Undergraduate Catalogue of Courses 2012/2013
PSYCHOLOGY
Course Co-ordinator: Dr P Benson
Pre-requisite(s): None.
Note(s): Although this course has no co-requisites, it will be a co-requisite for Introductory Psychology I: Methods and Applications.
Topics will include: Biological psychology and developmental psychology.
The course will comprise 3 one-hour lectures/week and 4 one and a half-hour workshops per semester.
1st Attempt: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continuous assessment in workshops (25%).
Resit: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continuous assessments (25%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Peer feedback will be provided for workshops. In-class quizzes will be provided.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Pearson
Pre-requisite(s): None.
Co-requisite(s): PS 1009
The course will cover core experimental methods and research design in psychology. These experimental methods will be linked to a range of data handling techniques and interpretation skills.
The course will consist of a weekly group practical (2 hour) and lecture (1 hour), and 6 hours of individual participation in psychological experiments.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment of practicals (100%); including practical write ups, multiple choice assessments, and presentations.
Resit: Students will be able to repeat individual components.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will receive written feedback on continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr P Benson
Pre-requisite(s): None.
Note(s): Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory is a co-requisite for Introductory Psychology II: Methods and Applications.
Topics will include: Cognitive psychology, social psychology and perception.
The course will comprise 3 one-hour lectures/week and 4 one and a half-hour workshops per semester.
1st Attempt: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continous assessment in workshops (25%).
Resit: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continuous assessments (25%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Peer feedback will be provided for workshops. In-class quizzes will be provided.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Pearson
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009 and PS 1010.
Co-requisite(s): PS 1509.
Note(s):
The course will cover core experimental methods and research design in psychology. These experimental methods will be linked to a range of data handling techniques and interpretation skills.
The course will consist of weekly group practical (2 hours) and lecture (1 hour), and individual participation in 6 hours of psychological experiments.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment of practicals (100%); including practical write ups, multiple choice assessments and presentations.
Resit: Students will be able to repeat individual components.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will receive written feedback on continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr R Allen
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009 Introductory Psychology I: Concepts and Theory. PS 1509 Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory.
Note(s): Although this course, Advanced Psychology A: Concepts and Theory, has no co-requisites, it will be a co-requisite for Advanced Psychology A: Methods and Applications.
Topics will include: Cognition and language, organisational psychology and behavioural neuroscience.
The course will consist of 3 one-hour lectures/week and 2 one-hour workshops/semester.
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (70%); continuous assessment (20%) - essay no more than 2,000 words, workshop (10%).
Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (70%). Continuous assessment marks will remain unchanged.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
There are formative assessments associated with the lecture programme.
Students will receive written feedback during continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Sutherland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009 Introductory Psychology I: Concepts and Theory PS 1010 Introductory Psychology I: Methods and Applications PS 1509 Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory PS 1510 Introductory Psychology II: Methods and Applications
Co-requisite(s): PS 2015 Advanced Psychology A: Concepts and Theory.
This course will cover advanced experimental methods and basic statistical techniques in psychology. These methods will be linked to a range of data handling techniques and interpretation skills.
The course will consist of 1 one- hour lecture plus two-hours of small group practical work per week, and 2.5 hours of individual participation in psychology experiments per term.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%); including practical write-ups and MCQ quizzes.
Resit: Students will be able to repeat individual components.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Formative assessment will be provided through a subset of practical sessions and tutorials.
Students will receive written feedback on continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr R Allen
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009 Introductory Psychology I: Concepts and Theory. PS 1509 Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory.
Note(s): Although this course has no co-requisites, it will be a co-requisite for PS 2516
Topics will include: Perception, developmental psychology, social psychology and clinical psychology.
The course will consist of 3 one-hour lectures/week and 2 one-hour workshops/semester.
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (70%); continuous assessment (20%) - essay (no more than 2,000 words), workshop (10%).
Resit: 1 two-hour examination (70%). Continuous assessment marks will remain unchanged.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
There are formative assessments associated with the lecture programme.
Students will receive written feedback during continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Sutherland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 1009, PS 1010, PS 1509, PS 1510
Co-requisite(s): PS 2515 Advanced Psychology B: Concepts and Theory.
The course will cover core experimental methods in Developmental Psychology, Language & Cognition, and Social & Organizational Psychology. This course will cover advanced experimental methods and basic statistical techniques in psychology. These methods will be linked to a range of data handling techniques and interpretation skills.
The course will consist of 1 one-hour lecture plus two-hours of small group practical work per week, and 2.5 hours of individual participation in psychology experiments per term.
1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%); including practical write-ups and MCQ quizzes.
Resit: Students will be able to repeat individual components.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Formative assessment will be provided through a subset of practical sessions and tutorials.
Students will receive written feedback on continuous assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor J Crawford
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1010, PS 1509, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515, PS 2516 and permission of Head of School.
Note(s): This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours Degree programme in Psychology.
This course will impart the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out and evaluate psychological research using quantitative and qualitative methods.
1 one-hour lecture per week = 12 hours.
3 hours of practicals and workshops per week = 36 hours.
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour Multiple Choice examination (40%). Continuous assessment (60%), including a practical report (< 3000 words) and an oral presentation.
Resit: 1 two-hour Multiple Choice Examination (40%).
Continuous assessment (60%), including a practical report (< 3000 words) and an oral presentation.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will receive formative assessment of their progress during tutorials, by their practical supervisor during laboratory sessions, and via in-lecture review of specific learning outcomes.
Feedback on the oral presentation will be given by the supervising tutor.
Feedback on the practical report will be given as a marking form and specific written comments by the practical supervisor.
Formative feedback on tutorial exercises will be both written and verbal.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor L Phillips
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1010, PS 1509, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515 and PS 2516.
Co-requisite(s): PS 3012 and PS 3014 for Behavioural Studies. PS 3012, PS 3014, PS 3009 for Psychology. PS 3009 for Joint Honours.
The course will outline and evaluate various methods of psychological assessment and the application of psychological tests and will provide students with an understanding of psychometric theory. The course includes some historical background to developments in psychological assessment, considers applications of psychological assessment in a wide range of settings, and includes discussion of legal and ethical issues surrounding test administration and interpretation.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 x two-hour tutorial during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assignments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 3 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor A Sahraie
Pre-requisite(s): PS1009, PS1509, PS1010, PS1510, PS 2015, PS2016, PS2515, PS2516.
Spatial Vision, Temporal Vision, Depth Perception, Biopsychology of Vision, Role of Attention in Perception.
1 one-hour lecture per week, for 10 weeks.
2 two-hour workshops
1st Attempt: 1 one and a half-hour written examination (75%), peer assessed debate workshop (5%) and submission of a 600 word summary of debate material summarising the main points for a graduate audience (20%)
Resit: 1 one and a half-hour written examination (100%)
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will be given the opportunity to expand on the issues discussed in the lecture material. Groups of students will identify and collect material relevant to a discussion topic and will be provided with guidance from the tutor. They will discuss the material in a group in the following workshop and their contribution will assessed using a peer assessment overseen by the tutor. Each student will be required to submit a 600 word summary of the main points discussed in the debate as a report aimed at a group of fellow undergraduate community. These reports will be assessed by the tutor.
Groups will get feedback from the other group members in the discussions following their presentation.
The tutor will also provide the group with feedback on the content and ways to improve their work.
The tutor will provide feedback on the submitted short report.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Sutherland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1010, PS 1509, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515 and PS 2516.
Co-requisite(s): PS 3012 and PS 3011 for Behaviorial Studies. PS 3012, PS 3011, PS 3009 for Psychology. PS 3012 for Joint Honours and Neuroscience with Psychology.
The lectures on psychopharmacology will provide accounts of the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of common psychotropic medicines (including drugs used to treat schizophrenia, depression and anxiety) and recreational drugs (including alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy). The lectures on neuropsychology and biological psychology will provide accounts of how brain damage, genes and hormones can affect behaviour and cognition.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour tutorials during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assigments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 3 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor J Crawford
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1010, PS 1509, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515, PS 2516, PS 3009 and permission of Head of School.
Note(s): This course can only be taken by students pursuing an Honours Degree programme in Psychology.
This course will impart the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out and evaluate psychological research using quantitative methods.
1 one-hour lecture per week = 12 hours.
3 hours of practicals and workshops per week = 36 hours.
1st Attempt: 1 two-hour Multiple Choice examination (40%). Continuous assessment (60%), evaluating statistical and research skills.
Resit: 1 two-hour Multiple Choice examination (40%). Continuous assessment (60%), evaluating statistical and research skills.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students will receive formative assessment of their progress during workshops, by their practical supervisor during laboratory sessions, and via in-lecture review of specific learning outcomes.
Feedback on the oral presentation will be given orally by the supervising tutor.
Feedback on the practical report will be given as a marking form and specific written comments by the practical supervisor.
Formative feedback on tutorial exercises will be both written and verbal.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr J Hosie
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1509, PS 1010, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515, PS 2516.
Co-requisite(s): PS 3517 and PS 3519. (Joint Honours, PS 3517 only)
This course will examine both historical and contemporary issues and findings in perceptual development, language development, social and emotional development, and developmental psychopathology. The course will also cover a number of key conceptual issues including the role of nature versus nurture in human development, modularity and modularization, and the contribution of research on atypical development to our understanding of normal functioning.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour tutorial during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assigment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assigment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assigments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 3 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Pearson
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1509, PS 1010, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515, PS 2516.
Co-requisite(s): PS 3517 and PS 3518 (not for Joint Honours and Neuroscience with Psychology students).
The memory component of the course examines the cognitive study of human learning and memory; the modal and working memory models; the application of memory models to everyday cognition. The language component of the course examines cognitive mechanisms underlying sentence processing and production, and higher level processes of language comprehension.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour tutorials during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90 minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assignments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 2 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
Course Co-ordinator: Professor N Macrae
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1509, PS 1010, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS2515, PS 2016, PS 2516.
Co-requisite(s): PS 3518 and PS 3519. (Joint Honours, PS 3518 only).
The course will commence with a brief conceptual overview of experimental social psychology. Consideration will then be given to a range of core topics in social cognition. The historical context of each topic will be covered prior to an analysis of contemporary theoretical and empirical research.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and two one-hour tutorials during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90 minute written examination (75%), 750 word popular science article (20%), tutorial activities (5%).
Resit: One 90 minute written examination (75%), 750 word popular science article (20%), tutorial activities (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assignments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 3 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
PLEASE NOTE: Resit: (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Martin
Pre-requisite(s): 120 credit points from level 3 Psychology courses. This is a course for Single Honours Psychology students only.
A thesis based on an empirical investigation conducted under the guidance of a supervisor. This course will impart and develop the skills and knowledge required to conduct psychological research.
22 week course across both half-sessions - 1 one-hour supervision meeting per week. Laboratory work as required. Continues in second half-session. 3 one-hour lectures.
1st Attempt: Poster presentation (5%). Written thesis (95%). Assessment of the thesis counts for one ninth of the final Honours assessment.
Resit: Normally resubmission of an honours thesis.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students receive formative feedback from their supervisor for the duration of the project.
Feedback is provided to students from the supervisor and also from other members of staff at a poster session arranged at the start of the second half-session.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr S Cleland
Pre-requisite(s): 120 credit points from Level 3 Psychology courses.
Co-requisite(s): PS 4019
Note(s): This course is only open to students taking Combined Honours in Psychology. Such students will take Psychology A for Combined degree plus Psychology B for Combined degree plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.
Two options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.
12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every three weeks.
1st Attempt: 2 ninety minute written examinations (66%) and in-course assessment (33%).
Course Co-ordinator: Dr S Cleland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 1009, PS 1509, PS 1010, PS 1510, PS 2015, PS 2016, PS 2515, PS 2516, PS 3011, PS 3014, PS 3520, PS 3519.
Note(s): This course is only open to students taking the following degree programme: Single Honours Psychology, Single Honours Behavioural Studies, Honours Psychology/Behavioural Studies with minor subject.
Three options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.
12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour research seminar per week, 1 one-hour tutorial every fortnight.
1st Attempt: 3 ninety minute written examinations (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).
Course Co-ordinator: Professor A Sahraie
Pre-requisite(s): Level 4 Psychology Joint Honours degree students.
Introduction to some of the problems with the interpretation of retinal images.
Perception of wavelength and colour vision anomalies and deficits.
Stereopsis and theories of depth perception. Monocular and binocular cues to depth information.
Use of sinusoidal gratings in visual sensitivity experiments and the determination of the contrast sensitivity function (CSF).
Visual processing at the cortex. In particular cortical processing of orientation, colour and motion. Abnormalities of cortical processing. Similarities and differences in cortical architechture of human and monkey brain.
Pre-attentive and attentive processing of orientation, motion and colour. Investigation of visual attention using psychophysical and physiological techniques.
1st Attempt: 1 90-minute written examination 75%; in-course assessment 25%.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Sutherland
Pre-requisite(s): Level 4 Joint Honours Psychology or Behavioural Studies degree students only.
The lectures on psychopharmacology will provide accounts of the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of common psychotropic medicines (including drugs used to treat schizophrenia, depression and anxiety) and recreational drugs (including alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy). The lectures on neuropsychology and biological psychology will provide accounts of how brain damage, genes and hormones can affect behaviour and cognition.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour tutorials during the course.
1st attempt: One 90-minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90-minute written examination (75%), in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assignments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 3 weeks after assignment has been handed in.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Martin
Pre-requisite(s): PS 3011, PS 3012, PS 3014, PS 3517, PS 3518, PS 3519
Note(s): Restricted to students in Single Honours Behavioural studies degree.
A library based thesis conducted under the guidance of a supervisor. This course will impart and develop the skills and knowledge required to understand psychological research.
22 week course across both half-sessions - 1 one-hour supervision meeting per week. Library work as required. Continues in second half-session. 1 one-hour lectures.
1st Attempt: Annotated bibliography (10%). Written thesis (90%). The Behavioural Studies Single Honours Thesis course counts for one eighth of the final Honours assessment.
Resit: Normally resubmission of a Behavioural Studies Project Report.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students receive formative feedback from their supervisor for the duration of the project.
Feedback is provided to students from the supervisor.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Martin
Pre-requisite(s): 60 credit points from level 3 Psychology courses. This course is for Joint Honours Psychology students only.
A thesis based on an empirical investigation conducted under the guidance of a supervisor.
1 one-hour supervision meeting per week. Laboratory work as required. 3 one-hour lectures.
1st Attempt: In-course assessment (100%). The Psychology Joint Honours Thesis course counts for 1/16th of the final Honours assessment.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Martin
Pre-requisite(s): Credit points from level 3 courses. This course is for Joint Honours Behavioural Studies only.
A library based thesis conducted under the guidance of a supervisor.
1 one-hour supervision meeting per week. Library work as required. 1 one-hour lecture.
1st Attempt: Assessment of the library research project accounts for one eighth of the final Behavioural studies - joint assessment. Written thesis (100%). The Behavioural Studies Joint Honours thesis course counts for 1/18th of the final Honours assessment.
Resit: Normally resubmission of a thesis.
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Students receive formative feedback from their supervisor for the duration of the project.
Feedback is provided to students from the supervisor.
Course Co-ordinator: Dr S Cleland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 4029
Co-requisite(s): PS 4019
Note(s): This course is only open to students taking Combined Honours in Psychology. Such students will take Psychology A for combined degrees plus Psychology B for combined degrees plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.
Two options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.
12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every three weeks.
1st Attempt: 2 ninety minute written examinations (66%) and in-course assessment (33%).
Course Co-ordinator: Dr S Cleland
Pre-requisite(s): PS 4030
Co-requisite(s): PS 4013
Note(s): This course is only open to single honours psychology students. Students registered for single honours psychology will take Senior Honours Psychology A plus Senior Honours Psychology B plus PS 4019 (thesis). These students cannot take other listed fourth year psychology courses.
Three options chosen from a list made available by the School of Psychology and which may change from year to year. Tutorials and essays will consider general issues and current developments in psychology.
12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour research seminar, 1 one-hour tutorial every fortnight.
1st Attempt: 3 ninety minute written examinations (75%) and in-course assessment (25%).
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D Pearson
Pre-requisite(s): Level 4 Psychology Joint Honours degree students.
The memory component of the course examines the cognitive study of human learning and memory; the modal and working memory models; the application of memory models to everyday cognition. The language component of the course examines cognitive mechanisms underlying sentence processing and production, and higher level processes of language comprehension.
12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture per week and 1 two-hour tutorial during the course.
1st Attempt: One 90-minute written examination (75%); in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Resit: One 90-minute written examination (75%); in-course written assignment of no more than 2,000 words (20%), activities during tutorials (5%).
Formative Assessment and Feedback Information
Feedback on tutorial activities and on written assignments. Example exam questions in lectures.
Oral feedback on tutorial activities by the supervising tutor. Written feedback on written assignment within 2 weeks after assignment has been handed in.