What you will study
Following on from Principles of social and psychological inquiry (DD801), this module provides an advanced understanding of topics drawn from four specialisms in psychology: Cognitive, Social, Counselling and Forensic.
Topics will include: Expertise, Visual Perception, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Panic Attacks, Sexual Harassment, Motherhood, Paedophilia and Child Witnesses. There will also be content on psychology research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, and material on how to use psychological research findings to create impact, not only in academic contexts but also in terms of policy and public awareness.
This module develops an orientation to Psychology which aims to have real world, personal and employment relevance for you whatever your background or undergraduate degree. The module is organised around three areas - home, work and public - focusing on topics that are of strong contemporary relevance and which are highly engaging for potential students like you.
The module will focus on the application of Psychology to real-world issues – and prioritise the inclusion of active research being conducted in the Open University’s School of Psychology. This real-world issue framing means that you will always be directly focussed on evaluating the extent to which Psychology can make a contribution to the world we all live in.
The module also offers you the opportunity to engage in an independent project/dissertation portfolio on a topic that you will choose with guidance from a specialist dissertation tutor. In addition to support from your tutor the learning materials are designed to prepare you for your dissertation project by systematically teaching the skills you need to carry out this project, as you go through the module. The project will take the form of an extensive literature review and discussion. You will also be asked to create outputs to inform a lay or professional audience about your findings. You will not carry out your own primary data collection or research.
Completing this module will equip you to evaluate psychological knowledge claims, theories, research (studies and methods) and applications. In doing so you will become an educated user and (potentially) commissioner of psychological research. The module will also enable you to confidently use advanced psychological knowledge to participate in public debate and public policy development, and to communicate advice to a variety of specialist and non-specialist audiences in complex situations.
This module is suitable if you are interested in psychology regardless of whether or not you have previously studied the subject. While it will be of interest to those who have a BSc in Psychology, it is also suited to those who might not have previous qualifications in psychology but work in related areas, and who feel that knowing more about psychological topics will complement their existing skills and knowledge.
You will learn
By studying this module you will learn how to:
- read, critically evaluate and apply research in cognitive, counselling, forensic and social psychology
- conduct a comprehensive literature search
- write a literature review
- select journal articles/research relevant to applied questions
- write a report for different audiences (e.g. policy makers, charities, the public)
- effectively present information to different types of audience effectively (e.g. other academics, practitioners, or policy makers
You will also learn about the:
- relevance of academic research in cognitive, counselling, forensic and social psychology for real world issues/cases
- key concepts and research in cognitive, counselling, forensic and social psychology