LPSYC52101 Research Methods in Psychology Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course will show students how psychological research is conducted. Students will develop a thorough understanding of quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods used in psychology and will learn how to generate and explore hypotheses and choose the best method according to the research question asked, drawing on relevant theory and research. Students will further develop basic principles of sound data collection and analysis through extensive work in naturalistic and experimental settings. Subject-specific skills will allow students to develop a critical understanding of the role of research design, best choice of research method and the analytical approach taken to testing psychological theories.  The course will support the students in applying multiple perspectives to psychological issues, integrating ideas and findings across those perspectives; evaluating patterns in behaviour, psychological functioning and experience; psychological knowledge will be applied ethically and safely to real-life problems. The course will extend knowledge and appropriate application of the full range of research methods. Students will learn about the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct and the BPS Code of Human Research ethics and how this must be followed when research undertaken involves human participants. Students will thus be able to evaluate the moral and ethical elements of an issue, problem, or situation.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures/seminars/labs/studios/workshops

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

• Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

• Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within office hours, interactive teaching sessions, and/or the VLE. Summative grades are typically provided through the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The set exercises will be a range of practical research activities, which amongst others, will ensure that the students demonstrate understanding of guidelines to real world scenarios ; the written assignment, which will be in the format of a lab report.

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments or through email or the VLE) and oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).    

Feedback on summative examinations is typically provided through generic internal examiners’ reports which are made available on the VLE. Feedback on all summative assessments is made available to the student through the VLE or another appropriate method. 

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

• Discovering Research Methods in Psychology: A Student’s Guide (BPS Textbook Psychology – Blackwell, 2009).

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below are used as part of the approval/modification process only.

• Knowledge and understanding of how to obtain and analyse evidence.
• Apply multiple perspectives to psychological issues.