Be registered on a Psychology award

Appropriately and adequately equipped computer laboratory.
VLE package e.g. Blackboard.

A combination of tutor-led lectures, workshops and independent learning.
10x1 hour tutor-led lectures which will introduce theoretical approaches and key concepts.
12x2 hour workshops to exchange ideas and reflect on the key concepts outlined in the lecture. These workshops will consist of a combination of tutor and student-led discussion, study design, data analysis, group presentations and peer review. Students will work through a workbook.
116 independent learning hours which will consist of a combination of reading material and completing tasks by means of a VLE, reading key texts and researching study topics, data collection, preparing presentations and practical reports for assessment and preparation for the class test.

This module aims to provide students with an introduction to a variety of research methods commonly used in the investigation of psychological phenomena. These will include both qualitative and quantitative approaches to carrying out research, and the associated ethical considerations of each approach. The qualitative focus will introduce methods such as interviewing, designing interview studies, coding of interview data, and thematic analyses, including content and discourse analysis. Quantitative approaches will focus on the nature of descriptive statistics and significance testing. Students will focus on the application of appropriate methods (qualitative, quantitative or both) in order to address specific research questions. They will also be introduced to the concepts of reliability and validity, hypothesis testing, objectivity, sampling, measurement of psychological variables, study design, data collection and basic analysis and interpretation of data, sourced from both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Summative assessment
1. one-hour end-of module unseen class test, contributing 40% of the overall module mark, which will assess leaning outcomes 1, 2, 3.

2. practical report (maximum 1500 words), contributing 60% of the overall module mark, which will assess learning outcomes 3, 4.


Formative learning
a peer and tutor-reviewed written research report and a presentation/report of a qualitative study (verbal feedback)

a peer and tutor-reviewed written quantitative research report, which will then be submitted as summative assessment (written feedback).

MCQs and practice questions delivered through the VLE.

Clark-Carter, D. (2004). Quantitative psychological research: a student?s handbook. Hove: Psychology Press.
Kinnear, P & Grey, C. (2004) SPSS made simple: release 12.0. Hove: Psychology Press.
Langdridge, D. (2004) Introduction to research methods and data analysis in psychology. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Forshaw, M. (2007). Easy Statistics in Psychology: A BPS Guide. Oxford: BPS Blackwell.