PS104-4-SP-CO:
Thinking and the Mind
2024/25
Psychology
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
28 March 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
PS421
BA 63C2 Psychological Studies,
BA 63C3 Psychological Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA 63C4 Psychological Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA C801 Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA C802 Psychology,
BA C807 Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BA C810 Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BSC C800 Psychology,
BSC C803 Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C811 Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BSC C812 Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BSC C806 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C808 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience,
BSC C809 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Placement Year),
BSC C813 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Foundation Year),
MSCIC999 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience,
MSCICA98 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Placement Year),
MSCICA99 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C814 Psychology with Economics,
BSC C815 Psychology with Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C816 Psychology with Economics (Including Placement Year),
BSC C817 Psychology with Economics (Including Foundation Year),
MSCIC998 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods,
MSCICB98 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods (Including Placement Year),
MSCICB99 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C680 Sport and Exercise Psychology,
BSC C681 Sport and Exercise Psychology (including Year Abroad),
BSC C682 Sport and Exercise Psychology (including Placement Year)
In this module, you'll study the internal mental processes that go on inside our brain that form the basis of our thoughts. We'll answer questions such as: what do visual illusions tell us about how we perceive the world? Are we really able to multi-task? How do we understand and produce speech, and is this different if you speak more than one language? You will learn the skills that psychologists use to conduct research to answer these questions, as well as core theories and knowledge about key topics in this area.
The aims of this module are:
- To provide students with knowledge of the cognitive processes underpinning thought.
- To provide students with the opportunity to learn about different mental processes (e.g. perception, attention and language) and the methods psychologists use to study them.
- To teach students about how to conduct simple statistical tests to investigate hypotheses, and how to critically evaluate research and theories.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Understand basic psychological theories, methods and statistics related to thinking and the mind, including perception, attention and language.
- Use simple statistical tests to investigate hypotheses arising from empirical studies.
- Understand the relationships between hypotheses, data and conclusions.
- To think critically about methods, results and theories in psychology.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- Nine lectures and six practical lab classes.
- Weekly drop-in support sessions.
Lectures will be focused on answering fundamental questions in cognitive psychology. Each question will be addressed by providing background knowledge of the research area before focusing in on specific research questions and findings. These will be used to explain the methodological principles and statistical techniques commonly used in studying the mind. Students will be encouraged to participate in lectures through discussion groups, asking questions, and also through the use of digital interactive platforms. This will ensure that the learning environment is inclusive for all students.
Lab classes will be used to provide students with the opportunity to implement the statistical methods that are discussed during the lecture, and also for further exercises and discussion.
Drop-in support sessions will provide an additional safety net for students to seek further assistance for anything that they are struggling with. Discussion forums on Moodle will provide an additional platform for students to seek asynchronous support and to identify areas that need further explanation.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Lab Report - Results |
03/02/2025 |
40% |
| Coursework |
Writing a critical discussion section |
07/02/2025 |
60% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Anna Hughes, email: anna.hughes@essex.ac.uk.
anna.hughes@essex.ac.uk
No
No
Yes
Prof Joanne Hudson
Swansea University
Professor
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Psychology
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