BSc (Hons) Psychology

In this module, you’ll build on what you have learned in your Year 1 module, “Introduction to Psychology Research”, enabling you to consolidate and extend your knowledge on research methods. You’ll be introduced to advanced analysis, the use of statistics for analysis of research data and how to discuss research findings effectively. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in practical classes where you’ll explore experimental design, analysis of qualitative data and statistical analysis. In addition, you’ll conduct and participate in psychological studies, surveys and experiments and these will be written up in the form of psychology research reports.

In this module, you’ll explore two areas of cognition: memory and language. Immerse yourself in the major theories of memory and (spoken and written language, including both historical and current perspectives, the brain systems involved in memory and language and the different types of research methods that can be used to study memory and language. You’ll focus on typical adult systems, and development in childhood. You’ll also take a look at the challenges faced in old age and what happens when memory and language deplete (e.g. in cases in amnesia and aphasia). You’ll also cover applied research in memory and language.

How do we act and understand the actions of others? It’s an interesting question which you’ll explore in this module. Our performance is influenced by our ability to interpret stimuli (perception), as well as our ability to problem-solve and execute processes (action).

In this module you’ll delve into theories and studies on cognitive, biological and developmental basis of perception in natural environments and the human interplay between how movement / action unfolds in the real world. By the end of this module you’ll have a deeper understanding of the experimental research techniques in the field of perception and action, and how to apply these to clinical settings.

In this module, you’ll learn how human civilisation risks large-scale challenge without psychologically informed interventions. You’ll explore how people’s habitual behaviours, attitudes, identities and power-relations need to change in order for humanity, and the planet to thrive. You’ll apply social psychology theories, research, and methods to global challenges outlined by the United Nations (UN) and by the United Kingdom (UK) Government. Your study will delve into the distinct contributions that social psychologists can make to what have been described as ‘multidimensional challenges’, assess the key obstacles to be overcome, and evaluate the likely success of achieving a ‘positive transformational impact’ (as outlined in the UK Strategy for Global Challenges Research).

Our behaviour is crucial to how we treat ourselves and can influence our health and well-being. Decline in wellbeing can be attributed to age, however, other factors at play, such as how we behave and the lifestyle choices we make across our lifespan, can have an effect on our life expectancies. In this module, you'll explore the psychological aspects of health behaviours across the lifespan drawing on key areas within developmental, cognitive, biological, social psychology, and individual differences.

You’ll learn about and evaluate behavioural influences on health and wellbeing from childhood, adolescence, adulthood and older age. You’ll examine personality and health, individual choice/agency versus external influences (such as peers, families, and corporations) on health behaviours, and explore health inequalities and disparities. There will be a special focus on the impact of alcohol and other drugs, smoking, healthy eating, physical activity and sleep on health behaviours.

How do we all differ in terms of personality, intelligence and ability? You’ll be investigating this question and more in this module, designed to develop your knowledge of a range of theoretical approaches and psychometric tests.

In this module, you’ll delve into the range of theoretical approaches to the understanding of different aspects of individual differences, including personality and intelligence. This will include, for example, the approaches of psychoanalytic theorists, behaviourists, trait theorists, biological theories of personality, as well as the phenomenological (an individual’s experience of a certain situation), social-cognitive and existential approaches to the study of personality. You’ll compare and critique conceptual paradigms and explore individual differences in intelligence, creativity, happiness and subjective well-being. You’ll also explore the nature of psychometric tests and their application to the measurement of individual differences.

In this module you’ll be exploring one of the most rapidly growing areas within the field of Psychology. Clinical neuropsychology represents a psychometric approach to the evaluation of brain-behaviour relationships. In this module, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills for understanding the nature of cognitive impairments that can follow from a brain injury or illness.

You’ll learn how to assess these changes and understand remedial measures to improve/manage those cognitive impairments. You’ll also be trained to take case histories, how to assess cognitive impairments using neuropsychological tests, interpret test findings, and make outline suggestions for interventions.

In this module you’ll be presented with the opportunity to examine the concept of attachment security and its application in research and intervention in depth. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in workshops where academic and therapeutic perspectives will be explored, and you’ll discover methods involving coding existing observations and interviews. You’ll draw your material from research utilising the concept across the lifespan.

If you wish to attend a year of work experience, this non-credit bearing module shall support your goals. You will be guided in your search for a suitable organisation and the development of skills relevant to your search. You’ll effectively develop your ability to engage successfully in the workplace.

In this module, you shall be allowed to choose a topic to study in more detail. This can be a topic that is not formally offered as part of the taught course. Your chosen topic will normally be an extension of the learning you achieved the previous year. A learning contract will be agreed between yourself and a supervising member of staff in the semester prior to the study being undertaken.

This is a great addition to your CV and helps you to stand out from the crowd when looking for a graduate job.

You can sign up for work experience in your first year and you’ll complete the work experience preparation module in Year 2. You'll be supported with your search for work experience and develop techniques and skills useful at interviews and assessment centres. Additional support is also available from dedicated work experience staff members. During your work experience you will receive regular support from your own Work Experience Tutor.

Your work experience must be full time and be for a minimum number of weeks. The salary must be commensurate with the role and not less than the minimum wage for the country in which the placement is taking place.

We have a number of links with local and regional employers including the NHS and local NGOs/Charities that can support you in your search for relevant work experience.

This is your chance to demonstrate your abilities to practice as a professional psychologist. You’ll develop research skills on this module, which will enable you to make informed conclusions about the body of research that you are conducting. You will get the opportunity to plan, design, analyse and interpret your findings, while implementing ethical guidelines, and with support from your tutor lead. You may work with other students to collaboratively collect data, and you will then go on to produce your research proposal, ethical review, and write-up individually.

In this module, you’ll be examining some of the main philosophical and scientific ideas that underpin contemporary psychology. You’ll consider conceptual and methodological elements underlying research programmes, and will have the opportunity to participate in debates that are at the centre of the world of psychology. As part of your philosophical discovery into psychological research, you’ll consider topics surrounding what shapes human behaviour, how humans make choices and decisions, and how we should be studying humans.

What psychology tools can we use in the workplace that improve working lives?

In this module, you’ll be looking at developing your knowledge and understanding of the role of psychology in the workplace. You’ll explore the contribution that psychology can make achieving ‘best fit’ between people and their jobs, and how small changes can effectively enhance productivity, satisfaction and well-being at work. You’ll consider a wide variety of topics such as Selection and Assessment, Leadership, Team Building, Stress and Work and Motivation, while gaining essential practical skills across these areas. By the end of this module, you’ll have a clear understanding of which psychological theories and principles are applied in the workplace and how to effectively manage organisational change, and motivate teams.

You’ll be provided with the flexibility to undertake work experience of varying durations (15 days to 3 months). This shall allow you to apply tour theoretical learning in a professional setting while exploring a potential future career path.

It could be argued that mental health has never been so prominent, particularly after the advent of COVID. Our awareness of mental health conditions has heightened globally, and what was once a taboo subject, appears to be unfolding in a way that nurtures growing consideration and a genuine desire to understand one another more.

In this module, you’ll explore how we define and classify mental health conditions, and how to conduct research and consider ethical issues in the field. You’ll also learn about the theories and processes behind a selection of mental health conditions, and approaches to the treatment and management of these conditions.

By the end of this module, you’ll have a clearer understanding of key mental health conditions, and how to apply your knowledge to the challenges concerning the development of interventions.

Our experiences of our life, stored in our memories, make us who we are. Yet, sometimes these memories can become distorted, leading to a reconstructed memory of ourselves in the current reality.

In this module, you’ll explore in detail the idea of the self, the process of autobiographical memory, and the relationship between these two constructs. You’ll cover topics such as how memories can enhance or sabotage the self, and how processes of self and memory change in ageing and clinical disorders. You’ll explore research suggesting that the self has an impact on how we imagine the future, as well as remember the past, and will examine questions such as, ‘How much does who we are depend on what we remember?’, and ‘Is the self-associated with ‘special’ cognitive processes in memory?'

In this module, you’ll explore how psychological approaches to behaviour change are important for helping people switch to healthier behaviours, for example, stopping smoking, reducing drinking, better eating and more exercise. You’ll also get an insight into how psychology can help us to understand how to prevent people from adopting risky health behaviours, especially in children and younger people. There will be an opportunity for you to co-design interventions that investigate the effectiveness of behaviour change and prevention. By the end of this module, you will gain an appreciation and critical understanding of the ways in which psychological theory and evidence have been used to inform behaviour change and prevention interventions.

In this module, you’ll learn that children acquire self-confidence and self-esteem through achieving successful motor skill and coordination experiences. Play is an important aspect of a child’s life. Movement and practice with motor skills can help children feel more confident about their abilities, which can have an impact in later life. You’ll be exploring the role that Physical Education and play have in motor skill learning during childhood. Material covered will consider motor learning and skill acquisition from both a theoretical and practical perspective and will describe movement from a biological, cognitive, developmental and social viewpoint.

In this module, you’ll build upon your research knowledge and skills acquired in the Year 1 and Year 2 research methods training in Psychology. You’ll discover (i) advanced methodological knowledge and skills to examine the complexity of human experience and the nature of meaning making processes; (ii) practical skills to address this complexity in the process of research planning and design, data collection, data analysis and report writing.

In this module you’ll nurture an understanding of the diagnostic frameworks and theories of neurodiversity and developmental disorders. You’ll explore how you can apply your skills to assessment and intervention. In particular, you’ll focus on developmental disorders such as Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, Developmental Coordination Disorder, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. You’ll have the opportunity to get hands-on with interactive sessions and attend informative lectures, all of which will act as a pre-cursor to critical evaluation of a research paper or discussions in small groups.

Did you know? According to Government figures, there were just over 6.3 million crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2021/22. Have you ever wondered why people stray outside accepted social norms? Deviance, violence and criminality seem to be ever present in daily life. In this module, you’ll explore the complexities of this issue. Your study will focus on psychological theories that can be used to understand deviance, violence and criminal behaviour. You’ll consider both the individual and social levels. You’ll also explore some of the broader methodological issues such as how we decide what constitutes deviance, violence or crime, how we measure it, the impact of violence and crime on individuals, communities and societies, and the management of offenders.

Healthy romantic relationships contribute to the purpose and meaning of people’s lives. When romantic relationships become unhealthy they significantly undermine people’s mental health and life satisfaction. In this module you’ll examine contemporary research on romantic relationships from a wide range of perspectives. These perspectives will include social, biological, developmental, cross-cultural, clinical and counselling domains of psychology.

You’ll be given the opportunity to choose a topic for independent study, relevant to your programme. You’ll build on the knowledge you achieved in Stage 2 and if you are a full-time student, this module will typically be undertaken during your final year of study. You’ll agree your chosen topic of study with your tutor lead in the semester prior to the one in which study is to be undertaken. After the learning contract has been approved by the Subject Examination Committee, the study module you have chosen will then be registered on your programme of study.

Roughly 84% of the world is religiously or spiritually affiliated. Despite their ubiquity and importance, religion and spirituality are overlooked topics in the psychological sciences. This module will examine the immense diversity of religious/non-religious/spiritual beliefs, values, experiences and practices in varying cultural contexts; and apply theory from across the psychological sciences to understand their causes and consequences. The module will also address methodological and ethical issues in studying the world’s religious and spiritual diversity; and provides an opportunity for integrating diverse streams of psychology (i.e., this module will integrate theory from social/cognitive/developmental/cultural evolutionary psychology and neuroscience to understand the cultural success of religion, non-religion, and spirituality).