PY0PSR: Psychology and Research Methods

Module code: PY0PSR

Module provider: Psychology; School of Psych and Clin Lang Sci

Credits: 20

Level: Foundation Level

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Richard Carciofo, email: r.g.carciofo@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PY0PYB (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 2 October 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module aims to introduce students to the scope and nature of psychology as a science. The emphasis will be on acquiring knowledge and understanding, thereby developing students’ transferable skills of analysis, evaluation, and critical thinking. The focus of this module will be on several core areas in Psychology such as Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Psychopathology. This specific module will focus on psychological research by introducing students to the Scientific method and basic data analysis in psychology.

The Module Lead at the University of Reading Malaysia is Chong Kai Hao kaihao.chong@reading.edu.my

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of basic psychological research and the scientific method, starting from a research question, literature review, hypothesis formation, data collection, analysis, and reporting. 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of psychological theories of conformity and obedience along with research evidence to support a theory/concept. 
3. Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate theories and psychological research by highlighting limitations of classical experiments/studies in the Psychology of Learning. 
4. Explain the etiology, theory, and treatment approaches of common mental disorders such as Anxiety disorder, Major depression, and Schizophrenia. 

Module content

• Psychological Research 
  • Introduction to the scientific method and hypothesis testing 
  • Psychological research design and reporting
  • Simple sdta analysis
• Social Psychology 
  • Conformity & Obedience  
  • Aggression  
• Learning Theories 
  • Classical conditioning 
  • Operant conditioning  
  • Vicarious learning / Modelling behaviour
• Psychopathology 
  • Anxiety disorder 
  • Major depressive disorder 
  • Schizophrenia  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will be delivered through weekly 2-hour lectures followed by 2-hour seminars.
Lectures and seminars will be conducted on campus (unless otherwise specified).

Lecture materials, formative discussions, and summative assignments will be hosted on Blackboard.

For students studying at our campus in Malaysia: This module may be taught in a different semester and the breakdown of study hours may differ to those set out in the Study Hours table (please refer to the Module Handbook for the correct breakdown). In addition, you will be required to complete an additional 40 hours of study, taking the total number of study hours to 240 for this module. This is to comply with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Study hours

At least 46 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Writing exercises on the discussion board, in-class group work, and statistics exercises.

Reassessment

Additional costs