module specification

PC6P01 - Psychology Project (2015/16)

Module specification Module approved to run in 2015/16
Module title Psychology Project
Module level Honours (06)
Credit rating for module 30
School Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing
Total study hours 300
 
30 hours Scheduled learning & teaching activities
270 hours Guided independent study
Assessment components
Type Weighting Qualifying mark Description
Coursework 15%   Poster Presentation
Dissertation 85%   Report, of which the section 'Press Release' is weighed 5% of the total mark for the report.
Attendance Requirement 0%   Attendance at semesterly Learning Manager Meeting
Running in 2015/16

(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change)
Period Campus Day Time Module Leader
Year North Wednesday Afternoon

Module summary

This module provides each student with the opportunity of studying an area of psychology in depth, involving designing a piece of research and the collection, assessment and interpretation of the data.

Prior learning requirements

PC5001 Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology

Module aims

The aims of this module are aligned with the qualification descriptors within the Quality Assurance Agency’s Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.  This module will provide each student with the opportunity of studying an area of psychology in depth, involving designing a piece of research and the collection, assessment and interpretation of the data. This module aims to provide students with the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: written and oral communication skills, independent study and time keeping, understanding of the scientific method, statistical analyses and the ability to complete a full professional report of research findings. 

Syllabus

There is no taught syllabus as students will study material relevant to their own independent project. Workshops will be held approximately every 4 teaching weeks during the year or as appropriate to the current status of project progression.

Learning and teaching

Each student has a project supervisor whose role is to advise and monitor progress and to intervene in the case of problems. Students commit to a research topic, carry out a literature search on the topic and write a research proposal on which they receive feedback. This feedback develops students’ understanding of how to design research, which is interesting, relevant, valid and ethical. The research proposal also enables modifications to be made at this stage to ensure that students do not pursue projects that are fundamentally flawed, and that the department has the necessary material and staff resources to carry out the research. Furthermore, all project proposals undergo initial ethical scrutiny by the project supervisor, then by the Ethics Committee of the School of Psychology. Once proposals are approved, students carry out the data collection and analyse the data independently. They receive feedback on the first version of the research report to ensure that their interpretation and discussion is based on meaningful treatment of the data.

 

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student will:

  1. present in-depth knowledge and understanding of a selected topic in psychology;
  2. be able to evaluate previous theory and research to derive meaningful research questions and/ or testable hypotheses from a theoretical basis;
  3. have developed an understanding of the process involved to design a valid and ethical research study;
  4. have independent experience in data collection;
  5. be able to independently select and carry out appropriate analysis on a given data set;
  6. be able to interpret results appropriately in terms of the research questions/ hypotheses, and be able to relate it to the wider theoretical context;
  7. be able to report a study in a style appropriate for psychological journals;
  8. be able to present independent research to others via oral presentations.

Assessment strategy

Achievement of the learning outcomes is assessed by the final report and the poster presentation.

Bibliography

Wood, C., Giles, D., & Percy, C. (2012). Your Psychology Project Handbook: Becoming a researcher (2nd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
BPS Code of Conduct and Ethics:
http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_ethics_and_conduct.pdf

Students are expected to find appropriate sources through academic databases.