OCR A-Level Psychology (H567): complete guide to the components, core studies and exams
A complete guide to OCR A-Level Psychology (H567). Covers Component 1 research methods, Component 2 psychological themes through the twenty core studies (social, cognitive, developmental, biological and individual differences), Component 3 applied psychology (issues in mental health plus two options), and how the three written papers are structured and marked.
OCR A-Level Psychology (specification H567) is a two-year linear course assessed by three written papers at the end of Year 13. This page is the index: below is a map of the three components, the exam structure, and how to study each one.
The OCR Psychology components
The specification is organised into three externally assessed components.
- Component 1 Research methods
- The tools of the subject: research methods and techniques (self-report, experiment, observation, correlation), planning and conducting research (variables, controls, sampling, ethics, reliability and validity), data recording, analysis and presentation, descriptive and inferential statistics (the sign test, Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, Spearman's rho and chi-square), report writing, and how psychology works as a science.
- Component 2 Psychological themes through core studies
- Twenty core studies in ten classic and contemporary pairs, grouped into five areas: social (Milgram, Bocchiaro, Piliavin, Levine), cognitive (Loftus and Palmer, Grant, Moray, Simons and Chabris), developmental (Bandura, Chaney, Kohlberg, Lee), biological (Sperry, Casey, Blakemore and Cooper, Maguire) and individual differences (Freud, Baron-Cohen, Gould, Hancock). You also learn the behaviourist and psychodynamic perspectives and eight debates.
- Component 3 Applied psychology
- A compulsory section on issues in mental health (the historical context, the medical model and its alternatives, and one specific disorder) plus two options chosen from child psychology, criminal psychology, environmental psychology, and sport and exercise psychology. Each option is studied as background, key research and application to novel situations.
Exam structure
OCR A-Level Psychology is assessed by three written papers, all sat at the end of the course.
- Component 1 Research methods - methods, data handling, statistics and report writing. 2 hours, 90 marks, 30%.
- Component 2 Psychological themes through core studies - the twenty core studies, the five areas, the two perspectives and the eight debates. 2 hours, 105 marks, 35%.
- Component 3 Applied psychology - issues in mental health plus two options. 2 hours, 105 marks, 35%.
At least 10% of marks assess maths skills, concentrated in Component 1, and a calculator is allowed.
How to study OCR Psychology
Psychology rewards precise knowledge of the core studies, the ability to place and evaluate them, and confident research-methods maths.
- Learn each core study in full. Know the aim, method, results and conclusions, then the strengths and weaknesses, for all twenty.
- Master the areas and perspectives. Be able to say what each study tells us about its area (social, cognitive, developmental, biological, individual differences) and apply the behaviourist and psychodynamic perspectives.
- Apply the eight debates. Link nature-nurture, free will and determinism, reductionism and holism, individual and situational explanations, usefulness, ethics, socially sensitive research and science to specific studies.
- Drill the maths and test choice. Descriptive statistics, significance and the inferential tests recur, especially on Component 1.
- Prepare Component 3 thoroughly. Learn issues in mental health and your two options as background, key research and application, and practise applying them to novel scenarios.
The content, dot point by dot point
Each module has specification-point-level answer pages with practice questions and cross-links, plus an overview guide and quiz.
For the official specification
OCR publishes the full specification (H567), past papers and mark schemes at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR's own past papers, because question style, the twenty named core studies and the Component 3 options are board-specific.
Psychology guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
- OCR A-Level Psychology: Biological area core studies overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to the biological area of Component 2: the four core studies (Sperry, Casey, Blakemore and Cooper, Maguire), the regions-of-the-brain and brain-plasticity themes, how brain structure underpins behaviour, and how the area is examined on the core studies paper.
13 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Cognitive area core studies overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to the cognitive area of Component 2: the four core studies (Loftus and Palmer, Grant, Moray, Simons and Chabris), the memory and attention themes, the view of the mind as an information processor, and how the area is examined on the core studies paper.
13 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Component 1 Research methods overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to Component 1 research methods: the four methods, variables and design, sampling and ethics, descriptive statistics and the inferential tests, report writing and the features of science, and how the topics are examined on the Research methods paper.
13 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Component 3 Applied psychology overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to Component 3 applied psychology: the compulsory issues in mental health, the medical model and alternatives, and the optional applications (child, criminal, environmental, sport and exercise psychology), with key research, application, and how the paper is examined.
14 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Developmental area core studies overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to the developmental area of Component 2: the four core studies (Bandura, Chaney, Kohlberg, Lee), the external-influences and moral-development themes, how experience shapes children, and how the area is examined on the core studies paper.
13 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Individual differences area core studies overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to the individual differences area of Component 2: the four core studies (Freud, Baron-Cohen, Gould, Hancock), the understanding-disorders and measuring-differences themes, how psychology studies what makes people different, and how the area is examined on the core studies paper.
13 min readRead → - OCR A-Level Psychology: Social area core studies overview
A complete OCR A-Level Psychology guide to the social area of Component 2: the four core studies (Milgram, Bocchiaro, Piliavin, Levine), the responses-to-authority and responses-to-people-in-need themes, the situational explanation of behaviour, and how the area is examined on the core studies paper.
13 min readRead →
Psychology practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
- OCR A-Level Psychology Component 3 Applied psychology overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology biological area core studies overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology cognitive area core studies overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology developmental area core studies overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology individual differences area core studies overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology Component 1 Research methods overview quiz12 questionsStart →
- OCR A-Level Psychology social area core studies overview quiz12 questionsStart →
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