Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Psychology (LLLI07031)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course is for students on the CAHSS International Foundation Programme.
Introduction to Psychology introduces a range of topics in psychology, including social psychology, individual differences, child development, memory, perception, and psychological disorders. Combining short lectures, class discussions and practical exercises, it will build new students' skills in academic study in the UK. |
| Course description |
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of Psychology and to develop academic skills in readiness for further study. Topics and individual classes are outlined in the indicative syllabus below.
Unit 1. Introduction: What is psychology?
1.1. Historical approaches to psychology
1.2. Psychology in everyday life
Unit 2. Cognitive psychology (first part): Attention and perception
2.1. What are cognition, attention and perception?
2.2. Researching cognition, attention and perception
2.3. Discussing a paper & Introduction to psychological research
Unit 3. Cognitive psychology (second part): Remembering and forgetting
3.1. Types of memory and why we forget
3.2. Researching memory
3.3. Discussing a paper & In-class research design exercise
Unit 4. Individual differences (first part): Personality
4.1. Personality traits
4.2. Researching personality: how do we obtain the most robust evidence
4.3. Discussing a (famous) paper
Unit 5. Individual differences (second part): Intelligence
5.1. What is intelligence?
5.2. Intelligence: how do we best measure it?
5.3. Discussing an article: can intelligence be experimentally increased?
Unit 6. Social psychology (first part): Acting around others
6.1. Social relationships
6.2. Researching social relationships
6.3. Discussing a paper
Unit 7. Social psychology (second part): Social influence
7.1. Social influence
7.2. Researching social influence
7.3. Discussing an article: Critique of a famous experiment
Unit 8. Developmental psychology (first part): Cognitive development
8.1. Cognitive development: history of theories
8.2. Researching cognitive development
8.3. Discussing a paper
Unit 9. Developmental psychology (second part): Social development
9.1. Social and emotional development
9.2. Researching social and emotional development
9.3. Discussing a paper
Unit 10. Mental health (first part): Psychological disorders
10.1. Psychological disorders
10.2. Examples and stigma
10.3. Discussing a paper: a famous theory
Unit 11. Mental health (second part): Treatment
11.1. Psychological treatment
11.2. A case study
11.3. Discussing a paper: How are treatments developed?
11.4. Preparing for essay writing
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 50,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
48 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Report of classroom research exercise (week 4/5). This will give students the chance to practice using psychological terminology and will be returned with feedback before the submission of assessment 2.
Assessment 1: 10% Mean average of best 8 (out of 10) multiple choice quizzes based on course topics and readings
Assessment 2: 20% Summary of a psychology article
Assessment 3: 70% Essay |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify a number of major research topics within psychology, and understand some of the central issues within these topics
- Understand and be able to explain key concepts in psychology and psychological research
- Identify key methodologies and understand the advantages/ limitations of various techniques
- Summarise and apply ideas from readings
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will have started to develop a range of skills that are crucial for success in undergraduate study and employment including critical thinking, summarising, participation in classes and academic planning and writing |
| Keywords | Psychology,memory,child development,mental health |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Vangelis Chiotis
Tel:
Email: vchiotis@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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