Module PSYC3941: Face and Body Perception

Department: Psychology

PSYC3941: Face and Body Perception

Prerequisites

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To provide in-depth knowledge and understanding of how humans perceive bodies and faces, including visual perception of others’ faces and bodies, and the subjective sense of one’s own body. We will focus on the psychological and neural processes underlying these visual and multisensory abilities, in typical adults, typical development, and in pathologies.

Content

• Topics can vary from year to year, but are likely to include:
• The recognition of visually derivable information from faces and bodies, such as identity, emotion, age, gender, ethnic background
• Face recognition and face learning
• The production and perception of emotional expressions
• First impressions from faces and bodies
• How we represent, perceive and identify our own faces and bodies
• Sense of body ownership and sense of agency
• How our perception of others is related to our perception of ourselves
• How these abilities develop across the lifespan
• How these abilities differ in people with certain psychological or neurological conditions

Learning Outcomes

• Detailed knowledge and understanding of the psychological and neural processes underlying face and body perception and recognition, including current theory and evidence.

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately.

• Good written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines.

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

• The module will be taught by lecture, within lecture interactive elements such as small group work and discussions, audio-visual materials, and detailed reading lists.
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence.
• Lectures, discussions and small group work will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work, to introduce them to a range of different theoretical positions, and encourage them to understand their inter-relations.
• The summative written assessment will assess students' detailed subject knowledge and understanding on a specific topic or issue.
• The exam will assess students' detailed subject knowledge and understanding across a wider range of topics covered within the module.
• The summative assessments will assess students’ ability to organise, synthesise, and evaluate theories and empirical evidence coherently and critically in written form in response to set questions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None

■ 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