12 Psychology (12PSY)
Course Description
Teacher in Charge: Nadene Brouwer, Tabitha McGee.
12 Psychology
Dive into the fascinating world of psychology! In this course, you'll explore various psychological methods and perspectives to uncover the mysteries of human behavior.
- Delve into the foundational beliefs of different psychological approaches.
- Engage in discussions on major psychological debates that shape our understanding of the mind.
- Learn how to perform psychological research with guidance, from forming hypotheses to analyzing data.
- Investigate prominent theories within various fields of psychology, such as cognitive, social, and developmental psychology.
- Examine ethical issues, ensuring a deep understanding of rights and responsibilities in both local and national contexts.
This course is perfect for curious minds eager to learn why people behave the way they do and who want to develop skills that are highly valued in many fields.
Course Overview
Term 1
AS91847 (5 credits)
Examine how theory is used in fields of psychological practice
Through examining different Fields of psychology such as Education, Abnormal & Forensics you will develop an understanding of what psychologists do, understand theories, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of these theories in the real world.
Contexts that may be explored include aggression, the origin of crime, rehabilitation of prisoners, mental health (phobias, anxiety and OCD)
Term 2
Two
AS91844 (6 credits)
Examine different psychological approaches used to explain a behaviour
Through examining the context of “Love” you will have the opportunity to explore how human behaviour can be viewed through different lenses, called psychological approaches. You will explore three of these and examine the strengths and weaknesses of each of these approaches.
Contexts that may be explored include relationships, love, attachment, brain structure, AI, parasocial relationships, hormones, nature vs nurture, trauma.
Extension Opportunity:
AS91846 Debate (3 credits)
Examine how a psychological debate has changed over time
Explore what contributes more towards the love of an infant to their caregiver – nature or nurture?
Term 3
Conduct psychological research with guidance.
Through exploring the context of cognition, you will have the opportunity to learn how to plan and then execute a piece of psychological research with support.
Subtopics may include selective attention, brain structure, experiments, exploring research, cell phones, emotions, neurodiversity, car crashes, attachment, learning.
Extension Opportunity:
AS91848 Ethics (3 credits)
Examine ethical issues in psychological practice
The big, the bad and the ugly!
Examine ethical issues associated with research, and how famous studies would need to be adapted to meet modern New Zealand code of ethics.
Term 4
Term 4 is dedicated towards providing reassessment opportunities for students, and allowing students the opportunity to explore areas of psychology of personal interest to them.
There is no exam for Psychology at Level Two.
Recommended Prior Learning
Entry Requirements
Evidence of achievement at Level 1 Science, Maths or English, good writing skills as there is a substantial reading component to this course
Assessment Information
Possible CreditsExternal - 0 credits
Internal - 21 credits
Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
External
NZQA Info
Psychology 2.1 - Examine different psychological approaches used to explain a behaviour
NZQA Info
Psychology 2.2 - Examine how a psychological debate has changed over time
NZQA Info
Psychology 2.3 - Conduct psychological research with guidance
NZQA Info
Psychology 2.4 - Examine how theory is used in fields of psychological practice
NZQA Info
Psychology 2.5 - Examine ethical issues in psychological practice