School of Psychology Study Abroad Modules
For more information visit the School of Psychology website.
Autumn and Spring Semesters (Level One)
Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: 2 Semesters
Level: 1
Credits: 20
The course will provide a broad overview of psychology and its methods of research. The course is divided into four sections, taught by different lecturers. The order of presentation of these sections may vary. Section 1 is an introduction to abnormal psychology from relatively mild psychological disorders like panic attacks and compulsive cleaning, through to schizophrenia. Section 2 is an introduction to the psychology of growth and change across the life-span. Section 3 is an introduction to the scientific methodologies used by psychology. How do psychologists develop and test psychological theories? Section 4 is an introduction to social psychology and psychological explanations of socially important phenomena such as a racial prejudice.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 30%
Examination: 70%
Introduction to Cognitive and Behavioural Psychology PS1107
Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: 2 Semesters
Level: 1
Credits: 20
The module will provide a basic introduction to the main topics in cognitive psychology and how brain function relates to aspects of cognition. The module will examine basic aspects of human cognition such as learning, memory, thought and consciousness. The students will also receive an introduction to aspects of brain function at the level of discrete anatomical regions and how these brain regions relate to learning, memory and psychopathology. The course will draw on material from brain-damaged humans and non-humans to illustrate the natural fracture lines of behaviour. The students will also receive an introduction to experimental design and methods in psychology.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 30%
Examination: 70%
Autumn and Spring Semesters (Level Three)
Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: 2 Semesters
Level: 3
Credits: 40
In this double semester module, students work individually and with appropriate supervision on a topic agreed with and approved by their supervisor. They are required to formulate a specific problem in psychology, design and carry out an appropriate research project, present and analyse their findings, and discuss the work critically. They are required to present their work in a report of not more than 7000 words which meets appropriate professional requirements.
Teaching Methods:
Supervision
Assessment:
Coursework: 100%
Autumn Semester (Level One)
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 1
Credits: 20
This module is designed to illustrate examples of contemporary research in psychology and how it contributes to our greater understanding. Its goal is to develop knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to the techniques and methods needed for understanding human behaviour and evaluating research. Students will be introduced to the principles of research design within the field of psychology. Students will also learn about theapplication of these methods to the understanding of human behaviour.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 70%
Coursework: 30%
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 1
Credits: 20
This module develops students understanding of the principles of basic level experimental methodology in psychology as well as gaining the knowledge to be able to investigate research questions using the most appropriate statistical design and analytic techniques. At the end of the course, students should have developed sufficient expertise and understanding of experimental methodology to successfully engage in the preparation and production of a second year practical. Additionally this module will allow students to acquire sufficientexpertise in the use of statistical software, graphing packages, display packages.To gain experience conducting simple experiments in psychology, analysing data and writing laboratory reports.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 45%
Coursework: 55%
Introduction to Psychology PS1016
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 1
Credits: 10
This module provides a broad introduction to a range of topics in psychology with the intent of developing students appreciation of the wide variety of experimental techniques used in psychological research. Another component of the module is the appreciation of how the disparate fields within psychology are linked in an understanding of behaviour with the goal of forming an appreciation of how laboratory and field research is linked to applied uses of psychology. The course provides an introductory level overview of the field of psychology, with specific emphasis in the role of experimental psychologyin developing the scientific approach to the study of a diverse set of behaviours.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 70%
Coursework: 30%
Autumn Semester (Level Two)
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module looks at human information-processing in its social context (including memory, inference and judgement), and the extent to which social cognitions mediate social behaviour in order to present contemporary views of development, maintenance and change involved in human personal relationships, and the way social cognitions function in this context. Another component of this module is the development students understanding of the extent to which performance is affected by the imagined and actual presence of other people, and how our cognition and behaviour is affected by our own and others’ social group memberships.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Developmental Psychology PS2011
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module students’ understanding of human information-processing in its social context (including memory, inference and judgement), and the extent to which social cognitions mediate social behaviour as well as presenting contemporary views of development, maintenance and change involved in human personal relationships, and the way social cognitions function in this context. Additionally, this module will develop students’ understanding of the extent to which performance is affected by the imagined and actual presence of other people, and how our cognition and behaviour is affected by our own and others’ social group memberships.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Tutorials
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Research Design, Statistics and Computing PS2019
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
To develop students’ understanding of the principles and methods of intermediate level statistical applications in psychology as well as experimental programming. The principle analyses learnt will be: analysis of variance, post hoc testing, simple linear and multiple regression analysis, factor analysis, meta-analysis and qualitative analysis.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 20%
Examination: 80%
Autumn Semester (Level Three)
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 10
The course comprises a series of lectures in which the relationship between stress (both physical and psychological) and health will be explored. The interaction between the physiological stress response system and, for example, the cardiovascular system will be described. The relationship between, for example, traits, emotions, coping processes and disease onset and prognosis will be examined in detail.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Neuroscience of Learning and Memory PS3202
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 10
The course will review the main principles and experimental findings concerning the biological substrates of learning and memory. The course will convey our current understanding of the synaptic and systems level basis of simple forms of learning such as habituation to more complex forms of memory such as episodic memory.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Structural and Functional Neuroimaging PS3209
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 10
This module introduces the basic principles underlying modern neuroimaging techniques including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electro-encephalography (EEG), magneto-encephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The module covers the physics and physiology underpinning each technique and describes applications in cognitive and clinical neuroscience research.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Field Trips
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 20
This module will cover speech communication from psychological, physiological and modelling viewpoints. This will include processes of speech production and both normal and impaired speech perception.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Workshops
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 20%
Examination: 80%
The Development of Psychopathology and Criminality PS3417
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 20
This module introduces observational, experimental, biological, psychometric and statistical methods commonly used in developmental and forensic research, as well as introducing the methodological challenges underlying the study of normal and abnormal psychological development from genetic, biological and social developmental research traditions as well as the challenges inherent to integrating these perspectives in the study of developmental psychopathology. Another component of this module is the study of recent theoretical and methodological advances relating to the genetic, biological and social underpinnings of childhood and adolescent psychopathology in order to highlight links between the scientific study of the aetiology of anti-social behaviour in childhood and adolescence and adult offending and practice and policy implications of research derived from this area of study. Additionally, the module will provide students with evidence-based approaches to the understanding of developmental psychopathology, criminal behaviour, offender assessment and management.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Assessment:
Coursework: 30%
Examination: 70%
Attitudes and Attitude Change PS3418
Semester: Autumn
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 3
Credits: 20
This course will provide students with an understanding of attitudes and attitude change. Students will learn about the psychological bases of attitudes and the factors that change attitudes. Lectures will describe the theories and empirical evidence relevant to these issues. Research Question and Answer periods in the lecture time slots will help students develop research insights, leading to a written proposal and a visual presentation. Tutorials will be used to develop ideas for the research proposal and to hear visual presentations on the proposal ideas.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Spring Semester (Level Two)
Cognitive Psychology II PS2003
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
The module will cover the study of problem solving, namely how people plan sequences of actions in order to achieve goals, and the role of knowledge in this process. Topics include Newell and Simon’s information processing approach to problem solving, the concept of ‘insight’, and the effect of expertise on behaviour. Psychological approaches to human contingency learning will be described, with particular reference to whether learning is best described as an automatic or controlled process. Three theories of deductive reasoning: mental models, mental logic and the probabilistic approach will be critically assessed and the 'heuristics and biases' approach and more recent 'ecological' approaches to induction and decision making will be critically reviewed. Classic issues in the philosophy of scientific reasoning and the philosophy of mind are introduced and their implications to current cognitive theorising traced. Basic computational issues of representation and process, and the issues surrounding computational explanation in cognitive psychology will be introduced throughout the course as well as explored specifically through lectures at the end of the course.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
The course focuses on the way humans (with reference to other species) extract information about the world through their sensory organs and represent the current state of the world. Such issues as colour, depth, the effects of brain damage, streaming and object representation are considered.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Workshops
Tutorials
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This course will introduce the concept of information processing. This will include an introduction to the concepts of selective attention, divided attention, practice and automaticity, and conscious and unconscious thought. It will introduce concepts and theories in the study of human memory, including sensory and short-term visual and auditory memory systems, retrieval and recognition, and the structure of long-term (semantic) memory. Students will be introduced to concepts and theories in the psychology of language: innateness theories of language; the chronology of language production; syntactic structure in language; normal and impaired language processing; language development; language and thought. The classical (definitional) view of concepts will be contrasted with the prototype and exemplar-based theories, and the empirical literature on categorisation will be reviewed.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module provides students with an introduction to: The historical background of social psychology, its links with other social and behavioural sciences, and its complementary relationship to other branches of psychology (e.g., cognitive, developmental). The module also looks at some of the most influential theories and studies in social psychology and some of the ways in which social psychology has been applied to produce a better understanding of ‘real world’ problems.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module will introduce students to current ideas concerning the relationship between brain function and behaviour. The module will the fundamental psychological principles of learning, examine the brain function at both the level of single neurons and at the level of discrete anatomical regions. A consideration of particular functions such as the learning, memory, and executive functions will be used to highlight different aspects of brain functions. Special attention will also be paid to an understanding of the principles of learning and memory in animals.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Assessment:
Coursework: 40%
Examination: 60%
Abnormal and Clinical Psychology PS2018
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module will introduce students to a variety of perspectives on abnormal behaviour and experience. Students will be introduced to the issues of what is 'abnormal behaviour' and how diagnoses are made. Following this, disorders of personality and mental illness in adulthood will be examined within a biological perspective. Special attention will be paid to topics such as eating disorders, schizophrenia, ADHD and neuro-degenerative disorders, including the significance of gender and genotype.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Tutorials
Assessment:
Coursework: 30%
Examination: 70%
Spring Semester (Level Three)
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This course will provide students with an understanding of the theory and practice of psychology as applied to people at work. Topics from three main areas of Work Psychology will be covered: Organisational Behaviour, Personnel Psychology, and Human Factors. Lectures will describe theories, empirical evidence, and methods relevant to these topics.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Animal Learning and Cognition PS3201
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 10
The course will review the main principles and experimental findings that have emerged from a century of research into animal intelligence. Part of the course will be concerned with associative learning, where particular emphasis will be placed on the theoretical analysis of both Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning. The other part will concern animal cognition and will include consideration of such topics as categorisation, navigation, the representation of knowledge, and social learning.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Memory Processes and Memory Disorders PS3208
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 10
The module will focus on cognitive, neuropsychological and brain imaging approaches to understanding human long-term memory, and disorders of memory.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 10
The course consists of a series of lectures examining child language acquisition, primarily from a cognitive, information processing perspective. Evidence will be drawn from impaired as well as normal patterns of language development, and competing theories of acquisition will be discussed and evaluated.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 10
The course will review the main processes underlying human decision making. In particular, it will address theories and experimental findings related to the cognitive, social, and neural underpinnings of choice. Building on these foundations, it will then examine how psychologists can act as ‘choice architects’ to improve practical and applied decision making processes for individuals as well as groups, societies, and businesses.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 30%
Examination: 70%
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This module examines the interaction between visual perception and activity while exploring the perceptual problems faced by an active observer and how vision guides action. The module will allow students to develop a critical appreciation of current models, experimental findings and application of vision science with regard to vision and action. Additionally, the module looks at the value of mathematical relationships in describing perceptual processes. the overall goal is to set these ideas within the context of broader themes within vision science and action control and to allow for the discussion of various approaches to investigating these ideas, drawing on topics in physiology, psychophysics and psychology.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Workshops
Seminars
Assessment:
Coursework: 70%
Examination: 30%
Environmental Psychology PS3415
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 20
This course will provide students with an understanding of the historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations of the interdisciplinary and applied field of environmental psychology. It will give an overview of the application of psychology theory and research to environmental issues and human-environment interactions. Topics covered will include environmental attitudes and behaviour, environmental risk perception, environmental stressors, architecture and urban environments. Lectures will describe theories, empirical evidence, and methods relevant to these topics.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Emotion: Social & Neuroscience Perspectives PS3416
Semester: Spring
Length: 1 Semester
Level: 2
Credits: 10
This course will provide students with an understanding of social and neuroscience perspectives on emotion, and how they might be integrated. The first half of the course will focus on the social functions and communication of emotions. The second half will focus on the social neuroscience of emotion, including brain imaging and neuropsychological approaches to understanding the neural underpinnings of emotions and their social functions. Throughout the module students will be introduced to: The social functions of the emotions,The communication and expression of emotions and the influence of culture on emotion.
Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment:
Examination: 100%