Title: Going into level I
1Going into level I
2Modules
- Researching the Social World (RSW) this covers
statistics that build on your first year coupled
with Social Psychology. - Mind, Brain and Behaviour (MBB) which covers
Psychobiology, Evolution and Cognitive Psychology.
The persistence of vision..
OCD
3Provisional structure of the year
- 6 weeks of RSW1 statistics, including ANOVA,
multiple regression and qualitative techniques
e.g. thematic analysis - 6 weeks of MBB 1 biology, including evolution,
OCD and sexuality - 6 weeks of RSW2 Social psychology, including
social identity, cults, conformity and obedience
amongst other things - 6 weeks of MBB 2 Cognitive Psychology, including
memory, visual cognition.
4Provisional assessment
- RSW 1
- Class test on statistics (25)
- Group research assignment with individual
write-up (25) - RSW 2
- Group research assignment on questionnaire design
and evaluation, with individual write-up. (25) - Exam. (25)
Please note these are provisional and may change
slightly.
5Provisional Assessment for RSW1
- Class test (25) this usually comprises
questions on each area of statistics you have
covered e.g. ANOVA, Multiple regression and
Qualitative stats. - The ANOVA and Multiple Regression are assessed by
asking you to interpret printouts from SPSS. - The Qualitative component is assessed with an
essay. - There is also a section on terminology, where you
will be required to give definitions of words you
have encountered throughout the statistical
component
6Provisional assessment for RSW1
- Research report you will be required to devise
a piece of research, carry it out, and then
produce a written report. Your tutor will help
you with all stages of this, and there is
guidance on the appropriate Psychology web pages
7Provisional assessment for RSW2
- You will be asked to design a questionnaire study
to assess attitudes towards something (this year
involving education, work and religion). You
will need to carry out a reliability analysis
using Cronbachs alpha test, and additionally
carry out an ANOVA analysis. Again, there is a
great deal of advice and support that can be
obtained from both your tutor, and the RSW web
pages. The report write-up needs to be
individual (even though the research is carried
out in a group)
8Provisional assessment for RSW2
- Exam the exam usually consists of 8 questions
in two sections. - You will be required to answer a question from
each section. - There will also be a revision session to guide
your reading/planning - The exams normally take place in the first two
weeks of May
9Provisional assessment for MBB
- MBB 1
- Essay (25)
- Group research assignment with individual
write-up (25) - MBB 2
- Essay. (25)
- Exam. (25)
10Provisional assessment MBB 1
- You will be required to write an essay on a given
topic. It is likely that you will be asked to
look at both evolutionary and biological
explanations for a particular behaviour - Secondly, you will carry out a group research
project. Potential topics will be given to you
nearer the time, and your tutor will be available
to discuss your research with you.
11Provisional assessment MBB 2
- Essay you will be given an essay topic by your
tutor - Exam the cognitive exam will be in May,
(usually in the second week) - Note that you will be doing both a Cognitive
Psychology exam AND a Social Psychology exam in
May
12Provisional assessment timetable
- Level I is a difficult year, and you will need to
keep on top of your coursework. - In general, coursework is due in the week after
you finish a topic. So your RSW1 research report
will be due in during your first week of MBB1
13So a rough outline of when your research needs to
be submitted might look as follows
- Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6
Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 - Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week
18 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 Week 23
Week 24
RSW 1 Research project submitted in week 7
RSW 1 class test is in week 6
MBB 1 Essay submitted in week 12
RSW 2
MBB 2
MBB 1 Project submitted in week 13
MBB 1 research submitted in week 18
MBB 2 Essay submitted week 24
Note there is no break for half terms so you
may need to arrange child care. Easter usually
falls in MBB 2, giving you more time to complete
your assignment
14RSW 1 class test and assignment
- Note that although these two assignments seem
close together, in reality, you should be
learning the statistics as you go along, so the
class test shouldnt require a great deal of
extra work. - Also, you will be thinking about statistics and
design in relation to your research report,
particularly the Results Section.
15Over the Summer
- You are strongly advised to make sure you
understand the statistics you have learnt at
level C before beginning level I. - This is because level I builds on level C, and
includes many of the same concepts e.g. IV, DV,
types of design, p values and significance etc
16Level I stats
- The ANOVA is basically an extension of the t-test
- Multiple regression is basically an extension of
correlation - Qualitative stats doesnt use numbers at all!
(which may be a relief to some of you!)
17You may also wish to buy course texts in advance
for RSW 1 and 2 (although there are copies in the
library)
- Langridge, D. (2004) Introduction to Research
Methods and Data Analysis in Psychology. London.
Pearson.And Hogg, M. A. Vaughan, G.M. (2004)
Social Psychology, 4th Edition. London Prentice
Hall.
18Course texts for MBB
- Barrett, L., Dunbar, R. Lycett, J. (2001).
Human Evolutionary Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan
- Toates, F. (2003). Biological Psychology.
Prentice Hall. - Eysenck, M.W. Keane, M.T. (2000). Cognitive
Psychology A Students Handbook. London LEA.
19Finally
- Although it is a difficult year, level I is also
when you really begin to get to grips with
Psychology and all the interesting research that
is carried out and that you can try out for
yourselves. - Try to keep up with the assignments, and
remember, your tutor is there to help you!