BSc (Hons)Psychology

Core modules

Thinking and Writing Psychologically

Why do people, think, act, and feel the way they do? In this era of unreliable news and abundance of untested theories, any serious attempt to answer this question would have to take a careful and measured approach. Often described as the scientific study of mind and behaviour, Psychology is an attempt to do just that. This module will begin to get to grips with what is meant by the ‘mind’ and ‘behaviour’, and – crucially – the reasons why Psychology adopts a scientific approach in trying to answer the big questions about the mental processes and behaviours of our own species and others. Ultimately, the emphasis of this module is on getting you to think and communicate like a Psychologist.

Beginning as a Researcher

In our day-to-day lives we tend to make judgements about human behaviour in a subjective manner using anecdotal evidence. You will be introduced to qualitative and quantitative research approaches used in psychology to study human behaviour in an objective and systematic way. This will enable you to make informed decisions as to people’s actions and motivations.

Perspectives within Psychology

You will be introduced to major perspectives which exist within psychology, for example psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and biological perspectives. This will enable you to establish an understanding of the origins and history of research within psychology and have awareness of the fundamental assumptions that each perspective holds. You will be able to see the continuity and development of psychology as a scientific disciple over time and understand the places of differing perspectives in psychology today.

Developing as a Researcher

By knowing more about the research process that is used to study psychology and the basic steps that are used, you can better understand the process researchers go through to arrive at conclusions about human behaviour. This module will develop and enhance your skills in conducting data analysis from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective.

Current Issues in Psychology

What are some of the key questions that psychologists try to address in modern psychology? What approaches do they use? You will develop a critical understanding of a range of perspectives and approaches in contemporary psychology. You will be introduced to research in psychology, learning about newly emerging studies with practical implications for the community. Understanding this will help you to see how, even if you do not pursue a career in psychology, an understanding of psychology can be great for thinking about anything and everything.

Psychology and Social Change

Individuals, groups, organisations, governments are facing challenging issues and psychology can bring solutions to many current social issues (e.g., climate change, social justice and wellbeing). You will gain an understanding of Community Psychology perspectives for working with communities to improve their wellbeing with a focus on Community Psychology methods for working with marginalised groups.

Core modules

Behaviour and the Brain

You will gain an overview of brain anatomy and how processes are localised to different areas or structures. You’ll also learn about the way that our nervous system is structured to help us interact with the outside world or respond to internal sensations such as pain. We look at different cognitive functions such as memory, attention and thinking, using case studies to explain what happens when the brain is not functioning correctly, and consider a variety of research methods, from brain imaging to problem solving and exploring how drugs affect behaviour.

Individual Differences and Social Psychology

You will navigate the different ways in which social psychologists make sense of the human mind and behaviour and how psychological research can help us addresses real-life issues. How much influence does personality have on the actions we take and the ambitions we hold? How do other people's actions impact our behaviour? Social psychologists seek to understand human behaviour and how others influence our thoughts feelings and behaviour, and applicability to our daily social interactions and decision making.

Psychological Research Training

This module further develops your understanding of theoretical and practical issues concerned with psychological research and will enable you to advance the skills required for the conduct of investigations and the presentation of findings. You will acquire knowledge of investigation design and methodology with associated essential techniques (such as a variety of statistical and/or qualitative techniques) that are applied in empirical research.

Psychological Research in Action

In this module you will cover some more research techniques and you will be given a little more freedom to select and design your own mini-project. By the end of this module you will have all the skills necessary to begin designing your dissertation next year. You will also have had experience at designing your own study and how to overcome issues associated with taking a project from the idea stage to successful completion. You will learn the final batch of analytical methods in the Methods-based element and you will be able to identify and progress through the various stages that are involved in designing, conducting and analysis your own study in the Report- based element. This will enable you to approach your dissertation with an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches you might take. On this module you’ll learn the final batch of analytical methods in the Methods-based element and you’ll be able to identify and progress through the various stages in the Report- based element.

Community Psychology

Community psychologists try to understand and engage with social injustice; working with communities on a more collaborative and participatory approach is key to challenging social injustice and marginalisation. You will explore how social and environmental factors are associated with personal behaviour as well as with behaviour in local communities and organisations. You will discover the role of psychology to socio-political problems such as homelessness, health promotion, and cuts to welfare as some examples.

Wellbeing Across the Lifespan

With more awareness of mental health issues, there is an increasing focus on how to support wellbeing. Positive psychology focuses on optimal human functioning and what makes life fulfilling. Although the positive side of human functioning is often neglected within psychology, this is not so for developmental psychologists who typically focus on adaptability and positive functioning. This module explores how taking a developmental perspective can aid our understanding of how to live well at every stage of life. The aim of the module is to develop your psychological literacy, the ability to apply what you know from studying developmental psychology in your first year, to understanding how positive psychology can improve wellbeing. You will explore how positive psychology techniques can help people flourish throughout the lifespan, and how you too can lead a flourishing life.

Core modules

Applying Psychology to Professional Practice

This module will help you to continue your development as a reflective practitioner by identifying and reflecting on your skill development over the course of your degree and in a short work placement. This will give enable you to further develop your professional skills such as: ethical competence; cultural competence; and evidence-based practice. You will gain knowledge of the work of a Practitioner Psychologist and related roles and will explore some examples of the type of work a practitioner psychologist would do. You will reflect on your work experience, skills, and areas for development which will contribute to a development plan for when you graduate.

Applied Psychology Research Project

Is there an area of psychology that really interests you? Is there a psychological study that you’d like to replicate? Is there a psychological topic that you think is under researched that you’d like to investigate? If so, then this is the module for you! This module allows you to independently research an area of psychology that really interests you and gives you the opportunity to enhance and showcase the psychological knowledge you’ve acquired and the research skills and ethical understanding you’ve developed throughout your degree course. This module allows you to independently conduct and write up a piece of psychological research. This will require you to research an area of psychology of your own choosing.

Optional modules

Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Cognition and Consciousness

You will introduce you to many different ways to look at how we both think about, and interact with, the world. Ever wondered exactly why memory can be so wrong? Or how we learn language? Have you ever wondered how we can even go about measuring something as complicated as consciousness? In this module, you will develop an understanding of how we think about the way we interact with the world, and how psychology approaches the question of consciousness.

Conceptualising Psychopathology

How and why do psychological disorders develop? What keeps them going? And how do we use this knowledge to intervene with evidence-based treatments that work? You will explore the importance of psychological processes in the experience of mental illness, and the role of behaviour and emotion in current trends with a particular focus on the link between research, theory, assessment, and intervention. This module will provide you with a rare opportunity to develop some of the clinical knowledge and understanding required of mental health practitioners working in primary care and prepare you for a range of mental health training roles.

Quality Stats: An Assortment of Advanced Analytical Methods

The module will build on the quantitative and qualitative research skills you've gained in the methods and practical modules at Levels 4 and 5 and will provide support for you using advanced analytical methods as part of your applied psychology project. The module will introduce a range of advanced techniques that have not been previously covered in other modules. This will involve reinforcing previous techniques in order to locate those which will be covered in this module. Quantitative techniques will be demonstrated using the SPSS statistical software package. Emphasis will be placed on the value of both qualitative and quantitative techniques in psychological research and how they are reported.

Cyberpsychology

As technology becomes ever more sophisticated, our lives become more entwined and shaped by the technology which we build. The online world is seen by many as a separate yet wholly real world to live in and mange. Despite this, our understanding of the impact technology is having on psychological functions is lacking. Media focus on the role of technology is usually negative, discussing issues such as the online addiction, Instagram promoting self-harm, and video games increasing aggression and explicit violent behaviour. Research has shown technology has positive impacts as well such as being able to remain connected to loved ones and family members, access essential health interventions such as e-therapy, and evidence that video games can improve rather than hinder cognitive function.

Animal Behaviour

You will gain an overview of the psychology behind animal behaviour and explore the fundamentals of human-animal interactions. Theories and models of animal behaviour will be introduced, and the impact of animals on peoples’ psychological states, behaviour and mood will be explored. You will explore animal behaviour from an evolutionary perspective to understand the proximate and ultimate causes of a variety of animal behaviours, such as mating behaviours, communication, and social behaviours. You will then be challenged to consider animal cognition and how animals and humans can have successful and mutually beneficial interactions.

Mindfulness-Based Practice and Approaches

Mindful living has been linked to good mental health, good physical health, and improved wellbeing. Mindfulness now underpins several therapeutic-approaches. Having an embodied personal practice enables you to develop your own understanding of mindfulness and to authentically teach mindfulness to clients and service users. This personal understanding will change the way in which you engage with the evidence-base for mindfulness-based approaches.

Issues in Educational Psychology

You will learn about the impact of psychological research on education. We will explore psychological research within the classroom, at school level and outside of the school environment. Topics may include SEND, managing behaviour, Autism Spectrum Disorders, bullying, inclusive education and enhancing school readiness in pre-schoolers. We will consider a wide range of educational environments from pre-school to University. The aims of this module is to provide a strong foundation on how key cognitive, social and developmental theories have influenced the field of educational psychology over the years, and how such theories can be applied to educational settings to enhance learning and teaching. There will be a strong focus on critically evaluating relevant empirical research and its applications to educational environments.

Critical Psychology

Critical Psychology is a loose term that encompasses a variety of approaches that question the extent to which psychology can be objective. Such approaches aim to expose the distinction drawn between qualitative and quantitative research as a false dichotomy. In doing so, it offers a critique of mainstream, positivist psychology. An important aspect of the critical approach is that it seeks to identify the ways in which psychological practises help to perpetuate unjust power relations inherent in industrialised, post-colonial practises. Of course, critical psychology is itself part of psychology, and we will focus on the topic of reflexivity of the researcher in trying to establish psychological truths.

Behaviour Change

Changing behaviour is central to many of the key problems our societies face. This module looks at behaviour change theory and research and applies these to real world issues. This module aims to equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge required to enable students to effectively identify, analyse and apply the principles of behaviour change in practice. The focus will be on understanding and implementing behaviour changes in applied settings, and students will be encouraged to apply their skills and knowledge to their own areas of interest.

Issues in Forensic Psychology

Crime and punishment is an expansive topic, relevant to all of us in different ways. The reach of psychology in this field is extensive, encompassing the study of both criminals and those involved in the criminal justice system, as well as broader issues in society. This module will explore various areas of theory and research in psychology in the forensic field, with an emphasis on understanding the different sides of the debates triggered by such research. We will take an in depth look at some of the controversies in the forensic field since psychologists began taking an interest in it and develop a ‘critical’ understanding of the role psychology in today’s criminal justice systems and in wider society.