A-Level Psychology (CAIE 9990)

Course Overview 课程介绍

CAIE 高级心理学，涵盖生物、认知、社会、学习四大取向，研究方法贯穿全程。

A-Level Psychology is a UK advanced secondary course split into AS (Year 1) and A2 (Year 2). It covers biological, cognitive, social and learning approaches, with research methods running throughout. A2 explores applied areas such as abnormality, consumer, health and organisational psychology. It emphasises empirical research, critical evaluation and psychological methodology. A core subject for psychology, neuroscience, education, social work, market research and HR.

Key Facts 基本信息

Exam Board (考试局)	CAIE (Cambridge Assessment International Education)
CAIE Code (代码)	9990
Duration (学制)	2 years (AS + A2)
Grading (评分)	A* - E (A* only for full A-Level)
Exam Structure (CAIE)	AS: Paper 1/2 · A2: Paper 3/4
Coursework (课程作业)	No coursework, all external exams

AS Syllabus AS 阶段章节

AS1. Research Methodology

Experimental design, observation/survey/case study, sampling, ethics
AS2. Data Analysis and Statistics

Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, significance testing, correlation analysis
AS3. The Biological Approach

Neurons and neurotransmitters, brain structure and function, endocrine system, evolution
AS4. The Cognitive Approach

Memory models, short-term and long-term memory, forgetting theories, thinking and problem solving
AS5. The Learning Approach

Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory, behaviourism
AS6. The Social Approach

Conformity and obedience, prejudice and discrimination, group dynamics, social cognition
AS7. Issues and Debates in Psychology

Nature vs nurture, free will vs determinism, reductionism, cultural bias
AS8. Classic Studies in Psychology

Pavlov, Skinner, Milgram, Asch, Loftus and others
AS9. Ethical Issues and Animal Research

Informed consent, deception and privacy, ethical guidelines for animal research
AS10. Reliability, Validity and Generalisability

Reliability, internal and external validity, cross-cultural generalisation

A2 Syllabus A2 阶段章节

A211. Abnormality (Specialist Option)

Defining and diagnosing abnormality, depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, treatments
A212. Consumer Behaviour (Specialist Option)

Consumer decision making, advertising psychology, brand loyalty, online behaviour
A213. Health (Specialist Option)

Stress and coping, health behaviour, patient compliance, pain management
A214. Organisations (Specialist Option)

Work motivation, leadership styles, job satisfaction, teams and conflict
A215. Application of Approaches

Applying the four approaches to applied phenomena, integrating theory and practice
A216. Advanced Research Methods

Quasi-experiments, correlational designs, longitudinal studies, cross-cultural comparison
A217. Inferential Statistics (Advanced)

Non-parametric tests, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, chi-square
A218. Issues in Application

Ethics of applied psychology, applied validity, cultural adaptation
A219. Contemporary Studies

Recent empirical studies in applied areas, methodological critique, strength of evidence
A220. Synoptic Evaluation

Cross-approach integration, multi-perspective argumentation, synoptic evaluation

Exam Structure (CAIE 9990) 考试结构

Paper 1	AS Approaches, Research Methods and Issues · 1h30m · 50% of AS / 25% of A-Level
Paper 2	AS Research Methods · 1h30m · 50% of AS / 25% of A-Level
Paper 3	A2 Specialist Option: Theory · 1h30m · 25% of A-Level
Paper 4	A2 Specialist Option: Application · 1h30m · 25% of A-Level

Suitable Majors 适用专业与衔接

心理学、神经科学、教育、社会工作等专业的核心基础科目。

A-Level Psychology is a key subject for psychology, neuroscience, behavioural science, education, social work, HR, market research, consumer research, clinical psychology and counselling. Most UK university psychology programmes recommend or require A-Level Psychology. It provides a solid foundation for university experimental psychology, psychological statistics and abnormal psychology.