LPSYC5244 Psychology of Individual Differences Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course will explore the science of human differences.

The course will cover personality types, cognitive styles, intelligence and its measurement (e.g. psychometrics); positive psychology, physical and mental health; diversity. Further, students gain knowledge on integrated areas of the study of individual differences (e.g., genetics and epidemiology). Skills, which will be developed, are related to an evaluation of what makes us different from one another but also of what we have in common. Students will study and practice methods for recognizing and understanding human diversity of various kinds and will describe how notions of human difference have changed over time; they will evaluate and compare two or more theories of human difference and approaches to cultivating and leveraging diversity; finally they will connect theories of human difference and approaches to diversity to one’s own experience.

Students will study and practice methods and tools of data analysis and use; at the same time will also learn to be sensitive to ethical concerns associated with data: security, privacy, confidentiality, and fairness.

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

Assessment is used as a tool for learning, not only a post hoc measurement of learning.

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 Assessments

The written assignment for this course will take the form of a lab report where students can use their research and analytical skills

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.

• Personality and Individual Differences, 2014, T Chamorro-Premuzic
• BPS Textbooks in Psychology
• Key Thinkers in Individual Differences: Ideas on Personality and Intelligence, 2019, A Forsythe, Routledge

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.

• Psychometrics
• Personality
• Diversity
• Physical and Mental Health