Knowing how to manage your research effectively will be invaluable when producing quality work throughout your course. This module will teach you how to critically review existing literature, communicate effectively to a scientific audience and take into account ethical issues. You’ll then have the opportunity to put this into practice, preparing your own presentations and research proposal

Gain an in-depth understanding of theoretically influential papers within a chosen specialised area of psychology. In PS925 you will develop a critical awareness of advanced theoretical ideas in relation to a background of empirical knowledge. Specialist tutorials will enable you to refine your skills in critically analysing original scientifically important papers. You will also sharpen your communication skills by producing two essays and two oral presentations.

An advanced survey of major topics in contemporary experimental social psychology. Provide critical analysis of the relevant theory and research including: motivation, emotion, self and identity, intergroup bias, automaticity, existential psychology, social justice, evolutionary psychology and health.

Be inspired by the current research of the academics in your department, and examine major contemporary topics in individual differences and developmental psychology. In doing so, you’ll gain an insight into the major unresolved questions and controversies in the field, as well as the opportunity to engage critically and scientifically with relevant theory and research, in preparation for the research project module.

This module is an empirical investigation into an area of Psychology, leading to the production of a written report resembling research reviews published in Psychology journals. You will gain first-hand experience of behavioural methods and/or research techniques chosen in agreement with your placement supervisor(s). The unique aspect of this module is the focus on obtaining an in-depth understanding of a placement-specific research method (e.g., a psychological paradigm or research technique) through reading, discussion and application. There is no specific requirement for data collection beyond that which may be necessary for comprehensive understanding of the application of a paradigm or technique.

This module provides you with a detailed overview of the most common statistical tests used by postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in psychology. The module will build upon the module 'Statistics I' and will provide opportunities to specialise in advanced concepts and statistical techniques, including mixed effects modeling (aka multilevel modeling), factor analysis, bootstrapping and Bayesian statistics.