Psychology (Addiction Psychology) BSc (Hons)

Modules

BSc (Hons) Psychology (Addiction Psychology) offers the opportunity for you to graduate with a qualification that reflects your particular interest in psychology. You'll follow the same programme as BSc (Hons) Psychology in the first and second years, but in the final year you'll specialise with a research project and a specialist module related to psychological aspects of addiction. There is also the opportunity to undertake an assessed placement during your third year in an area related to addiction psychology.

Modules are 70% assessed by coursework.

• Psychological research methods 1
  This module introduces you to the study of Psychology as a science. It does this via the study of some of the key conceptual, methodological, and statistical issues that psychologists face when studying human behaviour. As well as issues surrounding experimental design and ethical principles in psychological research, you'll also be introduced to the ways in which descriptive and inferential statistics can be used to analyse and make sense of experimental data. The module is assessed by two practical report writing assignments and a short answer examination.
• Introducing psychological approaches
  You'll be introduced to the study of psychology, first by discussing its conceptual underpinnings and historical development, then topics related to living in the world as biological, learning and feeling beings. Block 1 focuses on the philosophical foundations of Psychology, its status as a science and current identity, while Block 2 deals with evolutionary theory and the relationship of the brain to behaviour. Block 3 considers learning and Block 4 emotions from biological, psychological and social perspectives. The module provides the knowledge-base necessary for advanced study at level 5 and also the development of skills relating to factual learning, i.e., accessing, organising, assimilating and revising information. This module will help students develop skills relating to MCQ assessments. (The sister module in semester 2 will focus on communication and essay assessments.)
• Introducing real world psychology
  You'll be given the opportunity to develop skills relating to accessing, assimilating and communicating information. You'll also be introduced to a variety of assessment techniques that will be encountered on the course, and develop and be aware of the type of skills that are likely to enhance employability. Finally, the module will provide a focus for placements as a valuable way of gaining experience, and therefore enhancing employability. You'll be introduced to the (voluntary) Departmental Placement scheme; students who already undertake relevant paid or voluntary work and students who undertake less relevant work will be encouraged to reflect on the skills and experiences provide by such opportunities.
• Psychological research methods 2
  The module builds and expands upon the descriptive and simple inferential statistical methods introduced in Psychological Research Methods 1. Lectures and seminars consider more advanced principles of research design, qualitative data analysis, and statistical analysis using SPSS. The module is assessed by two practical report writing assignments and a short answer examination.
• Exploring psychological approaches
• Exploring real world psychology

• Psychological research methods 3
  This module begins with an introduction to conceptual and historical issues in research methods before moving on to the design and analysis of single factor experiments, simple and complex factorial designs and single case methods, both investigative and interventional. Lectures provide the conceptual framework required for an understanding of research methodology and their supporting statistical tests. Lectures are supported by seminars which will help you learn design analysis, data analysis using SPSS and the interpretation of the results of experiments taken from the psychology literature. The module also provides you with the opportunity to design, execute, analyse and report the results of two pieces of practical work.
• The psychology of learning and memory
  On this module you will explore three themes, considering them in their own right and also in the light of their development from infancy through to adulthood. Firstly, how we gather and process information from the world around us, covering perception and attention processes. Secondly, how we use this information to act in the world, highlighting the ways in which we learn from the information that we have gathered from our environment. Thirdly, how we remember what we have experienced, covering the cognitive and biological machinery underlying short-term and long-term memory structures and how our socio-cultural milieu influences these processes.
• The psychology of feelings
  This module provides you with the opportunity to explore the interdependence between feelings and human behaviour. The module is organised into three distinct themes, relationships, mood and sensations. Two introductory sessions will be used to recap and consolidate material at level 4 and provide a knowledge base upon which the rest of the module will build. Then, within each theme a range of topics will be explored (see indicative content below), drawing on theory and research from biological, developmental, evolutionary, cross-cultural, cognitive and atypical psychology. Individual differences will be a key perspective in this module.
• Psychological research methods 4
  This module begins with an introduction to conceptual and historical issues in research methods before moving on to the design and analysis of single factor experiments, simple and complex factorial designs and single case methods, both investigative and interventional. Lectures provide the conceptual framework required for an understanding of research methodology and their supporting statistical tests. Lectures are supported by seminars which help students learn design analysis, data analysis using SPSS and the interpretation of the results of experiments taken from the psychology literature. The module also provides students with the opportunity to design, execute, analyse and report the results of two pieces of practical work.
• The psychology of behaviour with others
  You'll be given the opportunity to explore a number of the major concepts, theories and methods encountered in understanding how and why we behave in the ways we do when in the presence of other humans. The module focuses on those approaches that have been used to examine a) whether we are social beings and why, b) what the 'social' brain looks like, c) how social behaviours develop across the lifespan, d) which mechanisms have been used to explain how we interact with the implied, real or imagined presence of others, e) how culture affects our social interactions, and f) how group membership affects our social behaviours.
• The psychology of thinking and communication
  You'll gain an understanding of the development of human communication, both cognitive and social. You'll learn what different psychologists think intelligence is, how it develops, and how it can be measured. The module will explore the internal and external influences on the development of reasoning and decision making. The module will explore whether innate mechanisms underlie these capacities or whether they develop over time.

• Empirical project
• Psychology of addictive behaviours
  This module introduces final year students to theories of addictive behaviour. Conceptual issues surrounding the utility of theories will be addressed, and the empirical evidence for or against each theory will be discussed. Students will have the opportunity to consider recent theories which attempt to synthesise extant models into a comprehensive account of addiction. Students will have the opportunity to apply, and critically evaluate, a number of theories in regards to their ability to explain alcoholism, both during seminars and in their coursework assignment. Finally, various treatment and preventative approaches, and the evidence for and against each will be examined.

• Psychology of mental health
  Mental health is a highly contested area, with major disagreements amongst psychiatrists, psychologists and service users over the conceptualisation and treatment of mental health problems. This module will examine the theoretical differences between these perspectives, through examining the social, cultural, biological and psychological evidence for the causes and maintenance of mental health problems. These factors will be looked at in general, and also in relation to specific forms of distress, such as depression, eating disorders and anxiety. The value and efficacy of diagnostic versus formulation approaches for the treatment of mental health problems will also be explored.
• Health psychology
  This module will explore theoretically based psychological processes and mechanisms (e.g. cognitive dispositions and beliefs, social support, etc) which have been shown to relate social inputs with health outcomes. In early sessions students will explore social inequalities in health. During later sessions a number of models used by health psychologists to study related decision making and behaviour will be explored. Throughout all sessions students will be exposed to applied implications and evidence derived from basic theoretical principles.
• Investigative psychology
• Development of brain and behaviour in infancy
  This module offers the opportunity to consider a dominant theoretical debate in developmental psychology, that of the relative contributions of nature and nurture to development. The first part of the module focuses on typical development, while the second part looks at instances where development is atypical, such as in the case of developmental disorders (e.g. autism and Down syndrome) or the case of extreme environments (e.g. visual and environmental deprivation).
• Psychopharmacology
  This module focuses on the scientific study of how drugs affect brain function and how such research furthers our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying behaviour. Topics covered in this module include recreational and abusive use of drugs, cognitive enhancing drugs, the cannabinoid system and the therapeutic potential of cannabis, and in-depth coverage of the drugs used to treat schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders. In these last three lectures, we will look at the use of animals in drug development in clinical psychopharmacology and discuss future avenues of research to develop more acceptable medications for mental health problems.
• Psychology of group processes
  This module will begin by outlining key issues in the study of intergroup and intra group psychology and explore social identity approaches. The module then goes on to consider how groups interact with one another (inter-group processes) and also how group members function within the group (intra-group processes). The module combines basic and theory with real social applications. Seminars provide an opportunity to explore issues and research in more depth, and apply theory to real life situations. As well assessment via a short essay and final exam, students will also be required to make a short group presentation.
• Extended essay (specialist routes only)
  This module will introduce students to psychological issues relating to eyewitnesses. These include theoretical and applied aspects of memory and suggestibility as well as consideration of methods of interviewing witnesses and their impact on accurate reporting of the crime in question. The issue of vulnerable groups is an important one in the context of eyewitness memory as vulnerability is often perceived as unreliability. Therefore, research into these perceptions, the reliability of testimony and interview techniques to enhance recall among such populations will be considered and evaluated.
• Thinking: past, present and future
  This module provides students with the opportunity to explore some of the key theoretical debates in contemporary cognitive science, adopting a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the nature of thought and challenging assumptions concerning what it is to be human. The module will address the nature of the human mind in the past, present, and future, frequently using comparative psychology to identify those abilities that make us uniquely human and which mark us out from non-human animals and synthetic organisms.
• Developmental disorders
  This module provides students with the opportunity to examine some common and rare developmental disorders. In addition to looking at the presenting characteristics of each disorder, students are introduced to major cognitive and neuropsychological approaches to their potential causes. The subject-matter builds on areas studied earlier in the degree, particularly cognitive, clinical and developmental psychology, resulting in the application and synthesis of multiple perspectives. Students are expected to read original research papers and show a critical understanding of methodological approaches and key findings in the area.
• Art, awareness and the brain
  This module focuses on the subjective state of awareness as a phenomenal state, looking at both is biological underpinnings in the nervous system and also its cultural manifestation in art. While each level is important in its own right for the study of Psychology, so too is their interconnectedness because each sheds light on the other, allowing a fuller and more integrated approach and deeper grasp of awareness that is ordinarily available.
• Applied psychometrics
  This module will begin by explaining test construction and validation in detail. The module then goes on to consider a wide variety of psychometric tests available and their appropriateness for use in occupational, clinical and research psychology. Ethical and legal issues surrounding psychometric test use will be covered. Students will gain practical experience of psychometric test use.
• Forensic psychology
  You'll be introduced to research in Investigative Forensic Psychology that focuses on different issues relating to offender profiling, interviewing suspects and false confessions, detecting deception, identification of suspects, and psychology in the courtroom. The module will draw on knowledge you've gained from core modules earlier in the course such as Cognitive Psychology and Social Psychology and demonstrate how this is relevant to Criminal Justice. You'll be expected to read about research in the area and to critically evaluate it in terms of generalisability and ecological validity.
• Neuropsychology
  This module begins with an introduction to the history of neuropsychology and its methods designed to lay foundations for the following content. Of particular importance is the relationship between normal and impaired functioning and the goal of deriving theories which explain both. The content areas examine different types of neuropsychological impairment, from traumatic brain injury, as found in Amnesic Syndrome, through the effects of strokes found in Unilateral Neglect to the pervasive effects of degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease. An important part of the module is an appraisal of the likelihood of recovery and efficacy of rehabilitation. The aim of the summative assessments is to examine both broad knowledge of the topic areas and the ability to critically examine issues in a selected topic area. Regular self assessed formative assessments will enable students to monitor their progress.
• Counselling psychology
  This module focuses on the subjective state of awareness as a phenomenal state, looking at both is biological underpinnings in the nervous system and also its cultural manifestation in art. While each level is important in its own right for the study of Psychology, so too is their interconnectedness because each sheds light on the other, allowing a fuller and more integrated approach and deeper grasp of awareness that is ordinarily available.

Optional course modules are subject to change and your choice of modules may depend on the semester and their specialism.

Part-time students have the option of completing in four and a half years or six years. For the four-and-a-half-year version you will complete four modules a year for four years, then the Project in Semester 1 of Year 5. For the six-year version you'll complete three modules a year for five and a half years, then the Project in Year 6.