PSYCHOLOGY

This module introduces you to key developmental psychology approaches to understanding people from birth through to older adults, with a wide range of developmental stages inbetween. Much of the traditional developmental literature focuses on babies and children, yet this module will use those approaches to bring our understanding right up to date and apply contemporary research to development at all stages of the lifespan. You will learn about typical development and what that may look like, but psychologists are often concerned more with atypical development as a better understanding of how this can help inform how we work with and support people whose development may have caused problems for them and others. This module will bring in key learning and core psychology covered in other modules you have completed so far, and you will explore attachments that we form to others' emotional development and theory of mind.

This module focuses on one of the two main approaches to undertaking psychological research and you will learn through a variety of lectures, workshops, practical tasks, and computer-based sessions. Here, you will develop a richer understanding of research questions that may be best answered by taking a qualitative approach, and from there, grasp the different methodological options to answering such questions. Qualitative research is becoming increasingly appreciated in psychology as it really helps us answer the why? questions. It allows us to gather a wealth of data in diverse ways, which rather than numbers, is usually words. It may even be images or rigorous interpretation of multimedia sources. Different approaches to understanding research from a qualitative perspective will be introduced to you and you will get the opportunity in class for practical-based work, where you not only devise project ideas, but will collect qualitative data using a choice of methods. Here you can try out your skills of interviewing and conducting focus groups and use the data you collect to make sense of a complex problem. You will get the chance to analyse data using a specialist software package in our computer lab and interpret it in line with your chosen approach.

While studying this module, you will be exposed to a wide range of exciting topics, which will allow you to gain an insight into the inner workings of the human mind. This branch of psychology will focus on the scientific concept of metacognition and the act of thinking about thinking. Here, you will study topics such as memory, attention, problem-solving, language and decision-making, where you will delve into why we act the way we do and how we may be able to control our mind under pressure, across different environments, and with different people. You will learn about the function and structure of the brain and explore some of the mysteries that influence the way we think, feel and behave. One key area you will study will be perception, where you will explore how we interpret and make sense of incoming visual, auditory and tactile information to construct how we see the world. You will not only learn about these topics in the classroom, but will have access to the labs to bring the theory to life and develop your practical learning opportunities, using specialist psychological equipment and software.

This module will focus on the biological basis of human behaviour, and you will explore the role of genetics and the environment and how the two operate to affect behaviour. Have you ever wondered why we sometimes get a physical response to psychological problems? Well, neuroscience may hold some answers for you and this module will help you understand, through the scientific study of the nervous system. The relationship between the brain and our behaviour is complex and you will look at testing some of these links by undertaking practical sessions in our psychology lab with specialist equipment. These small group sessions will help you contextualise your theoretical learning from lectures, and you will be able to develop your understanding of how much ‘nature’ has to do with how we think, feel and behave.

This module explores the other main approach to undertaking psychological research, which takes a numerical approach to working with data. You will have a fundamental understanding of quantitative research from your first-year research module, and this will help you further explore the importance of identifying and evaluating patterns in behaviour, psychological functioning and experience. You will generate and explore hypotheses and research questions drawing on relevant theory and research. To consolidate your theoretical understanding, you will spend time in the psychology labs and conduct empirical studies involving a variety of data collection methods, including experiments, observation and questionnaires. You will get some hands-on experience using specialist software, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments, so that you can apply psychological knowledge ethically and safely to real-world problems.

Psychology as a discipline has often been seen to focus on the negatives and problems that exist, with a view to offering solutions and support to overcome them. Positive psychology takes an alternative approach in that it explores how character strengths and behaviours can help us live optimum lives and how we can flourish. It even looks at how we can grow positively following trauma (post traumatic growth). In this module, you will explore some of the concepts associated with positive psychology, such as hope, gratitude, humour and resilience, and analyse the research around their contribution to thriving and living a full meaningful life. You will then apply this theoretical understanding to a range of contexts where positive psychology is applied and consider effectiveness of interventions which utilise this approach. This could be across health care, educational or forensic services where the use of positive psychology interventions may be beneficial for the individual and for wider communities.

This double credit module allows you to showcase your research knowledge and skills developed over the course so far. Here, you will select a topic of interest which is worthy of further study, and you will design a research project to help you answer a specific question. Through applying your skills in literature searching, synthesis of findings and appreciation of selecting the best methodology, you will devise your research plan and then carry out this research. You will then report on the findings, making sense of them through analysing and making logical recommendations for future work. This dissertation is something we will support you to be ready for over your course, and you will be allocated an academic supervisor who will be there to support. This research project can be related to any area of psychology you choose so it allows for you changing interests over the course. After all, we will be opening your minds to question different approaches and to inform you about areas of psychological work you never knew existed. Over your previous modules of study, you will have been exploring ethical guidelines, frameworks and practice and across your research, you will be demonstrating your application of these by making ethical decisions about the route you take and ensuring participant safety. You will also have studied modules in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and so the choice is yours as to which approach you take. You may even combine the two and take a mixed methods approach to answering your question. This project will help you bring together your skills of problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and communication, ready for the next stage in your studies or career journey.

This innovative module gives you the opportunity to go into a relevant workplace and gain practical experience, applying psychological theories to real-world contexts. You will have the opportunity to match your workplace to an area that links well to your future goals and that helps you further develop your transferable skills to help you on your way to your dream job. This module will have a mix of classroom-based learning and built-in hours, which you have flexibility in accruing to help you complete your work-based learning. During this time, you will develop your reflective skills and assess your personal development goals, gaining feedback from both academic staff and leaders in the workplace. By the end of this module, you will have built up evidence for your CV and future interviews, but more importantly, you will have had chance to assess what you found valuable and what not so about a different work-based experience/environment/client group.

Throughout your course so far, you will have learnt about a range of mental health conditions and been introduced to some different psychological treatment approaches. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most widely available and practised, due to robust empirical evidence, yet there are many alternative therapeutic approaches which are increasingly being recommended. This module will focus on the NHS-recommended talking therapies, including different approaches to CBT dependent upon the client/group and condition, for example trauma-focused CBT. You will get to explore therapies such as eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EDMR), interpersonal therapy, mindfulness approaches to therapy and a range of counselling approaches. Through your exploration, you will evaluate the appropriateness of each and work with real world examples to complete case formulation and direct interventions, using an evidence-based approach.

Psychological assessment can be implemented in many different forms across diverse contexts. This module will give you a broad overview of some examples of assessment and how they may be utilised, giving you the opportunity to consider how you may select the right assessment and implement it to help inform recommendations for an individual, organisation or client group. You will be able to use your psychological knowledge which has been developed over the course to explore the use of psychometric tools in assessing concepts and develop this to explore broader clinical approaches to assessment. A range of practitioners will explore the application of different assessments with you across their areas of expertise and in addition to practically applying some tools to yourself, you will be able to use your enhanced appreciation of the complex process to devise your own assessment plans to help with real-world problems.

Here, you will apply your wealth of psychological knowledge gained from over the course to working in forensic practice. The focus will initially be on working with offenders and how psychology can help us understand more about an offender's route into committing crimes. The application of psychology to assessing risk of future behaviour will be considered, as well as considering appropriate interventions that can target a range of offender needs. The module will shift its focus to the application of psychology to understanding the victim experience and the treatment needs that may arise following victimisation. This module will have you completing offender assessments and treatment plans and give you a strong understanding of a range of jobs which you may progress in to with an interest in this applied field, working within prisons, probation, police or victim’s services.

Health psychology is an area which applies psychological theory to behaviours which are relevant to illness and health. This module will provide you with an overview of the scope of this growing field and how psychology can help us understand and develop approaches to healthcare, working with people of all ages, health conditions and psychological needs. This module will have input from health psychologists working in practice and you will be able to work on simulated real-world cases, while understanding the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork with other health care professionals. Health psychologists often work to address public health issues and use their psychological knowledge to better understand problems and support individual or groups through delivering and evaluating interventions. This module will give you a strong understanding of a range of jobs which you may progress in to with an interest in this applied field, working within hospital, community healthcare providers or educational settings.

Here, you will apply your wealth of psychological knowledge gained from over the course to educational psychology and understand the breadth of work in this area and how psychology can help inform specific assessments and practice with young people. Considering the application of developmental psychology and social psychology in particular, you will explore the classroom environment in terms of both the groups and the individuals, considering how psychological theory can be applied to help us understand special education needs and evidence-based interventions to support learning. This module will give you a strong understanding of a range of jobs which you may progress into with an interest in this applied field, working within schools, pupil referral units or community-based youth services.

Studying the Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology module will give you access to promoting psychology in a wide range of sport and exercise settings, across various populations, to address key areas around performance, wellbeing and physical activity. Here, you will design and implement both psychological skills training (goal setting, imagery and self-talk) and behavioural interventions to help enhance performance, increase exercise adherence and improve wellbeing. You will explore the role of psychology when working within multidisciplinary teams and how the discipline can be used to inform and enhance other professionals’ work, which is essential for best practice. Whether it is working with a client who is new to exercise or delivering psychology at the cutting edge within a high-performance environment, we will explore how behaviour guides and impacts an individual’s ability to achieve their goals. You will benefit from learning contemporary case studies, practical exercises and role-play scenarios, from lecturers with industry experience in order to bridge the gap between theory and practice.