Download Psychological Research in Context Explore the history and context o

What will I study?
Year One core modules currently include:
Psychological Research in Context
Explore the history and context of contemporary research in psychology. You will ask questions such
as: What is psychology and how has it evolved? What are the debates that influence contemporary
psychology? What are the multiple perspectives on psychology?
The course content will focus on: the schools of psychology, such as experimental, applied and critical
psychology; debates in psychology, such as the value of reductionism and the existence or not of free
will; pioneers of psychology and how they paved the way for today’s perspective on the field; classic
research studies in psychology and their influence on recent studies and articles taken from a range of
academic journals in psychology.
Cognitive and Biological Psychology (1)
Study the cognitive and biological aspects of psychology with particular emphasis on human
experimental psychology and neuroscience. You will be introduced to: the structure and function of the
brain and allied structures; the main approaches taken in behavioural neuroscience such as functional
neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; the language of biological psychology; the study of cognitive
processes in a range of domains such as perception, attention, memory, language, and thinking, the
methods of investigating ‘hidden’ mental processes and understand how empirical evidence can inform
theory about how these processes are organised.
Social and Developmental Psychology (1)
Examine the fundamental aspects of social psychology, such as social attitudes and attribution, and
developmental psychology, such as social, cognitive and emotional development during childhood. You
will begin to consider the significance of social context for development and develop a critical
awareness of social and developmental psychological research.
Research Methods (1)
An introduction to a variety of research methods used in psychology. You have the opportunity to
develop and practice report writing skills, understand experimentation and self-report methods and
gain practical experience.
In groups you will run and report upon your study. You will be required to formulate hypotheses,
search for and review any relevant literature in the library, prepare necessary materials or instruments,
select a sample, collect and analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques, interpret the findings
and produce an individual written report of the work undertaken.
Statistics (1)
Study the fundamental concepts and practices of statistical data analysis in psychology. By the end of
the module you should be able to design research studies in psychology, and be familiar with a range
of descriptive, nonparametric, and parametric statistics. The module is assessed by one examination at
the end of the module. Continuous feedback throughout the year will help you progress, help you
develop your skills, and act as resource to draw upon when conducting research.
Year Two core modules currently include:
Critical Thinking in Psychology
You will consider some of the key debates in contemporary psychology and discuss how these inform
current research and practice.
Cognitive and Biological Psychology (2)
Building upon the module in Year One you will explore in depth, and critically evaluate from a cognitive
and biological perspective, concepts and research methodologies in topics such as memory, attention,
sensation, and perception.
You will also understand of how the evidence from investigations can inform theory about how these
processes are organised and how to become a critical reader of the research literature.
Social and Developmental Psychology (2)
You will complete comprehensive study on areas in social psychology, including prejudice and social
identity, intergroup contact and conflict and altruism. From developmental psychology you will study
development within social and cultural contexts, the role of families and peers in development and
socio-cultural perspectives on schooling.
Research Methods and Statistics (2)
An integrated module studying advanced experimental, psychometric, and qualitative research
techniques in laboratory practicals. Supporting this are a series of lectures and workshops designed to
help you develop your statistical knowledge and skills.
Laboratory work will involve one experimental, one regression based study and one study involving a
free choice of method. All studies will be on an area relevant to psychology. You will be organised into
small groups and each group will have to run and report upon their study. You will also be required to
formulate hypotheses, search for and review relevant literature, prepare or select necessary stimuli or
scales, select a sample, collect and analyse data appropriately, interpret findings and produce
individual reports of the work undertaken.
The module will also build upon the content of Statistics 1. Particular emphasis will be placed on
factorial ANOVA and the concept of interaction. You will also consider the theory and statistical
techniques associated primarily with non-experimental research. These include multiple regression,
Cronbach’s alpha, multiple correlations, and exploratory factor analysis.
Individual Differences and Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology
Examine several key topics aligned to individual differences in psychology including personality,
intelligence, motivation, mood, and mental health, and placing this material in context from a historical
and cultural perspective.
There will also be some emphasis on placing the material in context from a historical perspective.
Topics covered will include: the theories and approaches to understanding and investigating personality
and intelligence; historical evolution of approaches to studying individual differences; real-world
applications of individual differences for assessment and intervention into emotional experiences,
stress & coping, and health and illness; therapeutic implications of approaches to personality and
personality growth and applying concepts and theories in individual differences to society e.g. in the
workplace, in education or training.
Year Three core modules currently include:
Professional Practice in Psychology
Addressing aspects of professional psychology, you will work on a problem from a set of professional
scenarios and form a project team to address the problem.
The first half of the module addresses a single area of professional practice; theory and application of
occupational and organisational psychology. The second half of the module uses problem-based
learning methods to give you an experience of professional project work across a broader range of
applied areas of interest. Students select a problem from a set of professional scenarios and form a
project team to address the problem. The project team work as a group to produce an executive
summary and presentation of their proposed solution to the problem.
Psychology Research Project
A major piece of work whereby you will carry out independent research, the topic and design of which
is decided upon in consultation with a supervisor. The project will demonstrate that you can conduct an
extended research report, as well as an understanding of the methodological skills and presentational
techniques developed throughout the course.
Optional modules
If you are studying on the BSc (Hons) Psychology course without a specialist pathway you will choose
one module from each set. Choice is more restricted on the specialist pathways so that the focus is on
modules relating to the pathway.
Choose from a selection that currently includes:
Set A
Criminological Psychology
Study the application of psychology to legal processes and the criminal justice system as well as the
understanding of offending behaviour.
Cyberpsychology
Study the impact of the Internet and new technologies on our social relationships and the ways we
relate to each other, as well as more technical aspects of cyberpsychology and philosophical issues
relating to how we do, might, or should interact within virtual environments.
Gender, Identity and Body Image
A social constructionist stance allows you to challenge the taken for granted ‘obviousness’ of our
assumptions about a number of issues relating to gender, identity and body image.
Health Psychology
Health psychology is an interdisciplinary field, concerned with the application of psychological
knowledge to health, illness and healthcare. Its primary purpose is to understand and improve the
health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. This module will introduce students to some of
the core areas within the field, exploring key concepts used in the study of both healthy and ill
populations. The module will cover contemporary psychological theories of health and illness from a
number of perspectives, and will draw upon research that has used a variety of methodological
approaches. For example, we will explore psychological perspectives on behaviours which pose a risk
to health (such as smoking, obesity and exercise), consider what happens when we get ill (e.g. seeking
help, medicine taking behaviour and adjustment to illness) and explore how psychologists can help
people who are dying and suffering from bereavement. Particular focus will be given to how theory can
be used to inform practice and the development of interventions.
The Psychology of Sex
Sexual behaviour is central to our lives, yet its importance to our happiness and well-being often goes
unrecognised. In this module, human sexuality will be explored. The origins of international, crosscultural and religious views on sex will be examined along with a detailed review of the key
methodologies and theories within this area of research. Important, applied, topics such as the origins
of sexual orientation, sexual coercion and sex education will be covered. Specific issues that will be
covered in depth include: historical perspectives on sexuality; international perspectives on sexuality;
sex and relationship research methodologies; sexual anatomy and reproductive physiology; sexual
arousal and response patterns; the psychobiological basis to sexual orientation, non-heterosexual
sexuality and sex and relationship problems.
Psychopathology: Phenomenology, Assessment, Treatment and Current Issues
It has been estimated that mental illness accounts for a third of all illnesses in the UK, and a quarter of
the population will be affected at some point in the lifespan. The overarching aim of this module is to
develop students’ knowledge of mental disorders and topics relevant to clinical psychology. Specifically,
this module aims to: provide students with comprehensive knowledge of psychological disorders in
adults and psychological and developmental disorders in children; provide awareness about current
clinical practice such as commonly adopted classification (DSM-V) and recommended treatments (NICE
guidelines); develop students’ understanding of theory, research and current issues around clinical
psychology and consider their impact; critically evaluate recent psychological research and scrutinise
its application to contemporary clinical practice; and encourage consideration of multiple viewpoints
and critically examine different approaches in the field.
Trauma in Children and Adolescents: The Impact on Health and the Role of Resilience
The aim of the module is to provide theoretical understanding of the impact of childhood trauma on
children and adolescents, and to provide an understanding of the role and roots of resilience. The
module seeks to provide students with knowledge about the signs and symptoms, behavioural
patterns, and underlying psychological and biological changes associated with psychopathology after
childhood and adolescent trauma.
Work-Based Psychology Practice
You will apply psychological theory and practice to work-based settings, and develop the skills and
knowledge that characterise professional psychologists within work settings.
Psychology of Religion
Why does religion exist? What function does it serve in society? What’s the difference between a cult
and a religion? What is the difference between a psychotic hallucination and a religious vision? What is
the role of religion and spirituality in everyday life? How might it contribute to our wellbeing? How
might religious practices have something to offer society (e.g. mindfulness practice of Buddhism).
These are the sorts of questions that will be explored in this module. Lectures will typically include: the
historical and cultural background to religion and spirituality; the evolutionary, biological, social and
cognitive explanations for religion; understanding cults and why people join them; the psychology of
religious and spiritual experiences and practices.
Set B
Advanced Qualitative Methods
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with, and develop their understanding of, key
techniques used in the field of qualitative inquiry. At the heart of the module are outcomes specifically
designed to equip students with crucial theoretical understanding and practical skills enabling the
application and critical evaluation of several core methods used in qualitative psychology.
Biological Perspectives on Psychiatric Disorders
Examines biological accounts of psychiatric disorders, concentrating particularly on how biology links to
cognitive deficits that are symptomatic of a disorder.
Community, Health and Applied Social Psychology
This module aims to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to apply social
psychological theory and research to marginalised and/or disempowered communities and ‘real world’
social issues. You will be prompted to use a community psychology approach to understanding health
and well-being so that they do not solely focus on the individual or on society in general, but will seek
to understand the relationship between the two. Students will be equipped with the skills to work with
individuals, cohesive community groups, and marginalised/disempowered sections within society and
will work together to explore methods of how to promote health and well-being within these groups.
Topics covered may include: social determinants of health; tackling health inequalities; stress, coping
and mental health; social identity and mental health recovery; identity development over the life-span;
dealing with prejudice and cultivating an inclusive approach to addressing social problems.
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology examines to what extent human behaviour can be explained by our
evolutionary past and covers topics ranging from cooperation, cheating, comparative psychology and
the evolution of the social brain.
Infant Development
Explore the psychological aspects of infant development with a focus on exploring a holistic approach
to understanding an infant’s cognitive, emotional, social, and neural development.
Psychology, Educational Needs and Inclusion
Develop your own specialist understanding of a particular area of educational support needs, while
encouraging critical reflection on the role that psychology can and does play in that particular area.
Psychology of the Emergency Services
Emergency services personnel respond to a complex range of emergency and disaster events. People’s
behaviours create these events; meaning that psychology is at the heart of explaining and preventing
emergencies. Responding to and encountering emergency situations generates complex emotional
states, which can affect not just those in the emergency services but also those they live with. The
services themselves are complex organizations with particular cultures, modes of communication and
structures. This module looks at a range of psychological issues related to the emergency services.
Specific topics covered vary from year to year as the module develops dynamically drawing on real
world events and the particular interests of students taking the module. The real world nature of topics
mean that diverse perspectives within psychology are relevant. We may therefore draw from areas
within psychology such as occupational, clinical, health, social, cognitive, developmental, biological,
personality, political psychology etc.
Statistics (three): Advanced Statistics for Research
Study advanced methods of statistical data analysis the kind necessary to study complex real-world
data set. You will be introduced to sophisticated methods of statistical computing and deal with real
world data.
Psychology of the Family
The aim of this module is to explore the psychology of the family, including their composition and
context. The module will consider the various ways in which psychologists study families, including a
critical evaluation of the methods used. The module curriculum will take a student-lead approach,
using your previous knowledge and understanding to design the content within the parameters set by
the teaching team. This approach will encourage you, as a group, to be responsible and directive about
your own learning. The focus of this module is on the family as a unit, it is not a developmental
psychology module.
The following areas are likely to be covered:
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Family theories
Theories of family structure
Family communication
Family adaptation
Resilience
The work-family interface
Parenting
Parenting and family/parent-based interventions
Culture and the family
Person Perception
Human faces, voices and bodies are information rich, biologically and social significant objects social
objects. The primary aim of this module is explore how we detect, process and perceived them, or how
we fail to do so. The module will consider how we represent and process human faces, voices and
bodies on their own and together, drawing on real world (e.g. CCTV, Passport control) and laboratory
based research and applications. The module will draw on elements of cognitive and biological
psychology, social and developmental psychology, neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. Topics of
study might include:
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Voices and faces as social object
Face, voice and body attractiveness
Ear witness testimony
Own race/other race effects
Biological motion and CCTV
Atypical disorders of face and voice processing
Set C
Language and Literacy Development in Children
Explore the cognitive basis of children's early language and literacy skills, and debates the causes of
developmental language disorders.
Clinical Neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychology is the discipline of devising and administering standardized assessments of
specific cognitive, perceptual and motor abilities, such as memory, executive function, language,
attention and perception, motor planning and coordination, and reasoning. Clinical neuropsychology
builds on the assumption that these abilities reflect underlying brain abnormality. For instance, patients
with damage to the fusiform face area would show prosopagnosia (‘face blindness’). When making
assessments, clinical neuropsychologists address a variety of psychological and neurological questions.
The aim of the module is to equip the student with techniques for developing and performing
neuropsychological assessments. Lectures will cover topics in traumatic brain injury, neuroscience
(including neuroimaging) of specific cognitive functions, and diagnostic assessments. During
workshops, students will engage in role-play performance of neuropsychological assessments and
diagnostic interviews using standardized batteries, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
Students will become familiar with a range of neuropsychological tests used to measure cognitive
abilities, and will devise a neuropsychological assessment to test a specific brain abnormality. Students
will critically evaluate neuropsychological assessment of brain abnormality as it applies to the
understanding of normal brain and cognitive functioning.
Psychology of Trauma
Examine a range of psychopathology and trauma related issues such as the origins and history of
psychotic illness, psychopharmacology and psychosocial therapy, childhood trauma and psychosis, as
well as outcomes of trauma, namely dissociation, substance use and deliberate self-harm.
Addictive Behaviours
The module examines a range of issues associated with addictive behaviours. The lectures will identify
issues with definitions of addictive behaviour and the critical evaluation of different types of addiction
(i.e. in depth examination of alcoholism, drug addictions, pathological gambling, video game addiction,
internet addiction, exercise addiction, sex addiction and paraphilias). This will provide a basis for you
to develop a critical understanding of the identification and treatment of addictive behaviours. Topics
covered may include: Problems of definition of addiction; Commonalities and models of addiction;
Theories of addiction; Conceptual crises in the field of addictive behaviour; Addictive personality; Types
of addiction; Treatments of addictive behaviour.
Psychopathology and Offending Behaviour
Understand how personality disorders, brain injuries, intellectual disabilities, substance misuse and
major mental illnesses influence behaviour and how these conditions are associated with criminal
offending.
Social Development in Children and Adolescents
The module aims to enable you to develop a detailed and critical understanding of children’s and
adolescents’ development in the social world. In particular, through focusing on current research and
theories, the module will examine the role of peers, the family, and the outside influences on children’s
and adolescents’ social development. You will be encouraged to critically evaluate the short-term and
long-term consequences of social relationships during childhood and adolescence. Topics covered may
include: Attachment; Child care and upbringing (e.g., the family, parenting and siblings); The
importance of peer relationships: peer acceptance and peer rejection; The role of friendships; Social
withdrawal and shyness; Bullying and peer victimisation; and School adjustment.
Advanced Cognitive Psychology
In this module you will have the opportunity to gain an advanced level of knowledge and expertise in
cognitive psychology, building on your existing knowledge. In particular, you will be taught more about
cognitive processes and methodologies used to investigate them and how these processes affect
everyday tasks. This will be particularly suitable for students with an interest in using quantitative
research in their projects or future careers. Currently the module includes topics including; language,
visual attention, face processing and modelling cognitive processes.
The Psychology of Sex Offending
The module will develop your knowledge of the psychology of sexual offending, including the
investigation, risk assessment, and treatment of sexual offenders, and theories that underpin and help
to explain sexual crime. Different sexual crimes will be examined, and the profile of offenders
examined. Following an introduction to the area of sexual offending and the work of forensic
psychologists with the perpetrators of sexual crime, you will learn about the theories underpinning
sexual offending, the risk assessments, management and interventions available for sexual offenders.
The module will also consider important issues for forensic psychologists in the pre and post-conviction
setting such as denial, social exclusion and cognitive distortions of offenders.
Please note that not all combinations of optional modules are possible.
Specialist pathways
In Year Two you may get the opportunity to specialise your degree by taking one of three pathways.
You will complete a bespoke range of modules in the areas of:
Mental Health
This pathway is focused on the theories and treatment of psychopathologies including trauma,
psychosis and addictive behaviours.
Year Two
Critical Thinking in Mental Health
Study the key debates in the psychology of mental health and discuss how these inform current
research and practice.
Year Three
Research Project in Mental Health
You will design, conduct, and interpret findings from a psychological research study on a topic within
the psychology of mental health.
Professional Practice in Psychology or Work-Based Psychology Practice
For details on the Professional Practice in Psychology module see the Year Three core modules. The
Work-based Psychology Practice module is a chance for you to apply psychological theory and practice
to work-based settings, and develop the skills and knowledge that characterise professional
psychologists within work settings.
Two pathway-specific modules such as Psychopathology, Psychology of Trauma, and
Addictive Behaviours and one optional module from a wide selection offered by the Division
of Psychology.
Forensic Psychology
On this pathway you will explore our psychological understanding and response to offending behaviour,
encompassing the police, the courts, the prison system and offenders.
Year Two
Critical Thinking in Forensic Psychology
You will consider some of the key debates in forensic psychology and discuss how these inform current
research and practice.
Year Three
Research Project in Forensic Psychology
You will design, conduct, and interpret findings from a psychological research study on a topic within
forensic psychology.
Professional Practice in Psychology or Work-Based Psychology Practice
For details on the Professional Practice in Psychology module see the Year Three core modules. The
Work-based Psychology Practice module is a chance for you to apply psychological theory and practice
to work-based settings, and develop the skills and knowledge that characterise professional
psychologists within work settings.
Two pathway-specific modules such as Criminological Psychology, either Psychopathology
and Offending Behaviour, or The Psychology of Sex Offending and one optional module from
a wide selection offered by the Division of Psychology.
Educational and Developmental Psychology
On this Pathway you will study psychological development within educational settings as well as
inclusion and support needs within educational institutions.
Year Two
Critical Thinking in Educational and Developmental Psychology
You will consider some of the key debates in educational and developmental psychology and discuss
how these inform current research and practice.
Year Three
Research Project in Educational / Developmental Psychology
Students design, conduct, and interpret findings from a psychological research study on a topic within
educational and/or developmental psychology.
Professional Practice in Psychology or Work-Based Psychology Practice
For details on the Professional Practice in Psychology module see the Year Three core modules. The
Work-based Psychology Practice module is a chance for you to apply psychological theory and practice
to work-based settings, and develop the skills and knowledge that characterise professional
psychologists within work settings.
Two pathway-specific modules such as Infant Development or Psychology, Educational
Support Needs and Inclusion, and either Social Development in Children and Adolescents, or
Language and Literary Development and one optional module from a wide selection offered
by the Division of Psychology.
If you would like more information on this course please contact us on:
The School of Social Sciences
[email protected]
+44 (0)115 848 4460