BSc (Hons) Psychology with Health Sciences

Year 2 Core Modules - Term 1 - Direct Entrants

You must study and pass all core modules​

Year 2 Core Modules - Term 1 - Returning Students

You must study and pass all core modules​

Year 2 Option Modules - Term 1 - Direct Entrants

You will choose one option module in Term 1. 

Year 2 Option Modules - Term 1 - Returning Students

You will choose two option modules in Term 1. 

Year 2 Microcredentials - Term 2

If you are a Direct Entrant (new student) to this year of study and have not previously taken module ABE101, then you MUST take ABE201 as part of your Microcredential selection. If you have previously taken ABE101 then you are NOT permitted to take ABE201.

Instructions: Please choose a total of TWENTY credits of microcredential (ABE) modules.

Brief description

Throughout the microcredential you will become familiar with university systems (including the virtual learning environment), consider what attributes make a successful student and develop key successful student habits.

Indicative content

• Navigating Abertay Systems: Be introduced to and understand how to engage with Abertay systems and tools such as MyLearningSpace, MS Teams, OASIS, MyAbertay etc.
• Expectations of University and You: Explore your own and the universities expectations of you and of the university; Consider the code of conduct; independent learning; blended learning; how university is structured; health and safety; and the Abertay attributes.
• Understanding and Searching Information: How scholarly information is generated and disseminated, key characteristics of different information types. Planning, using, and refining appropriate search strategies; online search tools; using a range of web and database search functionality. 
• Successful Student Behaviours: Develop strategies to key successful student behaviours including Defeating Procrastination, Time Management, Notetaking and preparing for classes, Growth Mindset, Accessing student support and opportunities.
• Referencing: Understand what is meant by academic integrity, plagiarism, and the need for appropriate referencing; creating reference lists and in-text citations; use of referencing tools to manage information.
• Sounding Academic: Explore what lecturers mean by “academic style” and “the right language”; Understand what is meant by and how to learn the rules of academic writing characteristics. Consider how this differs between college and university; Learn how to paraphrase. Explore how assessments, marking and feedback works at university.
• Evaluating Information: Using appropriate quality criteria to critically evaluate information from any source to determine authority and bias.

Brief description

This microcredential provides you with the space and time to develop your skills in designing, planning, delivering, and showcasing an artefact responding to the societal issue. The microcredential is flexible and you will have a choice of what and how you create your response.

Indicative content

• The Big Issue: You will be introduced to the big society issue that will be the focus of your artefact response. Learning materials available will help you consider your response to the challenge.
• Developing Ideas: You will think creatively as to how you will respond to the big issue. You will consider your intended artefact aims, outcomes and target audience. 
• Responding to the Challenge: Resources and guidance will be available as you respond to the challenge and create your artefact.
• Preparing for the Showcase: Guidance will be available on how best to showcase your artefact for the assessment. You will develop your presentation skills to support you in showcasing the artefact. 
• Showcase Event: You will attend a showcase event and present your artefact.

Brief description

You will discuss a range of anti-racist approaches and how they apply within the context of professional communications. You will examine case studies and scenarios to identify the nature of bias in society explore ways to be anti-racist especially in professional communications.

Indicative content

• Racial Bias in Society: Using case studies and scenarios to discuss various forms of racism in society, you will explore the need for anti-racist practice in professional communications. 
• Classification of Anti-Racist Practice: This section compares different anti-racists approaches applied across several contexts. You will discuss the challenges and benefits of each approach. You will identify barriers to implementation of anti-racist practice.
• Discuss Anti-Racist Approaches for Successful Professional Communications: You will be introduced to various communications frameworks (e.g. the humanity-centric framework) and will explore scenarios for the application of these frameworks in a range of professional contexts.
• Embedding Anti-Racism in Digital and Social Media Communications: How can you discuss matters of race and anti-racism on digital and social media while maintaining a professional persona. We will examine cases for best practices and explore ways to avoid bigoted language in digital communications. 

Brief description

In this module you will study two ways of analysing language: (i) a basic introduction to conversation analysis and discourse analysis as applied to ordinary talk/texting, and (ii) and introduction text mining, based on identifying patterns and developing insights from text-based data available on the Internet (e.g., social media data, online texts, online reviews etc).

Indicative content

• Conversation Analysis and Talk and Text as Action: A brief overview of the CA focus on language as action; an examination of how people talk in terms of questions, answers, invitations, excuses, justifications etc.; an examination of texting, emojis, misunderstandings.
• Text Mining: Introduction to text mining and its uses in a social sciences and business context; Online data sources; The text mining process: data collection, pre-processing and analysis; effectively communicating and visualising insights from textual data.

Brief description

By the end of this microcredential, you will be able to evaluate and select machine learning algorithms and AWS services to be appropriately applied to different business problems.

Indicative content

• Introduction to Machine Learning: What is ML? ML process, business problem solved with ML, ML tools, Amazon SageMaker, ML challenges, supervised learning (regression, classification), unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction), reinforcement learning, etc.
• Implementing a ML pipeline using Amazon Sage Maker: Formulating ML problems, collecting and securing data, extracting, transferring and loading data, evaluating your data, finding corelation, feature engineering, data cleaning, dealing with outliers, training, deployment, performance evaluation, hyperparameters and model tuning.
• Forecasting: Time series analysis, Amazon Forecast, Implementing a forecast model, Stock Predictions.
• Computer Vision: Facial Recognition, Image and Video Analysis, Dataset Preparation.
• Natural Language Processing: Amazon Comprehend, Polly, Translate, and Lex, Creating a chatbot, Alexa, etc.

Brief description

This online module will support you to get familiar with sustainability and introduce you to tools that can help you to understand and reduce your climate impact. By increasing your sustainability self-awareness, you will be able to make a positive difference in your own life, and in the organisations and communities around you.

Indicative content

• What is sustainability and how is it linked to Climate Change?: We define sustainability, enhancing understanding of the links between society, economy, and environment. Climate change is explained and linked to sustainability. We provide clear accessible information about the reliable science of climate change. We describe the need efforts towards limiting human-induced global warming (limiting cumulative CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions). 
• Global Sustainability: We introduce the United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. 
• Personal Sustainability: The WWF environmental footprint tool is a great way to start your personal sustainability journey. The planet is in crisis - from climate change to the pollution in our oceans and devastation of our forests. It's up to all of us to fix it. Take your first step with our environmental footprint calculator. 
• Community Sustainability and Climate Resilience: Community climate resilience comes in many forms. In this topic we introduce ideas which can provide multiple benefits of people, planet, and prosperity. We showcase inspiring examples whereby working with natural processes (Biophilic design, blue and green infrastructure) we can connect people with nature to improve their well-being and quality of life, whilst simultaneously tackling climate change and storing carbon.
• Global Solutions: What is the world doing about it? What impact do Global Climate and Biodiversity agreements (COP26 etc) really have? What’s happening here? Where are the challenges and the good news stories? We showcase positive initiatives focussed on progress.

Brief description

By the end of the module, you will know more about key aspects of nutrition and health and be better equipped to identify and tackle the barriers that prevent you from eating well.

Indicative content

• Healthy eating on a budget: This topic will show you that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive! You will be given basic nutritional knowledge, as well as skills and practical tips to be able to eat a healthy diet on a budget. You will then be able to develop your own menu and share it with your peers, so you learn from us as well as from each other.
• Prebiotics, probiotics and health: You will learn about the importance of our microbiota on health, and how what we eat can modulate it. You will be provided with cooking tips and will be able to develop your own fermented foods for better gut health.
• Fat or sugar, which is worse?: You may have heard that fats are bad for our health, or perhaps you have heard it is all about the sugars? You will learn about the role of both sugars and fats in our diet; what makes them good or bad for health and the science behind it. You will be given the tools to assess your own sugar and fat intake as well as tips to implement the changes you need to eat better. 
• The British diet vs Mediterranean diet: What is a Mediterranean diet and what are its real benefits? Is it just a diet or a pattern? Can we get the same benefits as those living in Mediterranean countries? In this topic, you will explore how feasible it is for us to adopt the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, considering the seasonality of ingredients as well as sustainability. 
• What drives our food choices?: How healthy do you think your diet is? Do you find it easy to eat well? With this topic you will become more aware of our obesogenic environment, of how the food industry talks to us, and how the media report nutritional claims. You will learn to look more closely and more critically at your environment, so you can make healthier decisions.

Brief description

This microcredential will help you to refine your current writing skills through the analysis and discussion of a range of texts and exercises, enabling you to then apply these techniques to assignments for your other modules.

Indicative content

• Speaking the language: How to develop your academic and professional vocabulary: understanding the genre; understanding your reader’s expectations.
• Meeting expectations: Why different assignments have different requirements: decoding instructions; selecting appropriate writing techniques.
• Tightening up the nuts and bolts: How to improve your writing accuracy: reviewing key grammar and punctuation issues; improving your editing and proofreading.
• Standing on the shoulders of giants: How to borrow from the greats: reviewing the principles of citing sources; using writing techniques to incorporate research into writing.

Brief description

This module will help you develop a better understanding of the difference between media reporting and scientific evaluation. It will equip you with the skills to look beyond sensational stories related to human behaviour and dig deeper into a topic area to validate the evidence.

Indicative content

• Paranormal Beliefs and Experiences: Is Extrasensory Perception Real? Is there really evidence that we can predict the future?
• Myths about the Brain: Can repressed memories be recovered in therapy? How easily are false memories created? What are the implications for the justice system? 
• Myths about our Mind and Body: Is the key to success in everyday life simply a case of posing like a powerful superhero? 
• Myths about Language: Does being bilingual make you smarter and keep your brain younger? Are bilingual people less likely to get dementia as a result of this lifelong brain training?

Brief description

Through this microcredential you will gain an insight into what the world of work may look like in the (near) future. This includes developing a knowledge of how the economy and labour market evolves and why individual skills-sets and employability are so important and intrinsically linked to this process.

Indicative content

• The future of work: What will the future of work look like? What is used to predict how the world or work will change? Can the future of the economy and of work be accurately predicted? 
• Key factors that influence change: Identifying some of the key factors that influence how the world of work and our economy evolves and changes.
• The key role of skills and personal employability: The emergence and decline of skills: skills are fundamental to the economy (and graduate employers). What skills will be most in demand and/or be most valuable to our economy in future and why? Understand the importance of skills to the economy (and to graduate employers) at both the macro and micro level. Know what specific new skills are emerging and becoming more valuable and sought after, (as others are in decline) for our modern economy and graduate labour market. 
• Labour market information - what is it for?: Labour market Information is hugely important to our understanding of our economy at any given time: and also, in looking at the present and past to help predict future growth, opportunities, shortages and skills gaps. Recognise the importance of key Labour Market Information (LMI). Have the ability to source and use key Labour Market Information (LMI). Understand how to use accurate Labour Market Information as a tool to help their own personal development and future career planning. 
• What now?: Some help and steer – suggestions to you may wish to use your new knowledge and insight to help with your own career aspirations, planning and personal/professional development while at university.

Brief description

Some businesses have the sole focus of making money whereas others exist to also make a difference. Social enterprises are becoming more popular, and recognisable, and are making an impact across the world. From supporting the homeless, to giving waste products a second life, social enterprises are fighting for various causes. 

Indicative content

• What is a social enterprise and how does it function?: What the definition of a social enterprise is with examples from different sectors.
• How do social enterprises identify problems to tackle?: How social enterprises decide on what they will tackle and how they will do it. 
• How do you gather evidence that there is a problem requiring a solution?: Way in which you can gather evidence and data to validate the idea for a social enterprise. Determining needs and wants within a category. 
• How to identify skills and knowledge gaps: Understanding the skillsets within a founding team to fulfil the tasks required to start a social enterprise. 
• How to understand the problem you are trying to solve: Knowing the problem, you are trying to solve and how this effects the target customers the social enterprise is aimed at. Looking at the issues in a customer-focussed way. 
• How to develop a social impact plan: What is involved in a social impact plan and how to put one together. 

Brief description

This module will introduce you to the study of AI and Society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a set of technologies and concepts and can be understood as using computers and software to denote problem-solving capacities and knowledge acquisition (intelligence) which otherwise we believe only belongs to natural beings such as humans.

Indicative content

• Introduction to the core concepts: A brief introduction to the concepts of “artificial”, “intelligence” and “society”. 
• Introduction to the problem of AI and Society: A discussion of where the problem of the impact of AI on Society comes from, presentation of some of the original debates and examples.
• Contemporary debates: A discussion of the contemporary debates about the impact of AI on Society, with examples.

Brief description

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how has it shaped our past and present? These are questions we will explore on a guided tour of AI from the past to the present and the future. You will develop a better understanding of what AI is and isn’t.

Indicative content

• Historical AI: Tracing the historical development of “traditional” AI systems including aircraft autopilots, expert systems, and accounting/financial software.
• Current AI: Covering the contemporary generation of AI technologies in areas such as speech recognition (e.g., Alexa, Siri) and recommendation systems (e.g., Amazon, YouTube). Examples will be drawn from Health, Sport, Games, Engineering, Business, Law and Computing. 
• Future AI: Exploring the limitations of today’s AI when it comes to general intelligence and contextual adaptation. Examples will be drawn from Health, Sport, Games, Engineering, Business, Law and Computing.
• My AI: How AI will impact your future, and how you can use AI to help you achieve your career goals.  Reflection on how AI may inform your subject area going forward.

Brief description

This microcredential is aimed at you, if you have an interest in technology but are not experts. The microcredential will develop your digital safety and how to stay safe online.

Indicative content

• Threat Landscape: Cyberattacks and online threats. System vulnerabilities. Social Engineering. Rights and computer laws.
• Authentication: Password security. Biometrics. MFA and Password managers. Good practices for authentication.
• Secure Communication: Web browser security. Certificates and trust. Effective encryption. Secure communication methods.
• Personal Information Privacy: Information leakage. Personal information privacy and open-source intelligence. Device encryption and security. Security mindfulness.
• Malware: Types of malware. Identifying malicious software. Malware propagation techniques. Malware removal and preventative measures.

Brief description

This microcredential will help you to develop and build your own confidence in applying numeracy skills in real world situations.

Indicative content

• What is my GPA and how likely am I to get a First? (BASIC NUMERACY): Calculation and manipulation of data using Percentages, Indices (Powers), Roots, Probability, and simple equations. 
• The power of prediction (GRAPHS): Straight line graphs, Gradients, Equations of a straight line, Intercepts. Drawing graphs - Linear equations, Distances between points. Simultaneous linear equations.  
• Love a good puzzle (ALGEBRA): Changing subject of formulae. Factorisation - common factors, Difference of two squares, Trinomials. Solving simultaneous equations by Substitution and Elimination.
• Advanced power of prediction (FUNCTIONS): Introduction to functions – Linear and Quadratic and solving quadratic equations. Factorising Quadratic equations.
• Love a good triangle (TRIGONOMETRY): Trignometric functions - Sine, cosine and tangent. Trignometric formulae.

Brief description

In this microcredential, you will learn more about how digital media production professionals in the UK and China are working together to reduce barriers and identify new opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Indicative content

• History and future of videogames in China: Focussing on the videogame sector as a case study of Chinese digital creative industries, how has the videogames market and industry developed in China, how is the Chinese videogames economy currently constituted, and what does the future hold?
• Consumer trends and audience preferences: What is popular with audiences in China? What can we note about preferences in terms of narrative content, aesthetics, play styles etc. when compared with other markets?
• Policy and regulation: What unique regulations or limitations are imposed on digital media within China, and what similarities are there with other national and transnational regulations? How is creative content development and publishing shaped by policy in China? What social and ethical challenges are presented by regulation, in China as well as in the UK?
• Transnational working and co-production: How is digital creative content conceived, developed, and released by professionals working across borders? What are the challenges for small and independent creative studios, compared with multi-nationals with studios based in and outside China?
• Publishing in China: How do digital media content like videogames make it to market in China? What processes and requirements must creative businesses be aware of, and how do developers find, connect to, and work with Chinese publishers? How to consumers in China access content, including on grey markets?
• Challenges and success: Hear from UK and Chinese professionals on the China market, co-operation, the hurdles they cleared, and how they found success.

Brief description

Increasingly, the role of creativity in supporting and maintaining wellbeing is being researched and celebrated. This module will introduce you to the current theory in this area, as well as a range of creative resources shown to be helpful for both self-care and the support of others.

Indicative content

• Why does creativity matter?: An introduction to why creativity matters when it comes to mental health.
• Your brain on words: The place of stories in their various forms as a resource for wellbeing.
• Engaging the senses: The potential of tools such as music and art for self-care.

Year 3 Core Modules

You must study and pass four core modules

Brief description

The links between biology and psychology. Introduction to the physiology that underpins observable behaviour (genetics, CNS and the endocrine system), looking at processes that exert direct control over behavioural responses and those that play a modulatory role in human psychology. How biology, experience and personality produce individuality in humans.

Indicative content:

• Biological control of behaviour: How the central nervous and endocrine systems interact to produce observable behaviours such as movement, ingestion, and reproduction.
• Psychopharmacology: Looking at the physiological consequences of taking recreational and therapeutic drugs, and biological and psychological underpinnings of drug addiction.
• Hormones, reproduction and emotion: Examining how hormones influence mate choice, mating behaviour and sexual orientation; the biological underpinnings of emotion, emotional valence and components of the emotional response.
• Behavioural genetics, evolutionary and sociobiology: Influences of genetics and environment on human behaviour; an introduction to the evolutionary processes that impact human and non-human animal cognition and social interactions.
• Methodologies: Neuropsychology and neuroimaging: Looking at the physiological and behavioural effects of brain degeneration and implications for everyday life; introducing methods used in investigation of neural correlates of cognition. Psychological testing and application: Psychometric testing, specific aspects in personality tests, reliability, validity, BPS guidance.
• Introduction to personality and individual differences: Introduction into main theories in personality and individual differences; Trait vs. State; Personality vs. Situation.
• Intelligence: Definitions of intelligence; psychometric approaches to intelligence and their implications for educational and social policy; cognitive basis of intelligence. Debates about generational, racial, and gender differences in IQ.
• Biological influences: Heritability in intelligence and personality, neurobiological theories of personality, evolutionary influences & comparative personality, mental illness and personality disorders.
• Personality and culture: Further ideas and debates in personality and culture including national character, social attitudes, evolutionary approaches, cognitive and learning styles, individual differences in health and illness, social anxiety and shyness.
• Individual differences in cognitive styles: Individual differences in how we think, perceive and remember information. Exploration of different learning style and theories of learning.

Brief description

Explore the processes that underpin social cognition across development and examine how these processes change from early childhood to adolescence, adulthood and older age. It provides an in-depth understanding of how we process and remember information in a social context, covering issues such as group processes, stereotyping and prejudice, and perception of self and others.

Indicative content

• Historical and Conceptual Issues: Introduction to research on the socio-cognitive approach, and the study of developmental changes in cognition and social processing.
• Social Cognition: Stereotype formation and application: Models of stereotyping, stereotype formation and contents, and exploration of how and when stereotypic information is activated. 
• Social Cognition: Prejudice and effective interventions: Examining intergroup prejudice and the interventions designed to reduce its negative effects.
• Social Cognition: Self-processing: How self-processing systems shape attention, perception and memory.
• Lifespan: Development of stereotyping and prejudice: Exploring patterns of stereotype development across childhood and adulthood, and their links to social and cognitive development.
• Lifespan: Development of self-processing biases: How self-processing systems develop across childhood, adolescence and old age, impacting the effects of self on cognition.
• Applications: Examining the effectiveness of applied social cognition research, from education to intergroup behaviour.

Brief description

The theories, methods and empirical data relevant to psychological development throughout the lifespan.

Indicative content:

• Biological basis of development; theories and milestones: Pre-and post-natal brain development, brain maturation, biological basis of ageing.
• How to study development?: Designs and approaches.
• Infancy: Methods for studying infant development, physical development in infancy, cognitive development in infancy: Memory and pre- cursors to language, social and emotional development in infancy.
• Early childhood: Methods for studying early childhood, physical and cognitive development in early childhood, language development in early childhood, social and emotional development in early childhood, moral development in early childhood.
• Middle childhood: Physical and cognitive development in middle childhood, social development and peer relations in middle childhood. Emotional and Moral Development in middle childhood.
• Adolescence: Physical and cognitive development in adolescence, social and emotional development in adolescence.
• Adulthood: Biological, cognitive and social changes in middle adulthood. Theories and data on midlife crisis.
• Ageing: Biological, cognitive and social changes in late adulthood; models of cognitive decline; emotional and personality changes, dementia, death, longevity.

Brief description

Build upon the psychological research methods techniques and analyses covered in earlier years such as aspects of experimental design, quantitative and qualitative analyses and project preparation. 

Indicative content:

• Analysis of variance: Revise variance and one-way ANOVA. Examine factorial ANOVA designs; within, between and mixed designs; main effects and interactions; explore interactions and multiple comparisons (a priori and post-hoc).
• ANOVA practical: Participate in the design, implementation and data gathering of a study suitable for analysis with ANOVA and write this up as an assessed piece of coursework.
• Experimental design: Examine methodological issues in design, identifying limitations of designs, defining a research question, hypothesis testing and operationalising variables. Look at Type I and II errors; effect sizes and statistical power.
• Qualitative methods of data collection and analysis: The theoretical underpinning of qualitative methods. The design of research questions; how to code data from visual and textual formats, the application of techniques such as content and thematic analysis. Use textual data (such as interview schedules) to carry out a qualitative analysis. This work will contribute towards the assessed qualitative report.
• Correlation and multiple regression: Simple linear regression models and multiple predictors of a criterion variable (multiple linear regression). Explanation of statistical tests for multiple regression models.
• Laboratory skills: Extensive training in the advanced use of SPSS for analyses. Regular laboratory attendance is recommended in order to develop strong research skills. This will allow you to become a confident researcher.
• Project proposal for supervisor feedback and subsequent ethics submission: Write an ethics proposal for your fourth year project with support and guidance from your allocated supervisor. Employ research design and analysis skills to design a suitable experiment/study. Identify and address possible ethical issues which is central to this process. Supervisors will give feedback to a draft of the proposal.
• Research skills: Writing and work management: Communicating effectively in oral and written form, using research literature effectively. Reporting and interpreting. Writing using American Psychological Association editorial style. Developing a meeting agenda, goal setting and evaluating progress, communicating effectively in supervision meetings, identifying responsibilities. Sustaining research work in laboratory classes.

Brief Description

This module examines the psychology of mental health disorders and explores how patients experience their illness. 

Indicative Content

1. Models to aid diagnosis
Introduction to the use of biopsychosocial models in the diagnosis of mental ill health.
2. Understanding causes
Exploration of the biological, psychological and environmental causes of mental health disorders such as psychoses, mood disorders, developmental disorders or learning difficulties.
3. Treatment and outcomes
Investigate treatment options for patients with disorders and categories of distress, evaluate research on treatment outcomes for different categories of patients.
4. Lived experience
Consideration of the lived experience of patients from symptom onset, diagnoses and treatment, experience of the clinicians and health workers in supporting patients with mental illness.
5. Prognosis and life after treatment
Evaluating how patients with different categories of distress respond to treatment, how their biological and environmental circumstances influence prognosis, and managing mental health conditions long term.

Year 3 Option Modules

You must study and pass one option module of your choosing.

Brief description

Learn the techniques required to design systematic approaches to scientific enquiry of the mind using the latest techniques and technologies. This includes identifying testable hypotheses and tractable questions. It also involves appreciating the technical constraints on display technology and the methodological considerations required to present stimuli accurately, precisely. Finally, it emphasises the importance of attaining the ability to communicate scientific methods for the benefit of others.

Indicative content:

• Identification of Research Questions: Using collaborative methods to establish problems in psychology amendable to systematic research on or making use of technology.
• Technology in Psychology: Appreciating the opportunities of using computers to assess human performance to precisely control displays or to enable large volumes of data to be collected.
• Control of computer displays: Strength and weaknesses of CRT Monitors, Flat panel displays, tablet computers, Virtual Reality etc. Using computers to run experiments on visual processing.
• Automation of data collection methods: Creating or modifying software to control the sequence, timing and data collection of experiments on analog or digital visual displays.
• Visual Cognition and Vision Science: Measuring the limits of human visual performance. Using adjustment, staircase or constant stimuli methods. Understanding thresholds and bias. Explaining different methodological approaches to the assessment of eye-movements in scene perception and natural vision.
• Data challenges in Psychology: Many areas of psychology create exceptionally large data sets, either through imaging techniques such as brain imagery, or distributed computing techniques such as mobile devices and social media. Each of these present opportunities for Psychological Science, but also challenges.
• From Items Analysis to Linear Mixed Models: The inclusion of F1 and F1 Clark and Clark, Raijmaakers in the need for items analyses. Leading to the contemporary use of Linear Mixed Models.
• Historical and Conceptual Issues: Using case studies to illustrate how technology has informed the creation of theoretical models of human processing. Understanding how technological evolution has driven developments in novel paradigms in vision science and visual cognition.

Brief description

This module will introduce you to some contemporary theoretical debates between psychologists, with individual sessions reflecting the research specialism of staff. You will build on existing skills in critically evaluating peer reviewed research and reflecting on how theoretical knowledge is applied to the development of research questions, with a view to informing your own research interests.

Indicative content:

1. ‘Meta-science’ and current directions in psychological science
Building on existing knowledge and considering how ‘meta-science’ reduces waste and improves the quality of scientific output, by using the scientific method to study the processes involved in science itself.
2. Critical evaluation of current research topics and approaches
Staff sessions on their own field of expertise. Critically evaluating a scientific research seminar from an external speaker. Triangulation and insight garnered from diverse approaches (e.g., qualitative, biological, comparative, cross-cultural). Reflection on future research directions.
3. Applications of Psychological Science
Using recent examples to critically evaluate applied psychological approaches. Secondary data analysis. What do scientists mean by ‘impact’?

Brief description

This module will introduce you to the neuronal, cognitive, and emotional processes involved in physical and creative cultural practices, with an emphasis on dance and its power for change (hence; from dance to trance). Throughout the module, you will learn in short lectures with integrated Q & A sessions about current research on the perceptual, sensorimotor, emotional, cognitive and neuronal changes in relation to dance and other cultural practices from a psychological and neuroscientific perspective, covering a wide spectrum from social interaction, cognition, expertise, health and wellbeing, as well as personality and evolution. The theoretical and methodological content will be completed by small-group practical sessions that provide you with opportunities for shared, reflective experiences including example questions to prepare for the assessments. While the lectures and practical topics will focus on dance, you can choose your own activity of interest to apply the learnt content for the coursework such as music, theatre, sport, acting, painting and reading.

Indicative content:

• Why we dance: Feelings, the innateness of rhythym and functions of dance: Are we born to dance? Is dancing an innate, biologically-driven activity to get in trance? Do animals dance? The module will provide a comprehensive introduction to theories and research findings on the evolution of dance, considering functions of rituals linked to aggression, status, trance, mating and communication. We will discuss studies showing the genetic disposition of dance, personality and individual differences in developmental, cognitive and motor responses to dance, music and rhythm.
• What do you need to dance: Motor action, perception and memory: What makes our body move? To understand what we need in order to dance, the module will cover topics of motor control and action, visuo-spatial perception, memory and frameworks of expertise. Further, advancements in models of training and strategies to enhance performance will be discussed (i.e., imagery, attention, goal-setting, and other training technique for improving performance).
• Watching dance: Audiences' expertise and personal preferences: What do we see and feel when we watch dance? This section builds the core of the module. It covers a large content, relating to the nonverbal information we transmit through dance and how. Research on cognitive, perceptual, emotional and sensorimotor processes of watching dance will be discussed within the concepts of action observation, mirror neurons, embodied cognition, sensorimotor entrainment, kinaesthetic empathy, biological motion, synchronicity as well as experimental aesthetics.
• The benefits of dance: Self-confidence, body image, rehabilitation, health and wellbeing: The reports on effects of dance on health and wellbeing are controversial. While participation in recreational dance has predominantly positive effects on self-image, vocational dance training and professional dance practice can be hugely detrimental to the individual’s health and wellbeing. The findings from the literature are discussed in terms of body image, motivation, and identity, injury and self-esteem, ideal means of training, as well as dance as a form of rehabilitation.
• The Psychology of thetre, art, music, sport and gaming: Throughout the module, we will touch on other cultural practices, such as acting, painting, writing, music, and so on. As with dance, individuals’ motivations to engage in these practices, related health and wellbeing benefits will be discussed and students are expected to engage in proposed literature in their field of interest.

Brief description

The psychology of mental health disorders and exploration of how patients experience their illness.

Indicative content:

• Models to aid diagnosis: Introduction to the use of biopsychosocial models in the diagnosis of mental ill health.
• Understanding causes: Exploration of the biological, psychological and environmental causes of mental health disorders such as psychoses, mood disorders, developmental disorders or learning difficulties.
• Treatment and outcomes: Investigate treatment options for patients with disorders and categories of distress, evaluate research on treatment outcomes for different categories of patients.
• Lived experience: Consideration of the lived experience of patients from symptom onset, diagnoses and treatment, experience of the clinicians and health workers in supporting patients with mental illness.
• Prognosis and life after treatment: Evaluating how patients with different categories of distress respond to treatment, how their biological and environmental circumstances influence prognosis, and managing mental health conditions long term.

Year 4 Core Modules

You must study and pass all core modules

Brief description

Design, conduct and analyse your own independent piece of research and present your research findings. Receive guidance and support for the honours project process.

Indicative content:

• Working with a supervisor: Making the most of supervision, preparing for supervision meetings, becoming a confident independent learner, setting goals, evaluating progress.
• Application of Methods and Statistics (Workshop-based): Choosing appropriate methodologies. Using appropriate computer packages: e.g. SPSS and Excel. Use of specialised software: e.g. Superlab and E-Prime.
• Becoming an effective researcher: Critically evaluating your own ideas, identifying the right question to ask, relating your ideas to the literature, ethical issues and how to address them.
• Participating in the research community: Immersion in the literature. Organising research materials and keeping good records. Conducting meetings with outside agencies and communicating findings to participants and peers.
• Design and procedure: Methodological issues, techniques of analysis, limitations of statistical techniques, pilot work, creating experimental materials, making sure ideas are ‘testable’, problems with implementation.
• Data: Collecting data efficiently, keeping good records, ensuring data can be analysed, analysing data appropriately, interpreting the results. Ensuring confidentiality of data. Presenting data and research findings clearly.
• Communicating results: Writing in APA (American Psychological Association) format, being your own editor, critiquing and reviewing your own work effectively, relating your findings to the literature. Presenting the main findings of the project orally.
• Presentation skills: Organising material, presentations using multi-media. Personal confidence, audibility, modulation and diction in public speaking.
• Personal Development Planning (PDP): Reflect on your own learning development and current skills (e.g. CV’s, experience and transferable skills) in order to develop employability awareness and as preparation for post graduate study and the workplace. Consideration of psychological literacy.
• Writing skills: Developing a mature and confident writing style; correct editorial style for research projects. Trouble-shooting in writing skills; proof-reading.

Brief description

This module is designed to develop your understanding of cognitive psychology, building on content from previous modules, and to relate this to real world applications. The module develops a deeper understanding of cognitive processes such as attention, perception and memory and language, applying these to real world practices in areas such as education, policy development, security and the justice system.

Indicative content

• Historical and Conceptual Issues: Introduction to cognitive models in psychology, their relevance to our current understanding of cognitive psychology. Review of examples of successful and unsuccessful applications of cognitive psychology.
• Visual perception: Models of visual perception – reminder of processes in the recognition of objects, categories and faces. How can we improve face recognition in the real world – e.g. passport security.
• Attention: Understanding models of visuo-spatial and executive attention. Executive functions and whether they can be trained by certain practices such as bilingualism, music or gaming.
• Decision Making: Understanding processes related to decision making and which cognitive biases we are prone to engaging in and why.  Relating this to Behavioural Economics/nudge theory where policy makers aim to change decision making to lead to better public health outcomes.
• Memory: Exploring types of long-term memory including semantic and episodic, declarative and non-declarative. Understanding associative networks in memory and priming. Relating this to forensic and justice settings e.g. how reliable is eyewitness memory?
• Language and Multilingualism: Understanding the cognitive processes involved in storing and using multiple language varieties. How do we cognitive define bilinguals and monolinguals. Relating this to situations involving language assessment such as education, speech & language therapy etc.

Brief description

Major crime investigation involves a complex interplay of human, situational and environmental circumstances that can pose significant challenges to even the most experienced investigators. This module will examine the critical role that psychological research and theories play in informing policing investigative practice.There will be in depth discussions of established and emerging knowledge in key areas, such as the controversial topic of criminal profiling, investigative decision-making, crime-linkage and suspect interviewing.

Indicative content

• Introduction and context: An introduction to investigative psychology and the importance of recognising how other people can influence our behaviour and cognitive processes, including an overview of both theory and application of social influence research in this exciting and developing area of applied psychology.
• Investigative processes: An overview of the key stages and issues in relation to police and wider criminal justice system investigative processes including some of the key legal powers associated with these.
• Investigative decision-making: How do detectives make critical decisions during an investigation regarding relevant lines of enquiry, which information is relevant to a case, where there are potential gaps in information and how to a build a case? How do they prevent tunnel vision and bias when faced with complex equivocal scenarios? We will evaluate key applied decision-making literature in the context of serious crime investigations.
• Family liaison and support: Family Liaison Officers are specially trained police officers who provide a two-way flow of information between families and investigation teams for high risk missing person cases and bereavements resulting from fatal accidents, murders or unexplained deaths, or disasters involving multiple fatalities. We will discuss the psychology of this critical role including investigative challenges when a family member is a suspect.
• Offender profiling: What is offender profiling and how is it undertaken? We will dispel some of the myths of popular media by evaluating different approaches to offender profiling, considering their efficacy and use by the police and discussing the future for this topical approach to investigation.
• Serial homicide and case-linkage: What is serial homicide and how does it differ from other types of homicide? In what ways can offender profiling be applied to this serious crime? We will discuss critical research on crime-linkage grounded in psychological theory.
• Investigating missing persons: What do missing people do and where do they go? What role is there for psychological theories in explaining missing person behaviour and helping the police investigate cases?
• Psychological autopsy and suicide: Murder or suicide? How can psychology and related disciplines inform our understanding of factors which can be used to support investigative decision making regarding the likelihood of suicide and investigative decisions regarding whether a case might be a murder? The use of psychological autopsy as an aid in such cases will be critically evaluated.
• Suspect interviews: We will examine and understand the psychology of suspect interviews, looking at current practices as well as the evolution and use of police techniques in different countries.
• False confessions: Why do some individuals confess to crimes they did not commit? We will discussion the complex and fascinating issue of false confessions and how it relates to suspect interview techniques.

Year 4 Option Modules - Term 1 

You must study and pass two option modules of your choosing – one from list A and one from list B

Brief description

An opportunity to link work experience with your academic study by undertaking a psychology-relevant work placement. Through a competitive process, you can apply for placements organised by the University or if you already have a suitable work or voluntary post, can use this to gain work-based credit. You must work a minimum of 30hrs across the term with your placement provider as well as attend sessions in the University designed to enhance employability and support the assessments.

Indicative content:

• Introduction: Overview of expectations from work placement students.
• Mapping skills, reflective practice and reflecting on personal experiences: Evaluating skills against careers and job opportunities, engaging in reflective practice, identifying areas of development.
• Self-presentation in job applications: How to construct a cover letter, tailoring your CV, presentation in interview and networking events.
• Careers in Psychology - real-life experiences: Abertay alumni will return to share their stories and experiences of securing jobs in psychology-related fields and beyond.
• Project and task management: How to manage tasks and projects to ensure successful completion and effectiveness.

Brief description

You'll be introduced to the use of mindfulness and associated concepts in the maintenance of emotional and psychological well-being. The module combines theoretical knowledge and research with experiential learning. As well as examining the history, theories and application of mindfulness-based practices in mental healthcare, you'll have the opportunity to engage in mindfulness practice.

Indicative content

• Origins of mindfulness: Buddhism, eastern philosophies and meditation practices. The western adoption of meditation from 1960s-present. Key figures in the development of mindfulness practices
• Mindfulness Practices: Introductory training and support in developing students own mindfulness practice, ongoing peer- group facilitation and on-line reflective writing on the process. Introduction to the variety of mindfulness activities and methods of engagement in mindfulness practices
• Contemporary research and theory in mindfulness: Evaluation of the applications and effectiveness of mindfulness-based practices in mental health and well- being. Introduction to the cognitive and spiritual models of mindfulness
• Socio-political context: The cultural and research movements which have allowed the incorporation of mindfulness practices in to western medicine and healthcare

Brief description

A general introduction to the field of cognitive neuroscience but also specialist insights into current research topics. The theoretical and methodological foundations of cognitive neuroscience will be comprehensively reviewed and students will develop key skills to understand and report cognitive neuroscience research via individual and group work.

Indicative content

• Cognitive Neuroscience: history, definitions, themes, approaches and issues.
• Techniques and Technology: Series of lectures on the methodologies that are currently available in cognitive neuroscience, broadly divided in measurement and manipulation techniques.
• Specialist areas: Lectures on contemporary research - these may vary from year to year and may be selected from the following (non-exhaustive) list: perception; action; attention; attentional control; memory; emotion; social cognition; language; numerical cognition; executive functions; decision making.
• Identifying, reading and reporting primary sources: Students will be guided in searching for suitable primary sources and understanding cognitive neuroscience research reports. They will also be required to engage in supervised presentations of research papers followed by discussions with the class.

Brief description

This module focuses on child development in the first eight years. It will cover language development, number and counting knowledge, reading from a cognitive and educational perspective. In addition, it will look at the influence of play and the media during these early years.

Indicative content

• Child cognition and brain growth: The development of the brain in early childhood and its links to language and numerical skills.
• Conceptual issues in learning: Domains (modules), critical periods, learning mechanisms (e.g. statistical learning, bootstrapping, innate constraints), nature-nurture.
• Speech and sounds: Auditory perception, acquisition of phonemes, and the effects of prosody on acquisition of other parts of the language system.
• Acquisition of words: Words, concepts and categories. Child-directed speech, literacy acquisition, language impairments.
• Rules of language: Acquisition of morphology and syntax.
• Learning to read: Theories of normal reading; dyslexia and hyperlexia.
• Early numerical skills: Theories of mathematical development; early number and counting skills.
• The role of play: Play inside and outside the classroom. How play influences cognitive and social development.
• Media: The role of television viewing and computer games on children's development.

Brief description

This module takes an integrative and holistic approach to the application of forensic science to complex cases.

Indicative content 

• Contemporary Practice: Operating environment & expectations of professional forensic scientists. Opinion evidence. Probability concepts in case assessment & interpretation of evidence - the CAI model and the use of databases. The role of communication: the expert witness, statement writing & presentation of evidence in court.
• Practical Case Study: Apply the full range of forensic science knowledge skills to identifying, obtaining, analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and presenting case study evidence in a moot court scenario.

Year 4 Option Modules - Term 2 

You must study and pass one option module of your choosing.