| Unit name | Apprenticeship in Psychological Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PSYCM0043 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Jeff Brunstrom |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
n/a |
| Co-requisites |
n/a |
| School/department | School of Psychological Science |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit provides students with an apprenticeship in psychological research. Taking their research interests into account, students will be assigned to a research group of an academic member of staff within the School of Experimental Psychology, and contribute to the design, implementation, and dissemination of ongoing research carried out in that research group. Students will be given an opportunity to contribute at strategy meetings, and to analyse and report on findings. This will provide critical insight into the process of conducting psychological research.
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the types of practical challenges that researchers experience when conducting psychological research. - Recruit participants. - Reflect on ways in which a research project might by improved in future. - Provide an overview of findings from a research project in an oral presentation.The unit involves an introductory lecture (1 hour) followed by a lab induction and 10 weeks of part-time research assistance in the laboratory of the supervisor.
Students will be required to produce a 2000-word ‘research portfolio.’ In the first of two sections, the students will produce a structured research diary. This will contain reflective comments relating to advances that have been made in their research project, practical and theoretical hurdles, and how these have or might be overcome. In a second section, the student will provide an overview of their project, together with an account of its aims, objectives, and outcomes.
The research portfolio will contribute 100% of the total mark.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (2009). American Psychological Association; 6th Revised edition edition. ISBN-10: 9781433805615
Doing quantitative psychological research: from design to report. (1997). Psychology Press Ltd. ISBN-10: 0863777899
