your own pace and contact your tutor to access any help and support you need. The course itself is set out in a very simple layout, making it easy to work through the topics and complete your assessments.

Our Online Campus includes:

• Instant enrolment – access everything on your course from the moment you enrol.
• Personal account logins – login any time, 24/7.
• Full support throughout – message your tutor, use our online chat or give us a call.
• Online assignment submissions – upload work online from the comfort of home.
• Self-led learning – study at your own pace so you can pass much faster.
• Safe e-portfolio system – store all of your work in your account.
• Progression tracking – easily see what assignments you have left to complete.
• Details help centre – get instructions and guidance every step of the way.
• Unlimited attempts – submit as many attempts at your assignments as you need.

Unlimited assessment submissions

All of the assessments for this course are completed through our Online Campus. You can attempt each one as many times as needed to ensure you pass. After every attempt, your tutor will provide detailed feedback and tips on how you can improve going forward. Quickly see your progress during your studies by checking your progress bar and seeing the remaining assessments you need to complete.

On this Psychology GCSE course you are required to enter yourself for the Edexcel examinations. This means that you will need to contact an Edexcel centre local to you in order to sit your exam and pay any fees that are required for this. Exam fees can vary between centres but are much cheaper when organised early so we advise to book your exams long before the actual examination date.

Get full tutor support

Throughout your enrolment with the Online Learning College, you can access support at any time you need. All students are assigned a personal tutor who will mark all of your work and provide detailed feedback after every submission. Your tutor will be an industry expert with a full knowledge of the course content and will be able to help you at any point along your learning journey. One of the best tools at your disposal is your tutor – you can ask as many questions of them as you wish to and they will be happy to help at any time.

We also have a brilliant support team on hand and available through email, online chat and over the phone. This team is there to help with any questions which are more generic, such as providing support in submitting work through your account or getting your certificate when you have completed your course. We pride ourselves on ensuring the support you receive is the best in the business – help and guidance is fast and detailed every time you contact a member of the team.

Assessments

On this GCSE Psychology course you are required to enter yourself for the Edexcel examinations. This means that you will need to contact an Edexcel centre local to you in order to sit your exam and pay any fees that are required for this. Exam fees can vary between centres but are much cheaper when organised early so we advise to book your exams long before the actual examination date.

Enrolment Length

All of our courses are allocated plenty of time for students to complete their studies and all materials are self-led so that you can complete the course at your own pace, but you have access to the course on the Campus for 12 months from your enrollment date. Should you require additional time on one of our courses you can extend your enrolment by 30 days for an additional fee of £60. As well as this we operate a 14 day money back guarantee on every one of our qualifications- that’s how confident we are of how you will love studying with us!