Unit Three: Topics in Psychology
Relationships
1. The formation, maintenance, & breakdown of romantic relationships theory
Theories of the formation, maintenace & breakdown of romantic relationships: e.g., reward/need satisfaction, social exchange.
Theories of the formation, maintenance & breakdown of romantic relationships: e.g., reward/need satisfaction, social exchange.
2. Human reproductive behaviour
The relationship between sexual selection & human reproductive behaviour
Evolutionary explanations of parental investment, e.g. sex differences, parent-offspring conflict.
3 Effect of early experience & culture on adult relationships.
The influence of childhood & adolescent experiences on adult relationships, including parent-child relationships & interaction with peers (continuity hypothesis).
The nature of relationships in different cultures e.g., arranged marriages & relationships as economic alliances.
Aggression
1. Social psychological approaches to explaining aggression
Social psychological theories of aggression, for example, social learning theory, deindividuation, cue arousal, relative deprivation
Explanations of institutional aggression e.g. situational & dispositional causes
• Explanations of institutional aggression
2. Biological explanations of aggression
The role of genetic factors in aggressive behaviour
The role of neural (serotonin) and hormonal (testosterone) mechanisms in aggression & brain structure (hypothalamus & amygdala)
3. Aggression as an adaptive response
Evolutionary explanations of human (& animal) aggression, including infidelity and jealousy.
Explanations of group display in humans , for example sports events and lynch mobs
1. Biological influences on gender
2. Biological explanations of aggression
Gender
The role of hormones and genes in gender development e.g. sex & gender
Evolutionary explanations of gender roles e.g. parental investment theory
2. Social contexts of gender role
Social influences on gender role: for example, the influence of parents, peers and schools, media e.g. the behavioural perspective (reinforcement & observational learning).
Cross-cultural studies of gender role e.g. inter / intra cultural differences.
The biosocial approach to gender development e.g. labelling of sex & the constructed nature of gender.
3. Psychological explanations of gender development
Cognitive developmental theory, including Kohlberg, and gender schema theory
Explanations for psychological androgyny and gender dysphoria including relevant research
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