BSc Psychology / Course details

As students on the BSc psychology course, most of you will not go on to become 
psychologists. But all of you will, in your personal and professional lives, need to take decisions 
and evaulate evidence in domains where there exists a wealth of relevant high-quality 
psychological (and broader scientific) research. You will also have to explain this evidence, and 
your decisions, to others (your boss, co-workers, partner, family members etc...), most of 
whom will have had little or no scientific training. This unit aims to give you the tools you will 
need to both evaulate and communicate evidence regarding Psychology in the Real World.
The course will explore the psychological science behind a range of ‘real world’ Psychology 
topics (e.g., Do violent video games make children more violent?), with a focus on developing 
understanding and skills in research evaluation and communication. 

The aims of this unit are to:
1. Give you the tools you need to evaluate real-world claims using the peer-reivewed 
psychology – and broader scientific – literature.
2. Help you to appreciate the importance of evaluating claims on the totality of the 
evidence (e.g., meta-analysis, systematic review), avoiding cherry-picking.
3. Teach you to communicate evidence for real-world claims using non-technical written 
language that is both clear and engaging for non-academic audiences.
4. Provide you with balanced evidence regarding real-world psychology-related claims 
that will be relevant in your future personal and professional life

(a) 7 x Guided reading group (2hrs; synchronous, online via Zoom), in which you will read 
an assigned journal article (a meta-analysis, systematic review or large, representative 
study on a Real World Psychology topic, and work together to answer a set of 
questions on the paper.

(b) 3 x Writing workshop (2hrs; synchronous; face-to-face and online via Google docs) in 
which you will work collaboratively in small groups to produce a blog post on a topic 
from a previous week. These blogs will be (formatively) peer assessed. This writing 
workshop plays a cruicial role in achieving the module aims, since blog writing – like 
any skill – is a skill that can be mastered only with practice and feedback. 

(c) 11 x Lecture (2hrs; synchronous, face-to-face) which will – in the first hour –
summarize the take-home messages from the assigned paper and – in the second 
hour – explore practical aspects of popular-psychology writing (apart from the 
Introduction and Summary/Revision lectures which follow a different structure). 

Describe, and criticially evaluate, using appropriate empirical evidence, claims relating to the application of Psychology in the Real World.

Critically evaluate claims relating to real-world psychology using 
appropriate empirical evidence; Critically evaluate research into real-world topics with reference to methodological considerations (in particular, the importance of meta-analysis/systematic review, and avoiding cherry-picking or studies with apparent p-hacking or HARKing); Synthesise a body of research to produce a well-reasoned and well-supported argument in lay language; Arrive at and present – in lay language – a clear conclusion on a real-world research question on the basis of an evaluation of appropriate empirical evidence; Work as a member of a team to discuss a piece of empirical research (usually a meta-analysis or systematic review) and arrive at a shared understanding of its significance; Reflect on the content of empirical research and review papers and extract the key points. Work as a member of a team to jointly produce a blog post summarizing the state-of-the-art in research on a key topic relating to real-world psychology.

Use a range of sources (library, internet, electronic databases) to gather information; Plan how to construct an engagingly-written argument based around appropriate empirical evidence; Engage via online discussion and real-time writing collaboration with peers and academic staff; Communicate evidence for real-world claims using non-technical written language that is both clear and engaging for non-academic audiences.

Make evidence-based decisions on issues that matter to you in your personal and professional life Independently gather and select the most relevant information from a body of work by using online and library sources; Produce a written summary of research for a lay audience; Work in a self-directed and supported way to achieve stated goals; Engage in group discussions and collaborative group work and make contributions to a collective goal; Write engaging –while scientifically accurate - copy for a nonscientific audience. blog 
post on psychological and broader scientific questions

Grade and written feedback will be provided with each assessment

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Ambridge, B, (2017). Are You Smarter Than A Chimpanzee?: Test yourself against the amazing 
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Mathur, M. B., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2019). Finding common ground in meta-analysis “wars” on violent video games. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(4), 705-708.

López-López, J. A., Davies, S. R., Caldwell, D. M., Churchill, R., Peters, T. J., Tallon, D., ... & Welton, N. J. (2019). The process and delivery of CBT for depression in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 49(12), 1937-1947.
 

Ferguson, C. J., Kaye, L. K., Branley-Bell, D., Markey, P., Ivory, J. D., Klisanin, D., ... & Wilson, J. (2021). Like this meta-analysis: Screen media and mental health. Professional Psychology: 
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Gidengil, C., Goetz, M. B., Newberry, S., Maglione, M., Hall, O., Larkin, J., ... & Hempel, S. (2021). Safety of vaccines used for routine immunization in the United States: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Vaccine, 39(28), 3696-3716.
 

Sidhu, N., Qualter, C., Higgs, E., & Guo, K. (2021). What colour should I wear? How clothing colour affects women's judgement of other women's body attractiveness and body size. Acta Psychologica, 218, 103338.

Joshanloo, M. (in press). Relationships between present/future orientation and life satisfaction over two decades. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.

Goldberg, S. B., Lam, S. U., Simonsson, O., Torous, J., & Sun, S. (2022). Mobile phone-based interventions for mental health: A systematic meta-review of 14 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. PLOS Digital Health, 1(1), e0000002.

Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2019). Cognitive training does not enhance general cognition. Trends in cognitive Sciences, 23(1), 9-20.

Uttl, B., White, C. A., & Gonzalez, D. W. (2017). Meta-analysis of faculty's teaching 
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Ritchie, S.J. (2020). Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science. Bodley Head