Foundations To Psychology

This unit introduces core areas of History of Psychology: Concepts within Psychology; Cognitive Psychology, Biological Psychology. 

The aim is for students to gain a breadth of understanding of the theoretical and experimental debates within these areas with a view to addressing the question: How are psychological theories developed and investigated ethically?

Throughout the Unit established ideas in Psychology (e.g. classical conditioning) will be discussed from a historical perspective, students will then use skills in information literacy to locate and evaluate more recent experimental research which builds upon initial theories.

Introduction To Psychological Research Methods And Data Analysis

The unit is designed to introduce you to the idea of the discipline of psychology as a science and discusses the theoretical and practical applications of how Psychologists design, conduct, analyse and write up an ethically sound research project.

The unit is split in several integrated sections covering a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches, designs, and analyses.

The Unit aims to encourage you to consider what is meant by the scientific study of psychology and examine how the BPS ethical guidelines underpin researching psychological issues. It also aims to provide you with the skills needed to begin to critically evaluate published research and begin you on your journey to conducting your empirical project in your final year.

Psychology In Every Day Life

This unit aims to enhance knowledge of psychological topics by framing them in the context of everyday life and everyday behaviours, and further develop independent learning abilities and critical thinking.

You will gain topic knowledge and an understanding of psychological theory using the observable and latent behaviour of yourselves, others and groups within society.

This unit develops your knowledge of contemporary topics in psychology, professional and transferable skills, and your ability to reflect upon your learner development, framing these using key psychology theories.

Psychology And Criminal Behaviour

The unit will provide you with an introduction to the study of criminal behaviour, covering a basic grounding in some of the major issues, theories and research within the forensic psychology field. It will facilitate your understanding of the contexts (environmental, social and psychological) within which criminal behaviour occurs and the fundamental skills that are required of forensic psychologists in the assessment and rehabilitation of offenders.
The unit will explore theories of criminal behaviour and integrate criminal and forensic psychology into the knowledge of other areas of psychology to which you are being introduced in level 4 (e.g., biological, developmental, social and cognitive psychology, individual differences and research methods). Offender typologies and criminal-career paths for different types of offender (e.g., male, female, young, mentally disordered etc.) and different types of crime (violent, sexual, stalking, terrorism etc.) will be investigated.

Social Processes And Lifespan Development

The unit explores key topics in developmental and social psychology with a view to addressing the question: How do individuals change and develop across the lifespan?

The aim is for you to develop an understanding of aspects of biological, cognitive and social development from the prenatal stage through to old age with an emphasis on culture, society, and social factors.

This unit encourages critical reading and evaluation of current research articles, and provides an opportunity to conduct and participate in small-scale empirical exercises relevant to the unit topics. This unit aims to allow you to learn academic and transferable skills including writing critical reviews and provides the opportunity to reflect on personal development and career goals.

Biological And Cognitive Psychology

The unit examines human thinking, perception, language, memory and learning at two related levels of explanation. At the biological level the aim is to explain and investigate the physiology and neuroanatomy of behaviour The unit will therefore enable you to integrate biological concepts into your knowledge of other areas of psychology such as individual differences and cognition. At the cognitive level, the unit takes an information processing approach to theories of memory, perception language and thinking and aims to relate these theories to everyday behaviour from face recognition and eye-witness testimony to the use of mobile phones in cars. Staff research informs a number of the topics covered in this unit, for example, language processing, perception, attention and behaviour.

The Unit aims to:

Develop an understanding of information processing and computational models of human thinking

Provide a grounding in neuroanatomy and the physiology of behaviour

Develop biopsychological explanations of cognitive processes;

Provide the opportunity to test theories by experiment

Examine the impact of the structure and organisation of cognitive system on human behaviour

Develop an appreciation and critical reflection on the various research methods, conceptual and historical issues relevant to cognitive and biological psychology

Encourage critical reading and discussion of primary sources

Psychology And Criminal Justice

This unit takes an in depth look at the role of psychology in the Criminal Justice System. The unit is designed to facilitate your understanding of the main components of the English and Welsh Criminal Justice System with some comparative perspectives provided in relation to other justice systems worldwide.

This unit focuses on psychological contributions to the processes of law-making, deterrence, enforcement, prosecution, court-processes and corrections. You will be provided with a framework to understand the role of psychologists and psychological research within the Criminal Justice System. The syllabus is based on current events, recent academic and Government research and the teaching team’s own research and experiences in practice. There is a focus on employability and you will gain an understanding of potential career opportunities in the field.

The unit integrates theory, research and practice providing you with an advanced understanding of key issues in psychology within Criminal Justice settings.

Methods Of Research In Psychology

This unit builds on the first level units on research methods and extends into an exploration of the assessment of personality and individual differences. The central question is how to select the most appropriate research method to answer particular questions, develop and validate methods of psychological assessment, and consider ethical issues relating to the design of research through to the dissemination of findings.

Moreover, you will have the opportunity to advance your knowledge and skills in software packages such as the SPSS for statistics, software for qualitative analysis, and programs for designing and conducting laboratory experiments, as well as for database search.

Students will expand their knowledge on research design and methods of collecting and analysing data working individually as well as in groups on research topics of their choice in preparation for the final year Honours Project.

Staff research will inform the content of the unit and engage the students in current research activities related to the topics covered in the unit.

Atypical Child And Adolescent Development: Theories And Applications

The unit addresses the question of what makes a child atypical or exceptional. It therefore looks at the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment or outcomes of atypical development. You will also examine how different issues involved with exceptional children and atypical development affect and are influenced by families, education, and society. The unit aims to:

• introduce an aetiological developmental framework for understanding exceptional children.

• examine cognitive and psychosocial aspects of selected difficulties in learning, perception, attention and emotional and social development.

• introduce key issues in psychological assessment and intervention.

• develop a critical awareness of the theoretical underpinnings of contemporary research in the field of atypical development.

• discuss and evaluate the ways in which practice informs theory in our understanding of human development.

• provide information about research and assessment in developmental psychology and demonstrate how developmental research can be ethically applied in different settings.

• provide illustrations of the application of developmental theory and research to issues in the real world.

This unit has applications for those with interests in the field of education and welfare (teaching, child and adolescent mental health, educational psychology and social work).

Cognitive Neuropsychology

The unit aims to provide a guide to the underlying principles involved in neuropsychological investigations. More specifically the unit focuses on the history of cognitive neuropsychology, the methodologies and assumptions of neuropsychological research and the applications of this research to real world problems. Key concepts from cognitive and biological psychology are examined from a neuropsychological perspective, to include, executive functioning and frontal lobe deficits, memory and amnesia linking to Korsakoff Syndrome, agnosia and spatial neglect.

The syllabus is keep up to date by using recent case studies and everyday examples to provide an accessible way to the understanding the more challenging ideas that underpin the subject. Current research will also be highlighted to aid student learning.

Critical Social Psychology

Social Psychology, along with other disciplines in the social sciences (like sociology and anthropology for example), underwent a critical self-examination or ‘crisis’ starting in the late 1960s continuing well into the 1980s (c.f. Parker, 1989; Jackson, 1988, Stainton Rogers et. al., 1995). Many of the taken-for-granted assumptions that are often made within the field of social psychology were challenged, in particular, assumptions that the discipline is free from historical, cultural, ideological, political and moral influences. As a result, a Critical Social Psychology emerged which is informed by debates in other social sciences (e.g. communication studies, cultural studies, critical sociology and social anthropology), as well as by Marxism, feminism and psychoanalysis.
In this unit you will be introduced to a number of critical perspectives which seek to assess the ways in which social psychology has been traditionally pursued, both theoretically and methodologically. Some of these alternative developments include social constructionism, discourse analysis and narrative psychology. You will be offered the opportunity to consider their potential application to topics such as aggression and violence, emotions, interpersonal relationships, personhood (especially the self and identity) and conflict resolution and peace psychology.
By the end, you should be in a position to make an informed decision as to the most appropriate way to study social psychological phenomena.

Psychology Of Mental Health

This unit will allow you to familiarise yourself with the main issues relating mental health problems and therefore help you develop a good grounding towards further study and training or employment in role relating to mental health.
The unit aims to:
• introduce you to the main theoretical and therapeutic approaches to mental health problems
• present and evaluate major aspects in the classification of mental health problems
• familiarise you with the clinical symptoms of the most common psychological disorders
• encourage you to critically discuss aetiological models and therapeutic interventions of the major mental health problems in the light of traditional but also recent concepts and empirical findings
• discuss the importance of socio-cultural factors in the causation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health problems.

Problem Solving

This unit deals with how we try to solve problems of all kinds from several different theoretical perspectives; additionally, how expertise develops, and the conditions under which instruction works best. It examines thinking and reasoning and students will learn about the difficulties and biases humans have in thinking and decision-making. Real world relevance and application are considered throughout the material covered in the unit.

Applied Forensic Psychology

In this unit you will study the application of psychology to offenders post-sentencing. This will include the consideration of assessment practices which are necessary in order to determine the appropriateness of particular treatments, level of risk posed by the (ex)offender or the success of an intervention with particular offenders. Additionally, you will investigate and evaluate different treatment and rehabilitation programmes; both those delivered in custodial settings, and those undertaken as part of a community sentence or as relapse prevention following release from custody.
We will cover the main scientific and practical skills needed by psychologists in the field of forensic work including issues related to the evaluation of rehabilitative interventions, the preparation of reports, and assessment techniques. In relation to risk assessment we will also consider how assessment informs the management and amelioration of risk.
Further, you will gain a theoretical understanding of a range of advanced research designs and methods of data analysis that are likely to be employed in these contexts (e.g. meta-analysis, factor analysis, reliability & validity etc.).  We will also cover the research and practical ethical issues and debates in Forensic Psychology, as well as developing an awareness of professional skills that are required in practice for employability.

You will find that the topics in this unit complement those of the previous two units studied as part of the Forensic  Psychology degree. In particular this focuses more on the typical work of most Forensic Psychologists who tend to work within the prison system. However, the skills that you will develop whilst studying this unit will be equally transferable to a range of other occupational positions within or around the criminal justice system.

Occupational And Organisational Psychology

This unit addresses the question “How can psychology contribute to the contemporary workplace and the performance and wellbeing of organisations and employees?”
You will study a wide range of topics that emphasise the application of theory and evidence to improving aspects of the workplace. While the unit will have special interest to those planning a career in occupational psychology, you should be able to apply your learning to your future career regardless of your chosen field.
The unit syllabus is based upon research evidence, with material being updated by the teaching team.

Culture And Individual Differences

This unit will consider cultural and individual differences within the area of cross-cultural psychology. Cross-cultural psychology is the comparative study of cultural effects on human psychology. It examines psychological diversity and the links between cultural norms and behaviour. Hence it is a complement to individual differences as well as all the main topics within psychology. Cross-cultural psychology uses comparative methods to establish psychological concepts, principles and hypotheses with a view to possible generalisability, on a range of phenomena from cognition to emotion; intelligence to personality. The purpose of the unit is to introduce the field of cross-cultural psychology and its contemporary applications. Within the context of globalisation of knowledge and societies, this unit will enable us to investigate psychology’s contribution to the various changes that are taking place in various applied fields such as education, health, mental health, crime and work practices.

Forensic Psychology Research Project

The Research Project is designed to enhance your pre-existing research methods skills and further develop independent learning abilities and critical thinking. You are required to blend supervised academic research with independent critical evaluation of your own learning and professional practices. This unit allows you to enhance your knowledge of a research topic in psychology, your professional and transferable skills, and your ability to reflect upon your learner development, framing these using key psychological theories.

English Language Foundation

This unit focuses on your ability to understand and use the English language accurately when you read, speak, listen and write. We will concentrate on the English you need for undergraduate level study in your chosen subject area, covering grammar, subject area vocabulary and the four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

A key element of the unit is the grammar of the language, and particularly the verb tense system in English, because your ability to use the verb tense system accurately will be extremely important when you come to write essays and reports. This unit will focus in particular on the grammar of the language.

We will also focus on reading, listening and speaking skills in the context of your chosen subject area. Beginning with short texts, we will practise each skill and practise it again, so that gradually you will see, hear and feel that your command of the language is improving. 

A recurring focus of the unit will be your acquisition of 'learner autonomy'. This means your ability to acquire the language yourself, without needing a teacher's help. This is important because from next year you will not have an English teacher to help you. So we will consider and practise strategies to help you gain confidence in your own ability to increase your knowledge of and ability to use the language, including for instance guessing meaning of difficult words, deciding which words are important in a text, recognising differences between formal and informal language, and other strategies, so that as the first semester continues, you begin to feel more confident in your use and experience with the English Language.

Academic Skills Foundation

When you begin your undergraduate level studies, you will be expected to have knowledge of and ability to use a large range of 'study skills'. You will also be expected to have some knowledge of the subject area you will  be studying. This unit deals with both of these aspects of your preparation for undergraduate level study. 

All of the academic skills are practised in English, so you will use your developing acquisition of the language from the partner unit 'English Language Foundation' to practise and gain mastery of these skills. You will also use your language and study skills as you learn the foundation of your subject area, putting the skills into practice as you learn.

Developing English Language Skills

This unit builds on the progress you made during its partner semester 1 unit 'English Language Foundation' and increasing your level from that which you had achieved by the end of semester 1. 

We will recycle the tense system in English and other elements of the grammar system, but you will  now learn how to use other aspects of the grammar, including the passive voice, as well as linking words and phrases and devices which enable you to write longer sentences but retain grammatical accuracy. 

You will notice that we gradually introduce more specialist language that you need in preparation for your degree and we will expect you to use and develop the skills that you gained in the previous units so that you are able to work more independently.

Academic Skills Development

This unit builds on the skills learnt and practised in its partner semester 1 unit 'Foundation Academic Skills'. We will add more skills to the list, including summarizing and synthesising, argumentation, critical thinking and referencing and citation skills, as well as several others and practise and test them in the same way as with the semester 1 unit.

We will also investigate the research skill and you will learn how to prepare a research proposal and conduct a literature review, and how to plan a research project, learning about the research tools available and how they can be used to conduct research in your chosen field. 

You will continue to broaden your knowledge of key current issues and theory in your chosen subject area, and apply the critical thinking and argumentation skills you acquire in this unit to argue for and against propositions you have studied in the form of in both essays and presentations and in seminar situations, ensuring that you are ready to step up to your chosen undergraduate course with a base level of subject area knowledge from which to continue your academic development as you progress to level 4 study.

Psychology Of Language And Vision

This unit requires students to look in depth at up to date research in two key areas of Cognitive Psychology: Language and Vision. 

The aim is for you to gain a detailed understanding of theoretical and experimental debates within these areas with a view to addressing the question: What does current research tell us about human language and visual systems?

Throughout the unit you will be introduced to historical research in the areas of language and vision.  You will then examine recent research in these areas specifically focusing on how up to date methodologies (for example research using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have affected discussions in these areas.

Psychology Placement Year

The unit aims to provide you with the opportunity to gain formally recognised appropriate work based learning. It will allow you to develop your employability skills and reflect on your personal and professional development as part of a four year degree course. The experience of work that you gain can be applied in your final year of study.

Advanced Research Methods For Psychologists

This unit aims to provide students with:

• an explanation of how the scientific research process may elucidate behaviours and help to lead to new questions, predictions and hypotheses;
• in-depth coverage of advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods and statistical analyses;
• supervised experience in the use of quantitative and qualitative software to analyse varieties of data;
• opportunities to debate personal responsibility, ethics and professional codes of conduct when conducting research.

Relevance

The elements of this unit cover core requirements of the Accreditation through partnership handbooks: Guidance for health or forensic psychology programmes (BPS 2017). The content reflects staff expertise and published output from staff is used to support teaching.

Criminal Psychology

The unit introduces you to the study of criminal behaviour with a solid grounding in the major issues, theories and research relevant to the forensic psychology field. By the end of the unit you will therefore have an advanced understanding of the theories (e.g. criminological, biological, social and psychological) that contribute to our understanding of why criminal behaviour occurs.
The unit will explore theories of criminal behaviour at an in-depth level whilst considering different offender cohorts (e.g. male, female, juvenile) as well as offence types (e.g. sexual and violent offending, arson, theft). The unit will consider prevalence rates as well as theoretical perspectives, taking into consideration changes across environments and time as well as culture, race, religion and politics.

Overall, the unit will integrate theory, research and evidence giving a solid foundation to support your learning in more advanced units in the topic of forensic psychology.
The unit aims to:

• Ensure you have an advanced understanding of theories of criminal and psychology and how it relates to the application of psychological practice;
• To be able to critically evaluate major theories relating to criminal behaviour and offender typologies
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the functional links between individual psychological variables, developmental history, contextual variables and offending behaviour;
• Evidence that you have reflected upon the offender-victim interaction/relationship and can illustrate the significance of this antecedent
• Develop a critical reflection of offending behaviour across a number of contexts

Investigative Psychology

This unit provides an advanced understanding of the role of psychology in investigative contexts and law enforcement. It focuses on key issues
within investigative psychology and police psychology such as offender
profiling and geographical mapping.
The unit encourages you to critically evaluate the different paradigms in
the field of investigative psychology and promotes a critical awareness of
new insights and current research debates.
The syllabus is based on recent academic and Government research and the teaching team’s own research and experiences in practice. There is a focus on employability and you will gain an understanding of potential career opportunities in the field.
The unit integrates theory, research and practice and addresses the
question: How is psychology applied to investigations and policing?
The elements of this unit cover core requirements of the Accreditation
through partnership handbook: Guidance for forensic psychology
programmes (BPS 2017). The content reflects staff expertise and
published output from staff is used to support teaching.

Legal Psychology

This unit aims to:

• Ensure you have advanced understanding of how psychology can be applied to legal contexts.

• Develop your knowledge of the criminal and civil judicial systems, primarily in England and Wales, but also around the world.
• Develop your ability to apply and critically evaluate findings from research studies in relation to legal psychology.
• Develop your ability to critically reflect on the various research methods used to investigate legal psychology.

Relevance:

This unit will provide you with an informed and critical understanding of psychology in relation to legal contexts. You will be introduced to, among others, cognitive and social psychological research which has been applied to legal contexts. For example, cognitive processes such as memory and decision-making and social processes such as contagion and persuasion are discussed in relation to topics such as eyewitness testimony, jury decision making and false confessions. 

Assessments In Forensic Psychology

The Unit aims to:

• Encourage an advanced understanding of the assessment of offenders.
• Integrate findings from systematic and meta-analytic reviews to critically evaluate assessment methods.
• Develop skills in reporting assessment results within a forensic context.

Relevance
Forensic Psychology practice requires working in multidisciplinary environments in relation to the detection, conviction and rehabilitation of offenders (and victims of offending). The Unit will focus on the assessment the offenders and the psychologist’s role within the assessment process.
The unit will cover the main scientific and practical skills needed by psychologists to appropriately conduct, interpret and report psychological assessments. Assessments may include cognitive, personality, offence specific, mental health, and offence risk.

Interventions In Forensic Psychology

The Unit aims to:

• Ensure you leave the unit with an advanced understanding of the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders using group and individualised interventions
• Integrate findings from systematic and meta-analytic reviews to critically evaluate intervention studies methods.
• Provide you with a critical understanding of the differing treatment needs of various offender cohorts (e.g. female, adolescent, mentally disordered offenders) and are able to practically apply the knowledge base to critical evaluations of the literature

Relevance
The Unit will focus on psychological interventions aimed at the rehabilitation of a range of offender cohorts in various settings. The unit will cover the main scientific and practical skills needed by psychologists in the field of forensic work including evaluating rehabilitation evidence, identifying treatment needs, developing a psychological formulation, and treatment design and delivery. The unit will explore relevant research and theory with regards to the differing treatment programmes and approaches available to offenders of differing needs. FIP 2 is an essential unit aimed at equipping students with the knowledge base to understand how some of the theoretical knowledge gained in Semester 1 can be applied in a clinical setting.

Professional Skills For Forensic Psychologists

The Unit aims to: provide a framework in professional skills which students will be able to build upon in their future career development. The central focus of this framework is to be critical and evidence based whilst applying some of the foundations skills that would be required to work in forensic contexts and/or complete Stage 2 of the forensic psychology qualification.

Relevance

Students will acquire advanced skills in communication as well as the ability to be critically reflective upon such skills. These will lay the foundations upon which students can develop these skills further in their future careers. During the unit they will be required to demonstrate competence in these skills. These skills will be transferable to a range of employments, but specifically for those wishing to work in forensic contexts.

Msc Forensic Psychology Dissertation

The overall aim of this unit is to provide students the opportunity to develop and build their experience in the research process in a systematic, supervised way, from start to finish.  

In particular:

• to foster autonomous research skills
• to offer students the chance to research an area of forensic psychology systematically and in depth
• to provide students with an opportunity to carry out a substantial, independent research project in forensic psychology
• to promote scholarly activity necessary to produce a substantial research report approaching publishable standard and expanding / redefining current knowledge
• to develop skills in planning, managing and critically reviewing the research process
• to provide a platform for the further development and application of advanced qualitative and /or quantitative research skills to real forensic psychology research questions

Relevance

This unit covers a core requirement of the Accreditation through partnership handbook: Guidance for forensic psychology programmes (BPS, 2017) and in line with the recommendations for further enhancement outlined in BPS post accreditation visit report (2014). The research expertise of the programme team is used to support teaching and supervision.

Victimology

The aim of the unit is to provide students with knowledge and understanding relating to the concept of victimology. Whilst much of MSc Forensic Psychology the course is centred on offenders, this unit focuses on victims and is therefore beneficial to those who, wish to work with individuals who have been victims/survivors of offending. The unit considers a range of victim cohorts including victims of sexual, violent, and trafficking offences. Whilst looking at the theory of victimisation within these concepts, the unit also aims to explore the ethical and clinical applications for both the victim and the therapist within the therapeutic environment.
The unit aims to:

• Guide you in the development of a critical understanding of the psychological effects of experiencing victimisation
• Systematically explore and apply the concepts of victimology within a range of client groups and offending behaviours
• Critically evaluate current literature relating to theory and research within this field and consider contextual factors
• Systematically review existing treatments proposed, which aim to help victims of serious offences
• Critically evaluate the ethical issues relating to research and clinical practice in victimology