Psychology MSci

You will choose a topic to research with the help of a supervisor and the course convenor. The topic will normally be based on the interests and skills you have developed during the course. 

This module involves problem-based learning to support lectures on neuroimaging topics. Topics covered include an introduction to computer programming with MATLAB, the design and analysis of behavioural experiments, and the analysis of functional MRI data. 

In this module, you'll gain practical research experience. It could include a range of activities such as literature searching, study design, ethics, obtaining participants, data collection and analysis, and writing reports. The specific content will depend on the individual Internship. 

The module provides an insight into some more advanced or specialised techniques of data collection, organisation and analysis in psychological research (eg eye-tracking, EEG, fMRI, TMS, computational modeling, diary methodologies and workshops). Lectures will include implementation of analytical procedures in, for example, specialised data management and statistical packages and on specialised data-gathering equipment and software.

This module focuses on the analytical, practical and ethical organisation of social science research. The analytical organisation is often referred to as research design and will constitute the bulk of the content of this course. Research design consists of choices necessary to transform a research question into actual research. These choices pertain to strategies and modes of case selection, observation methods, data collection and modes of analysis, and these choices pertain equally to so-called ‘qualitative’, ‘quantitative’ and ‘mixed-methods’ studies.

Every research question can be elaborated in different ways (different designs), none of which will be ideal in all respects as the various choices pertain involve. Each design has its own implications in terms of costs and in terms of potential threats to the validity of its eventual conclusions. The module discusses these implications and how to handle the resulting choice problems in actual practice. 

In this module, you will engage with three distinct parts:

• science and the philosophical critique of science
• epistemological debates in the social sciences - including, but not limited to, positivism and its critics, interpretative approaches including phenomenology, critical realism, social construction and the politics of knowledge and the sociology of science
• the funding environment - interdisciplinarity and the impact agenda

This module familiarises you with the concept of mental health and the issues surrounding the classification, aetiology and treatment of mental illness.

How can we better understand mental illness and how can we treat it?

Thoughts, feelings and behaviours combine in patterns to formulate specific syndromes or sets of symptoms that can be looked at from different perspectives in mental health research and practice.

A range of pharmacological, psychological, behavioural and psychosocial models adopted in mental health and illness will be covered in this module with reference to common mental health problems or disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

By the end of this module, you should be able to understand key relevant concepts and critically appraise the evidence concerning models of research and therapeutic interventions; this knowledge and understanding will be gradually developed throughout the module and will be assessed at the end of the module in the form of an essay on one of the taught topics.

This course will provide you with multi-disciplinary perspectives on dementia – an increasingly common condition that may affect, directly or indirectly, many of our lives.

There are many areas of enquiry that improve our understanding and can improve the quality of life for people with dementia, their families and professionals who work with them.

We hear from leading researchers and experienced practitioners: psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, music therapists, arts therapists and care providers. We discover from sociolinguistic experts how dementia is represented in the media and about the impact on public understanding. We find out that alcohol is a risk factor, and reflect on how public health messages about drinking can best be framed. We hear about the latest research in assistive and information communication technologies for people with dementia, about managing dementia whilst still in employment, and the challenges of providing healthcare in rural communities. We also learn about decision-making and ethical challenges.

The content of this module is designed from the perspective of psychologists working in multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams. Topics are covered from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. These include intervention strategies for impairment of language, perception, memory, attention and executive skills. In addition, techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical intervention will be discussed. There will be an emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and there will be teaching on systematic reviews as part of the module. 

This module provides a conceptual overview of the various approaches and debates associated with theory and practice of qualitative research. It examines a range of contrasting perspectives on the design of research including problem identification, selection and sampling, and analysis. Research ethics, and the role of the researcher in generating qualitative data, are key themes which run through the module. Specific consideration is given to the ways in which qualitative and quantitative approaches may be seen as complementary, and the use of mixed methods. The module will also cover the ways in which qualitative research can be evaluated. The module will also facilitate dialogue between members of different social science disciplines, to give an understanding of how some issues or practices may be viewed differently from different disciplinary perspectives. 

In this module you will gain insights into the difficulties of assessing, diagnosing and treating mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions in children and adolescents.

You’ll hear from experts in the field about what works, what doesn’t work and the factors that can influence outcomes in children and young people.

You will be encouraged to read widely to enhance your understanding of the effects of lifespan factors on conditions that emerge in childhood and will be exposed to the latest scientific developments in the field.

Your knowledge will be assessed by an oral presentation which you will put together and deliver to a small group of peers and staff and you will also design a research project that could advance the field.

This module is ideal for those of you considering pursuing a career focusing on child and adolescent mental health or for anyone with an interest in this area.

Experience a brain imaging session at our on-campus MRI centre. You will then analyse one of the data sets in further lab classes. 

You will be introduced to some of the standard tools used across many labs (including FSL, the FMRIB Software Library from Oxford).

This module covers contemporary issues in selection and assessment both from a psychological perspective and as an important personnel system for organisations. It provides discussion of: the nature of the selection system, organisational and job analysis, recruitment, selection interviewing and psychometric testing, selection validation, the nature and use of assessment centres, and the adverse impact of selection methods. The emphasis throughout the module is on selection as a process comprising an identification stage, a design and delivery stage, and an evaluation stage, with multiple feedback loops between stages. 

This module will examine:

• Conduct disorder
  
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Childhood onset schizophrenia
• Therapies for young people
• Pharmacological interventions
• Comorbidity of mental health problems and developmental disorders

This module is an opportunity to work in-depth on a specific topic in cognitive neuroscience. You will tailor your chosen topic and its related methodological issues to your own research interests. The topic is based on a seminar provided in the School of Psychology, with approval from the convenor. The module concerns independent study in addition to supervision sessions.