PS416-5-SP-CO:
Personality and Individual Differences
2024/25
Psychology
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
16 November 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
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 C800JS Psychology,
BSC C800NS 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)
This module is intended to provide a parsimonious account of theories and approaches to personality and individual differences. A number of areas of Psychology will be covered including cognitive, trait theories and biological.
This module will also cover influential topics in individual differences that are contemporary and exciting. This module will give students a theoretical and research-based knowledge of the sources of individual differences in behaviour.
The aims of this module are:
- To investigate theories of personality, i.e. to what extent do differences in temperament influence people's behaviour.
- To investigate theories of intelligence, i.e. how and why people differ in their problem solving and inference skills.
- To explore further contemporary debates and applications in individual differences, i.e. how do individual differences explain a wealth of human behaviours, feelings and thinking.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate methodology, research, and theoretical approaches in personality, intelligence and individual differences.
- Critically evaluate a range of theories and methods used in personality, intelligence and individual differences.
- Understand how research in this topic area informs debates about real-world issues.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 1-hour teaching sessions which will vary in content.
The teaching sessions are made up of a combination of lecture podcasts, live lectures and drop-in sessions. Students are expected to attend all teaching sessions. This module will be taught by blended learning. This will combine online material and face to face sessions where appropriate.
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 |
MCQ Test |
|
100% |
| Exam |
Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 24hr during Summer (Main Period)
|
| Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 24hr during September (Reassessment Period)
|
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 Tracy Robinson, email: tracy@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Tracy Robinson, Dr Max Roberts, Dr Gijsbert Stoet
tracy@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Thomas Hunt
University of Derby
Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Dr John Patrick Rae
Roehampton University
Reader in Psychology
Available via Moodle
Of 7 hours, 7 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Psychology
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.