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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Psychology

Postgraduate Course: Research Internship in Developmental Cognitive Science (PSYL11086)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryIn order to develop the specific research skills needed to complete their dissertation projects, each student will undertake a semester-long research internship with their prospective dissertation supervisor. Activities will build upon the research methods training undertaken in Semester 1, and will be targeted toward developing the specific advanced skills needed to complete their dissertation project.
Course description Students will be assigned to their dissertation supervisor by mutual preference, and will liaise with their prospective supervisor at the beginning of the semester to agree on the training activities to be learned during the internship semester. These activities will vary depending on the project, but will likely include:

- Reviewing and summarising the relevant scientific literature
- Designing and implementing experimental protocols
- Pilot-testing experimental materials
- Specialized training to use required apparatus
- Learning to manage and curate data and research materials
- Determining and practicing the analysis techniques needed to analyse the dissertation data

Students will engage in some selection of these activities on a regular basis, following a training plan agreed between the supervisor and student at the beginning of the semester. Students will usually work in pairs.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2018/19, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 88 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 80 %, Practical Exam 20 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework 80%, Participation 20%

Participation involves the conscientious and timely completion of components of the training plan. For coursework (dissertation plan assignment), students will create a comprehensive plan for their dissertation project suitable for pre-registration, including a summary of the research question and hypotheses, a complete description of methods to be used, a report of pilot data (if applicable), and a plan for analysing the dissertation data.
Feedback Oral formative feedback will be provided during meetings with supervisors. Students will receive feedback on written components of their training activities.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. confidently discuss the main issues pertinent to the research question addressed by their dissertation project.
  2. explain and implement the design of their dissertation research
  3. analyse data collected for their dissertation project.
  4. pre-register their dissertation project, if desired.
Reading List
Wagenmakers, E.-J., Wetzels, R., Borsboom, D., van der Maas, H. L. J., & Kievit, R. A. (2012). An agenda for purely confirmatory research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 632-638. DOI: 10.1177/1745691612463078

Ridley, D. (2012). The literature review: A step-by-step guide for students. Sage Publications.

Miller, S. A. (2017). Developmental research methods (5th edition). Sage Publications.

Goodwin, C. J. (2017). Research in psychology: Methods and design (8th edition). John Wiley & Sons.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Research and enquiry skills e.g. independent research, problem solving, critical thinking, digital literacy, numeracy
Personal and intellectual autonomy e.g. thinking independently and creatively; establishing goals
Personal effectiveness e.g. team working; effectively using resources to achieve goals; managing complexity and self-direction
Communication skills e.g. engaging effectively in discussions; written communication skills, including scientific writing; interpersonal skills, including child-centred communication
Keywordsdevelopmental cognitive science; research methods; research internship
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nicolas Chevalier
Tel:
Email: nchevali@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: Toni.noble@ed.ac.uk
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