Module PSYC2021: SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Department: Psychology

PSYC2021: SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Prerequisites

• Either (i) or (ii). (i) Introduction to Psychology 2: Understanding Development, Social Interaction and Mental Illness (PSYC1081) OR (ii) Introduction to Psychology 1: How the Mind and how the Brain works and what happens when it all goes wrong (PSYC1071) AND Introduction to Psychological Research (PSYC1062).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The first part of the course is to introduce the student to the study of social development as a branch of developmental psychology.
• It will be concerned with understanding our various characteristics as social beings by examining their origins and changing nature in early experience.
• The aim of the second part of the course is to examine the contribution that social psychology has made to an understanding of the relations between persons and social structures.
• It will explore the nature of joint activity and such social products as crowds and groups.

Content

• The module provides broad coverage of social development focussing on the following topics: attachment, social influences on language, play, peers and friendship, theory of mind, self, emotional development, gender development, and bullying.
• The social psychology lectures introduce students to studies of groups, group processes and intergroup relations, collective behaviour and social movements, and the reciprocal relations between social structure and cognition, emotion and personality.

Learning Outcomes

• A broad body of knowledge relating to social and developmental psychology, with in-depth knowledge of some topics

• Understand the relationship between theory and data, including the ability to evaluate theories and concepts
• Ability to formulate research questions and hypotheses

• Competent in written communication skills
• Competent IT skills in word processing and data presentation
• Effective retrieval and organisation of material
• Locate, read and review a body of research evidence
• Critical evaluation of the quality of evidence and arguments
• Ability to adopt diffrent theoretical positions and see relationships between them

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Acquisition of knowledge and understanding in the areas of social and developmental psychology is facilitated by the material covered in lectures and workshops, and the provision of detailed reading lists.
• This knowledge will be assessed in the formative and summative assessments, and the written examination.
• These assessments will be essay-based, providing students with the opportunities to demonstrate their abilities to organise, review and evaluate evidence and theory, to provide critical appraisal, and to contrast theoretical positions.
• Feedback on progress in acquiring knowledge in the module is provided in the formative assessment.
• The skills of understanding of the relationship between theory and data, effective retrieval and organisation of material, abilities to locate, read, review and critically evaluate research evidence, and to interpret theoretically are fostered through lecture and workshop activities, and will be assessed in the formative and summative assessments, and the examination.
• Feedback on student progress in developing these skills is provided in the formative assessment.
• Scientific reasoning skills will be fostered in group discussions in the workshops, and through feedback on the formative assessment.
• The summative assessment and examination will assess students' abilities in this area.
• The ability to organise and utilise knowledge is developed through workshop activities and preparation for essays and examinations.
• Feedback on the formative essay allows students to gauge their progress in this area.
• Assessment is via essays and the examination.
• Written communication skills are developed through feedback on the formative assessment, and are assessed in the summative essay and written examination.
• Feedback is provided on the adequacy of word processing skills as required on the formative essay.
• A key component in the preparation of essays is the acquisition of adequate word processing skills.
• Feedback is provided regarding the adequacy of these skills where necessary.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 1500 word essay due in Michaelmas term. No collections required.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University