Psychology 2A

Short Description

The aim is to broaden and, especially, to deepen knowledge of the subject area by building on the foundations laid in Psychology 1A and 1B
Timetable

Lectures weekly Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Weekly laboratories (each 2 hr) by arrangement.

Requirements of Entry

Mandatory Entry Requirements
Entry to the class, a D3 grade or above averaged over Psychology 1A and 1B is required. Other students will be admitted on a ranked basis to a class limit of 300.
PSYCH 1001 Psychology 1A: Biological And Experimental
PSYCH 1002 Psychology 1B: Social, Developmental And Individual Differences

Assessment

Assessment
1 research report (20%), 1 presentation (2%), practical lab MCQs (8%), 1 degree exam (70%).
The exam for L2A is split into two separate papers - Paper 1 and Paper 2 - both of which will be part of the December exam diet. The lecture module topics within these papers will be distributed as follows:
1. Paper 1 - will cover the four modules of Experimental Design, Cognitive Psychology, Psychobiology, and Perception & Visual Cognition, and will be 120 mins in duration.
2. Paper 2 - will cover the Statistics & Research Methods I module, and will be 60 mins in duration. This will be an open book exam.
Main Assessment In: December

Course Aims

The aim is to broaden and, especially, to deepen knowledge of the subject area by building on the foundations laid in Psychology 1A and 1B. Also the aim is also to develop the student's knowledge of core material in the areas of biological, cognitive and experimental psychology broadly defined. A further aim is to provide students with fundamental research skills relevant to psychological science, including instruction in and exposure to psychological experimental design and research methods, conduct of experimentation, data gathering, knowledge of statistical analyses, and scientific writing.
To provide via the laboratory experience both a demonstration of psychological phenomena and instruction in practical skills involved in conducting experiments with human subjects for psychological experimentation, including use of relevant packages such as SPSS. In addition to building research skills and knowledge, the practical labs are designed as a complementary component, to support and integrate theoretical and practical knowledge acquired from the modules taught in 2A. Teamwork is encouraged by means of group work conducted in the lab.
The lectures form part of a programme which leads to an Honours degree that can confer eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS, subject to certain requirements); however the course is also intended for students who wish to take only Psychology Level 2. It would also serve therefore as an extension of knowledge in the field for students taking the course as part of the general degree or as an outside subject in another honours programme

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

Students at the end of this course will be equipped with skills and knowledge to:
- summarise a broad range of psychological theories and research findings in each core topic, cognitive psychology, psychobiology, perception, experimental design and research methods, using concrete examples from psychological science
- evaluate theories in psychology in terms of their internal coherence and methodological underpinnings with reference to fundamental aspects of psychological research.
- prepare written reports relevant for psychological research to summarise empirical work, with a focus on research designs specific to addressing psychological questions.
- operate within a team to complete in-class exercises addressing psychological issues using theoretical knowledge and practical research skills relevant in psychological science