PS111-4-FY-CO:
Discovering Psychology: The Science Behind Human Behaviour
2021/22
Psychology
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 07 October 2021
Friday 01 July 2022
30
13 April 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
LG215, PS212, PS414, PS416
BA L3C8 Criminology with Social Psychology,
BA L3H8 Criminology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BA LHC8 Criminology with Social Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA 63C2 Psychological Studies,
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),
BA CL83 Sociology with Social Psychology,
BA CL93 Sociology with Social Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BA CLV3 Sociology with Social Psychology (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),
BA C841 Economics with Psychology,
BA C851 Economics with Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA C861 Economics with Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BSC C148 Economics with Psychology,
BSC C149 Economics with Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BSC C158 Economics with Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C168 Economics with Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BENGH169 Neural Engineering with Psychology,
BENGH170 Neural Engineering with Psychology (including Placement Year),
BENGH171 Neural Engineering with Psychology (including Year Abroad),
BENGH172 Neural Engineering with Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BSC H167 Neural Technology with Psychology,
BSC H168 Neural Technology with Psychology (including Year Abroad),
BSC H176 Neural Technology with Psychology (including Placement 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)
This module is an introduction to the core topics that comprise psychology. It will include lectures on biological psychology and neuroscience, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and the study of individual difference. It each lecture you will be introduced to some of the main theoretical ideas which underpin study in that area of psychology.
The principle aim of the module is to make students familiar with the way psychologists have and are tackling the investigation of human behaviour. This familiarity is also intended to offer the psychology student a basic command of areas of research that will be covered in more detail in future years of a psychology degree programme.
The module will therefore introduce students to a wide variety of topics. Students will learn about the most important empirical findings, theories, and the current state of research in a number of areas of psychological inquiry.
At the end of the module, studens should:
1. Have knowledge and understanding of:
a) Basic psychological theory, research methods and statistics.
b) Psychological theory within the core domains as outlined by the British Psychological Society.
This is assessed in the two Coursework MCQ tests.
2. Be able to:
a) Critically evaluate the relative strengths of a range of theories and techniques used in psychology
b) Communicate ideas effectively by producing written reports/essays.
This is assessed in the two Coursework Essay.
Each main lecture will cover a broad subject area in psychology and will be designed around one of the chapters in the module textbook. The lectures are intended to serve as a guide to student reading of the relevant chapter and further reading about that topic. The tutorials are designed to support subject understanding and help students to prepare for the coursework (one essay in each term).
The module runs over the autumn and spring terms. It consists of one 2-hr lecture per week, one 1-hr tutorial per term, and one office hour per week. A lecturer will be available during a weekly office hour to further discuss the content of lectures if students so wish.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Coursework MCQ Test A |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Coursework MCQ Test B |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Coursework Essay A |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
Coursework Essay B |
|
25% |
Additional coursework information
Tests and the end-of-year exam will address material from the lectures, tutorials and textbook. Students are also required to submit a formative essay for feedback before any summative work is due to be submitted.
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 Andrew Simpson, email: asimpson@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Andrew Simpson, Dr Philip Cozzolino, Dr Alex Sel, Dr Vanessa Loaiza, Prof Chris Barry
email: asimpson@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 64 hours, 56 (87.5%) hours available to students:
4 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
4 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Psychology
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