Psychology

• Mrs E Leone - Acting Head of Psychology
• Ms Queiroz

Year 13 students have the chance to attend psychology conferences in London, where they can hear from a range of renowned psychologists who present each year. Previously students have heard from Professor Elizabeth Loftus, who has spent her life conducting ground-breaking research into false memory syndrome and eye-witness testimony. Similarly, Professor David Wilson, the famous criminologist and author of “My Life With Murderers” was at another event. Likewise, he was featured on the BBC programme on profiling Jack the Ripper and most notably, he starred in the Channel 4 film “Interview With a Murderer”. Finally, at the same event, Professors Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher discussed their research in the field of social psychology and their replication of the Stanford Prison Study for the BBC.

Students were also incredibly lucky to be able to take part in an online workshop with Philip Zimbardo (1933-2024). Zimbardo was an American psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. He was an internationally known educator, researcher, author and media personality in psychology, best known for his Stanford Prison Experiment in 1979.

At school, students have the opportunity to take part in workshops and lectures run by a number of academics from the University of Kent. Previous speakers include Dr Chloe Farahar served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Kent from 2021 to 2025 and is the founder of Aucademy CIC. They received an Autism diagnosis at the age of 32, after spending much of their life being labelled as “odd,” “weird,” or “difficult to approach.” This personal journey gave them a deep understanding of the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in a society that often fails to accommodate different ways of thinking. Discovering their Autistic identity led them to connect with others who shared similar experiences—what they describe as finding their “group of weird.” Today, Dr Farahar is dedicated to helping other Autistic people discover community, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.

Other talks offered by the department include:

Professor Karen Douglas: She is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent. Karen explores the psychological foundations of conspiracy theories. Her work investigates what makes these theories so compelling to people, and how they impact individuals, communities, and society as a whole.

Professor Janet Sayers: Janet is an Emeritus Professor of Psychoanalytic Psychology. The focus of Janet's research is on psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and biography. Janet runs a session on Sigmund Freud in line with the A level Psychology specification.

Dr Mark James: Mark is a forensic psychologist who focuses on how social and group dynamics influence criminal behaviour and legal systems. His primary research explores the factors that lead young people to join gangs and engage in gang-related activities, with a strong interest in identifying and supporting youth at risk through assessment and intervention. He also studies how the public reacts to crime and justice issues, particularly in relation to acts of vigilantism.

Stephen Bradley: Stephen is an Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and also works as a Consultant Child Psychotherapist, providing individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy to adults, young people, and children. Stephen has previously held talks on Sigmund Freud, as well as his own work as a psychotherapist.

Psychology: Past to Present

• The biological approach
• The psychodynamic approach
• The behaviourist approach
• The cognitive approach
• The positive approach 

Psychology: Investigating Behaviour

• Principles of research
• Personal investigations
• Application to novel scenarios

Psychology: Implications in the Real World

• Schizophrenia
• Addictive behaviours
• Criminal behaviours 
• Controversies in Psychology 

Click here for exam board information on WJEC Eduqas Psychology