Tauranga Boys’ College

11 Psychology

Course Description

Teacher in Charge: Phillip Adams.

Prerequisites

Open Entry

An introduction to Psychology. Psychology is the study of the brain and behaviour. Key issues faced by psychologists will be looked at. These include depression; community mental health; and what makes great athletes. Some debates that will be explored include: nature vs nurture, and what makes athletes and criminals.

It will also cover famous Psychology experiments. It also looks at health Psychology and sports psychology.

Course Overview

Term 1
The various approaches used to explain behaviour.
Questions looked at will include:
Why do you automatically put your set belt on when entering a car?
Why does a simple noise like a bell ringing make you get up out of your seat and go to your next class?
Is there a part of the brain that controls violence or addiction?
What are some causes of depression? How is this treated?

Term 2
Are humans and animals the product of nature or nurture?
Are some sports people destined to be great?

Famous experiments in Psychology
Milgram 's experiment and the Robber's cave

Term 3
Sports Psychology.
Why does every elite sports team in the world employ a Sports psychologist?
What is the “top two inches” elite sportsman and coaches speak of?

Heath Psychology
How can you tell if some really is healthy? How can we encourage people to make wise choices about diet, exercise, and alcohol?

Term 4
Criminal Psychology topic.
Preparation for examination.
Examination.

Learning Areas:

Humanities

Assessment Information

Paper	Description	Type	Weighting
Paper 11PSY1	Approaches: presentation on what causes certain behaviours	Internal	10.00%
Paper 11PSY2	Nature vs Nurture: what makes great people.	Internal	20.00%
Paper 11PSY3	Famous experiments: essay.	Internal	20.00%
Paper 11PSY4	Examination	Internal	50.00%

Psychology leads to many careers. These include teaching, psychologist, social work, the police, criminologist, research, counselling, and marketing. It is a subject that is all about people. It is interesting, relevant, and a genuine career path.