Module PSYC1062: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Department: Psychology

PSYC1062: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• For Single Honours Psychology students only: Introduction to Psychology I and Introduction to Psychology II. For other students taking the British Psychological Society accredited pathway in Psychology: Introduction to Psychology I OR Introduction to Psychology II

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to key research methods and statistical techniques used in psychology

Content

• This module introduces students to some of the methods used in conducting, analysing and presenting research in Psychology
• Students undertake a series of lectures and practical classes covering basic research skills:
• design of psychological studies
• data collection
• appropriate summarising, display and analysis of results using a statistical computing package
• and the production of structured critical research reports
• The module will also cover related conceptual and historical issues in psychology
• Research participation to introduce students to the wide range of experimental methods currently in use within the department and an understanding of research from the particpant's perspective

Learning Outcomes

• Basic knowledge of some key research methods in psychology
• Basic knowledge of some statistical methods for psychology

• Developing competence in the design and conduct of experiments, including hypothesis testing and data interpretation
• Developing skills in data handling and statistical analysis

• Developing ability to organise and utilise knowledge
• Developing written communication skills
• Developing IT skills and data presentation skills

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

• The lectures and practicals used in this module guide students' acquisition of some key research skills in Psychology, including the ability to organise and utilise knowledge and an understanding of the link between data and theory
• Assessment of these skills is achieved by a mix of formative and summative problems (which aim to help students gauge their knowledge of key facts and keep then focused on building their knowledge), the formative and summative practical reports and by the examination
• These latter assessments in addition to providing staff feedback of a student's standard of work, also allow students to hone their organisational, statistical and written abilities, and develop their understanding of theoretical issues
• Competence in the design and conduct of research is facilitated by all the teaching methods used
• Students, working in groups, are encouraged to develop their expertise by carrying out their own studies in later practical classes
• Assessment of this group is by the summative practicals, written up individually, and by the examination
• Training in the use of statistical analyses and statistical packages is provided via lectures and reinforced in the practical classes
• Competence of these skills is assessed by many of the weekly problems, the formative and summative practical assignments, where statistical analyses form part of the report, and by the exam, where the ability to apply basic statistical knowledge appropriately is appraised
• Written a skills training is provided primarily by the practical classes and by feedback from the formative assignments
• Written communication skills are also assessed in the summative assignments, where students are asked to produce structured critical research reports, and in the written examination
• Word processing skills are encouraged in the lectures and practical classes and supported by the provision of computing resources
• Appropriate feedback on IT skills is provided on all word processed work
• Learning through participation in research is fostered via the Psychology Department participant pool with students encouraged via course credit

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative practical report preparation. Typically, weekly problems relating to psychological research (e.g. statistical problems, short answer questions relating to experimental design).

■ 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