PS101-4-AU-CO:
Understanding our place in the world

The details
2023/24
Psychology
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
10 August 2023

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BA 63C2 Psychological Studies,
BA 63C3 Psychological Studies (Including Year Abroad),
BA 63C4 Psychological Studies (Including Placement Year),
BA C801 Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BA C802 Psychology,
BA C807 Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BA C810 Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BSC C800 Psychology,
BSC C803 Psychology (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C811 Psychology (Including Placement Year),
BSC C812 Psychology (Including Foundation Year),
BSC C806 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C808 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience,
BSC C809 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Placement Year),
BSC C813 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Foundation Year),
MSCIC999 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience,
MSCICA98 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Placement Year),
MSCICA99 Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C814 Psychology with Economics,
BSC C815 Psychology with Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C816 Psychology with Economics (Including Placement Year),
BSC C817 Psychology with Economics (Including Foundation Year),
MSCIC998 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods,
MSCICB98 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods (Including Placement Year),
MSCICB99 Psychology with Advanced Research Methods (Including Year Abroad),
BSC C680 Sport and Exercise Psychology,
BSC C681 Sport and Exercise Psychology (including Year Abroad),
BSC C682 Sport and Exercise Psychology (including Placement Year)

Module description

This module will explore questions such as: Is intelligence fixed? Is our memory reliable? How do we learn? By introducing a range of approaches from across psychology, we will address such questions from different perspectives and provide the foundations needed to become a successful university student. This module will also begin your training on designing and carrying out psychology experiments, and dealing with the information that those experiments provide.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To introduce students to different ways to approach the psychology of human memory.

  • To introduce students to cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and the brain basis of behaviour.

  • To provide the foundations required to think about, write about and investigate psychological processes.

  • To begin teaching students how to summarise scientific writing as well as to calculate and present the results of psychology experiments.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Demonstrate a knowledge of the different fields of study within psychology.

  2. Summarise a passage of scientific writing.

  3. Use appropriate software to calculate and graphically present summary data collected from a psychology experiment.

  4. Demonstrate an understanding of human memory.

  5. Demonstrate an appreciation of the role played by students in their learning.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • Nine lectures and six practical lab classes.
  • Weekly drop-in support sessions.

Lectures will have a twin focus: Firstly, they will consider important questions about human memory by introducing different fields of psychological study; Secondly, they will challenge students to consider how they learn and the different features required to be a successful student. Students will be encouraged to participate in lectures though discussion groups, asking questions, and also through the use of digital interactive platforms. This will ensure that the learning environment is inclusive for all students.

Lab classes will introduce experimental design, data collection and data presentation and allow space to discuss issues raised in lectures. They will be used to provide students with the opportunity to implement the skills and methods that are discussed during the lectures, and also for further discussion.

Drop-in support sessions will provide a safety net for students to seek further assistance for anything that they are struggling with. Discussion forums on moodle will provide an additional platform for students to seek further support and to identify areas that need more explanation.

Bibliography

This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non - essential items, please refer to the module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Class Test    50% 
Coursework   Participation Sona Signup    2% 
Coursework   Data Summary    24% 
Coursework   Written Summary    24% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Steffan Kennett, email: skennett@essex.ac.uk.

 

Availability
No
No
Yes

External examiner

Prof Joanne Hudson
Swansea University
Professor
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 81 hours, 76 (93.8%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
5 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Psychology

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