PSYCHOLOGY

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr F Sniehotta & Dr C Lowe

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 1007

Overview

This course introduces Psychology as the science of behaviour and mental processes by looking at knowledge gained from experiments and surveys across selected areas (Biological psychology, Developmental psychology, Perception), examining theoretical models and discussing the methodology used. There is a concurrent practical course consisting of experiments and demonstrations in large groups, computer-based experiments and computer-aided learning modules, and sessions when students are participants in experiments conducted by senior students and researchers in the School. Assessment consists of demonstrating an ability to discuss and reproduce key terms and concepts, and completing multiple-choice answer questions from materials presented in lectures, practicals and the prescribed textbook.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm) and one lab session (up to two-hours at times to be arranged) per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr F Sniehotta & Dr C Lowe

Pre-requisites

PS 1008

Notes

This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 1507.

Overview

This course continues showing Psychology as the science of behaviour and mental processes by looking at knowledge gained from experiments and surveys across several more areas (Cognitive psychology, Health psychology, Social psychology), examining theoretical models and discussing the methodology used. There is a concurrent practical course consisting of experiments and demonstrations in large groups, computer-based experiments and computer-aided learning modules, and sessions when students are participants in experiments conducted by senior students and researchers in the School. Assessment consists of demonstrating an ability to discuss and reproduce key terms and concepts, and completing multiple-choice answer questions from material presented in lectures, practicals and the prescribed textbook.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures (Monday, Tuesday Thursday at 2 pm) and one lab session (up to two-hours at times to be arranged) per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr K Mearns and Dr D Sutherland

Pre-requisites

PS 1008 and PS 1508. This course may not be included in a minimum curriculum with PS 2014.

Notes

Available only to students in Programme Year 2. This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 2011.

Overview

Aging & Individual Differences; Behavioural Neuroscience; Perception; Research methods.

Structure

12 week course - 4 lectures per week and 1 lab session (practical or SPSS workshop) per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Mearns and Dr D Sutherland

Pre-requisites

PS 1008 and PS 1508. This course cannot be included in a minimum curriculum with PS 2013.

Notes

This course is available only to students registered for degrees in Neuroscience or Sports Studies. This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 2012.

Overview

Behavioural Neuroscience; Research Methods.

Structure

12 week course - 2 lectures per week and 1 laboratory session (practical or SPSS Workshop) per fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr K Mearns and Dr D Sutherland

Pre-requisites

PS 1008 or PS 1508 and PS 2013. This course may not be included in a minimum curriculum with PS 2514.

Notes

Available only to students in Programme Year 2. This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 2511.

Overview

Developmental Psychology; Language & Cognition; Social & Organizational Psychology; Research Methods.

Structure

12 week course - 4 lectures per week and 1 lab session (practical or SPSS Workshop).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Mearns and Dr D Sutherland

Pre-requisites

PS 1008, PS 1508 and PS 2014. This course may not be included in a minimum curriculum with PS 2513.

Notes

This course is available only to students registered for degrees in Neuroscience or Sports Studies. This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with PS 2512.

Overview

Language & Cognition; Research Methods.

Structure

12 week course - 2 lectures per week and 1 laboratory session (practical or SPSS Workshop) per fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one-hour examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Resit: 1 one-hour written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr L DeBruine

Pre-requisites

PS 1008, PS 1508, PS 2011, PS 2511 and permission of Head of School.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours Degree programme in Psychology.

Overview

The purpose of this course is to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to carry out and evaluate psychological research. It consists of lectures on data analysis (especially various models of the analysis of variance) and examples of specific research methodologies, as well as statistical and data exploration exercises using the statistical package SPSS for Windows. Students also work together in small groups under staff supervision on a practical project for which a full report (counting as the in-course assessment component of the course) is required.

Structure

12 week course - 1 lecture, 1 SPSS practical and 4 laboratory sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr L Phillips

Pre-requisites

PS 1008, PS 1508, PS 2011 and PS 2511.

Co-requisites

PS 3012 and PS 3013.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours, Behavioural Studies or Designated Degree Programme in Psychology.

Overview

Outline and evaluation of various methods of psychological assessment including issues relating to their application.

Structure

12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and one workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute examination, (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A Sahraie

Pre-requisites

PS 1008, PS 1508, PS 2011 or PS 2012, PS 2511 or PS 2512.

Co-requisites

(Except Neuroscience students): PS 3013, PS 3011.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours, Behavioural Studies or Designated Degree Programme in Psychology or an Honours or Designated Degree Programme in Neuroscience.

Overview

Theories and data relating to the normal and abnormal processing of visual attributes such as colour, motion, spatial structure and depth. Retinal and cortical structures for visual perception.

Structure

12 week course - 1 lecture per week and one workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute examination (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr M Milders

Pre-requisites

PS 1008, PS 1508, PS 2011 or PS 2012, PS 2511 or PS 2512.

Co-requisites

(except Neuroscience students): PS 3011, PS 3012

Notes

This course examines the biological basis of behaviour and cognitive functions by considering how brain damage and how changes in brain biochemistry can affect behaviour and cognition.

Overview

The course examines how the nervous system represents its three-dimensional environment, how vision and kinaesthesis contribute to the control of goal-directed action, how behaviour becomes refined in normal and abnormal development, and how impairments in brain-damaged patients can help us to understand normal cognitive functioning. It also considers how models of normal cognition can explain cognitive deficits following brain damage.

Structure

1 lecture per week and 1 workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety-minute written examination (75%), in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Crawford

Pre-requisites

PS 3009

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours Degree Programme in Psychology.

Overview

This course is a sequel to PS 3009 aiming to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to carry out and evaluate psychological research. It consists of lectures on data analysis (especially correlation, regression, and various multivariate forms of analysis) and examples of specific research methodologies, as well as statistical and data exploration exercises using the statistical package SPSS for Windows. Students also work together in small groups under staff supervision on a practical project for which a full report (counting as the in-course assessment component of the course) is required.

Structure

12 week course - 1 lecture, 1 SPSS practical and 4 laboratory sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Prof N Macrae

Pre-requisites

PS 3011, PS 3012, PS 3013

Co-requisites

PS 3518 and PS 3516.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours, Behavioural Studies or Designated Degree Programme in Psychology.

Overview

Attribution Theory, Social Perception and Memory, Sterotyping and Prejudice, Mental Control and Self-Regulation; Attitude Formation and Attitude Change, Social Indentity Theory, Self-Categorisation Theory, Inter-group Relations, Aggression.

Structure

12 week course - 1 lecture per week and one workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety-minute written examination (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Hosie

Pre-requisites

PS 3011, PS 3012, PS 3013

Co-requisites

PS 3514 and PS 3516.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours, Behavioural Studies or Designated Degree Programme in Psychology.

Overview

Theories and approaches to language acquisition; Human face processing; Theory of Mind and atypical development.

Structure

1 lecture per week and one workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute written examination (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Pearson

Pre-requisites

(except Neuroscience students) PS 3011, PS 3012 and
PS 3013. Neuroscience students: PS 3012 and PS 3013.

Co-requisites

(except Neuroscience students): PS 3514 and PS 3515.

Notes

This course can only be taken by students pursuing either an Honours, Behavioural Studies or Designated Degree Programme in Psychology or an Honours or Designated Degree Programme in Neuroscience.

Overview

The memory component of the course examines the cognitive study of human learning and memory; the modal and working memory models; the application of memory models to everyday cognition. The language component of the course examines cognitive mechanisms underlying sentence processing and production, and higher level processes of language comprehension.

Structure

12 week course - 1 lecture per week and one workshop every four weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety minute examination (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr B Jones

Pre-requisites

120 credit points from level 3 Psychology courses.

Overview

A thesis based on an empirical investigation conducted under the guidance of a supervisor.

Structure

20 week course - 1 one-hour tutorial per week. Laboratory work as required. Continues in second half-session.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Assessment of the thesis counts for one ninth of the final Honours assessment.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr B Jones

Pre-requisites

120 credit points from Level 3 Psychology courses.

Co-requisites

PS 4019

Notes

This course is only open to students taking Combined Honours in Psychology. Such students will take Psychology A for Combined degree plus Psychology B for Combined degree plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.

Overview

Two options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every three weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 ninety minute written examinations (66%) and in-course assessment (33%).

Credit Points

45

Course Coordinator

Dr B Jones

Pre-requisites

120 credit points from Level 3 Psychology courses.

Co-requisites

PS 4019

Notes

This course is only open to single honours psychology students. Students registered for single honours psychology will take Senior Honours Psychology A plus Senior Honours Psychology B plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.

Overview

Three options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 3 ninety minute written examinations (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A Sahraie

Pre-requisites

Level 4 Psychology Joint Honours degree students.

Overview

Introduction to some of the problems with the interpretation of retinal images.
Perception of wavelength and colour vision anomalies and deficits.
Stereopsis and theories of depth perception. Monocular and binocular cues to depth information.
Use of sinusoidal gratings in visual sensitivity experiments and the determination of the contrast sensitivity function (CSF).
Visual processing at the cortex. In particular cortical processing of orientation, colour and motion. Abnormalities of cortical processing. Similarities and differences in cortical architechture of human and monkey brain.
Pre-attentive and attentive processing of orientation, motion and colour. Investigation of visual attention using psychophysical and physiological techniques.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 90-minute written examination 75%; in-course assessment 25%.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr M Milders

Pre-requisites

Level 4 Psychology Joint Honours degree students.

Overview

This course examines further the biological basis of behaviour and cognitive functions. Topics covered wil include evolutionary explanations of behaviour and comparative psychology, the effects of hormones and psychopharmacology on behaviour, and the effects of brain damage on behaviour and cognition.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 90-minute written examination 75%; in-course assessment 25%.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Hosie / Dr D Carey

Pre-requisites

PS 3011, PS 3012, PS 3014, PS 3517, PS 3518, PS 3519

Notes

Restricted to students in level 4 Behavioural studies degree (full honours or joint).

Overview

Psychology staff will provide all students on this course with a list of possible thesis topics from which the student will choose one. Students provide an annotated bibliography of relevant sources (with evaluation of the most crucial ones) at the end of the first half-session (contributing 10% to the final assessment). Students submit a maximum 7000 word thesis by the end of week 44 which is double marked by two members of staff (contributing 90% to the final assessment).

Structure

1 two-hour lecture given in week 2 or three of the first half-session. Monthly scheduled meetings with the allocated supervisor and additional ad hoc appointments as necessary.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Assessment of the library thesis accounts for one ninth of the final Behavioural studies assessment.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Carey

Pre-requisites

60 credit points from level 3 courses. This course is for Joint Honours Psychology students only.

Overview

The course requires the student to carry out, under supervision, an empirical piece of research on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the supervisor.

Structure

2 one-hour tutorials per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr J Hosie and Dr D Carey

Pre-requisites

PS 4029

Co-requisites

PS 4013

Notes

This course is only open to students taking Combined Honours in Psychology. Such students will take Psychology A for combined degrees plus Psychology B for combined degrees plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.

Overview

Two options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every three weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 2 ninety minute written examinations (66%) and in-course assessment (33%).

Credit Points

45

Course Coordinator

Dr J Hosie and Dr D Carey

Pre-requisites

PS 4030

Co-requisites

PS 4013

Notes

This course is only open to single honours psychology students. Students registered for single honours psychology will take Senior Honours Psychology A plus Senior Honours Psychology B plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.

Overview

Three options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every fortnight.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 3 ninety minute written examinations (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Pearson

Pre-requisites

Level 4 Psychology Joint Honours degree students.

Overview

The memory component of the course examines multi-store models of memory, the characteristics of short and long term memory, the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad components of working memory, the dual-coding theory of human learning, mental imagery and how information is organised within long-term memory. The applicability of cognitive models of learning and memory to aspects to everyday cognition will be assessed. The language component of the course examines the cognitive mechanisms underlying the processing of sentence structure, the higher level processes of language comprehension, and some of the factors affecting sentence production.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 90-minute written examination 75%; in-course assessment 25%.