Psychology (Counselling Psychology)

This module will aim to advance your research skills, and to help you work towards being an independant researcher. You will be provided with training on how to develop a research proposal, including how to identify an appropriate research area, how to develop a rationale and how to identify an appropriate methods for conducting your study. You will be required to work with the guidance of a superviser to develop a research proposal on a topic of your choice. You will be required to consider theoretical, methodological and ethical issues around designing and conducting research. You will need to identify research questions through examination of the literature, design your study and consider how this can be operationalised. This will assist you in developing the levels of independence needed for the final year project. On this module, students will apply and enhance research tools which they have accumulated thus far during their course of study. The application of these skills will be assisted by a supervisor and students will work largely in groups. You will be required to perform tasks which are n preparation for your final year individual project and thus will be required to demonstrate increasing levels of independent research throughout the module. One of the most important criteria for becoming a researcher is the consideration of ethical issues surrounding research and you will be able to demonstrate this by completing a typical submission document for the consideration of an ethics committee. To do this you will need to consider how to identify research questions through examination of the literature, designing an experiment and how this could be operationalised. The focus of the area of psychology under investigation will be consistent with your award title.

This module is designed to equip students with knowledge of the biological underpinnings of psychological processes and behaviour. The topic areas to be covered will include, the psycho-biology of language, aggression, sexual jealousy, memory, the polygraph, sleep, brain imaging, split brain studies, psychopharmacology, mental health difficulties. The content of this module will link closely with that of Development of Personality and Individual Differences and Cognitive Psychology. Knowledgeable and Enterprising Our graduates will know how to critique, analyse and then apply knowledge they acquire in an enterprising way. They will use knowledge to seek out opportunities to advance their careers and entrepreneurial drive. Our graduates will constantly nurture their own intellectual curiosity, and excite others to do the same. Digital Literacy Our graduates will be confident users of advanced technologies; they will lead others, challenging convention by exploiting the rich sources of connectivity digital working allows. All subjects will want to interpret Digital Literacy in their own ways and the definition is open-ended enough to allow this. Some ways in which courses could address development of digital literacy are through: the ‘e’ aspects of the learning process, as in the Blended Learning entitlements – so that digital literacy is being developed through the process of engagement with ‘e’ materials, tasks, Personal Development Planning and collaborative learning; specific, hopefully cutting edge technologies, software and the skills of their use – ready for employment; and the development of information literacy capability. For those students who are not digital natives and need IT Skills development Alison is an interactive online service that provides free training courses where you can develop your skills and knowledge. Global Citizenship Our graduates will bring informed understandings of their place and ethical responsibilities in the world. They will have personal and professional values that help them to lead, and take a substantial role in their local, national and global communities.

This module is designed to equip students with skills in advanced research methods and analysis in psychology. Most of the skills developed in this module will have relevance to the workplace and will also enable the students to understand and evaluate how both research and data analysis relates to everyday life. We will examine a range of advanced research and analysis approaches encompassing both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. By the end of the module students will be have higher level abilities in software based statistical analysis and will have the knowledge to be able to report complex psychological findings. This module forms an important step towards preparing students for their final year projects and becoming independent researchers.

The module aims to provide students with an overview of methodological and theoretical approaches in the fields of developmental psychology, lifespan psychology and the study of individual differences. The impact of these methods and theories will be examined in relation to illustrative examples and real world scenarios.

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an awareness of the core topics and theoretical perspectives in contemporary social psychology, and to consider their application to real world issues.

This module provides an opportunity to engage in a piece of research chosen, with a supervisors guidance, by the student as an independent piece of work that employs the skills that have been acquired during two years of psychology study. During the course of this individual piece of research the student will develop or refine the skills needed to design an ethically and methodologically sound piece of empirical research; execute a literature search for relevant published material; analyse the data collected and write a report on this that will include a critical appraisal of both the extant literature and ones own findings.

This level 3 module is designed to provide students with a good foundation in Health Psychology theory as well as offering opportunities to gain an understanding of the impact of theories on practice. The syllabus of this module includes coverage of models of health and illness, applications of health psychology and opportunities to explore contemporary health-related issues through a critical perspective of the sub-discipline. The level 6 module will provide students with basic skills and knowledge as a contribution in preparing them for a career in health psychology-related areas.

This module is designed to provide students with a foundation in the theory and practice of psychology in clinical settings, introducing issues in philosophy, assessment, formulation and treatment. Much of the material presented will take a critical view of clinical psychology both now and historically, and a range of non-standard interventions will be evaluated.

Cognitive science aims to understand the innermost workings of the human mind. This is a highly challenging task, but since the 1950s cognitive psychologists have made great progress in understanding a variety of mental processes. This course addresses some of the latest advances within cognitive psychology, with a particular emphasis on individual differences. By referring to cutting edge research and the latest theories, this module explores how cognitive processes differ from person to person, and how they influence real world behaviour. 

There is an ever-increasing reliance on technology in the modern world. Technological developments present us with new and exciting opportunities for making our lives more comfortable, safe, easy and fun. However, emerging technologies can also hinder our interactions with others and the world around us. This module aims to better understand the psychological impact of engaging with the Internet and consider both the positive and negative aspects of being online. The module aims to promote an in-depth understanding of how humans interact with technology and in online environments. This module will cover diverse aspects of the interaction between the individual and the Internet; including the manner in which being online affects how we present ourselves to and communicate with others, how language has evolved in the online world and the manner in which relationships are formed in cyberspace. This module will build upon issues raised during level 5, especially in the applied social psychology module.

This module aims to provide you with an introduction to some of the contemporary psychological perspectives and societal issues for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this module you will describe, discuss and critically evaluate the perspectives and research work carried out into these issues. In sessions you will be taught about and discuss areas including definition of intellectual disabilities, service delivery, complex support needs, profound and multiple impairments, social and community inclusion, interpersonal relationships, communication, mental and physical health, ageing, and human rights.

This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore psychological theories and research related to learning and development and to apply them during problem-based learning. The module content covers a range of topics including prenatal, infant, child, adolescent and atypical development, specific learning difficulties, learning in adults and older adults and an exploration of the empirical evidence surrounding what may promote and inhibit learning and development throughout the lifespan. Students will be required to critically appraise learning and development theories and research and apply them in the design of a research / theory-informed educational provision / service / programme in response to one of several case studies / vignettes.