BSc Psychology

The project is a piece of empirical research that students carry out under the supervision of a member of staff. It is expected that students will work on their project during both semesters.  

The project provides an opportunity to apply, in an original piece of research, the statistical knowledge and the research methodology learned during the first and second years of the undergraduate degree. Students will arrange supervision meetings with their supervisor, and the supervisor will act as an advisor at all stages of the project. However, it is fundamental to the unit that the learning outcomes are achieved through significant independent learning on the part of the student and students are expected to be self-motivated and proactive in their interactions with their supervisor. Students will produce a Research Proposal in Semester 1, which aims to focus students’ attention on the rationale, design, and analysis, and will allow the supervisor to provide early feedback on the acceptability of the proposed research. Students will also use their skills to review relevant literature and to produce a substantial written report and present their findings to an audience of peers and staff.  

The topic will be chosen from a selection offered by members of staff teaching and researching in the area of Psychology, subject to available places for individual members of staff.  

The project is worth a total of 40 credits: 13% of the unit mark for a research proposal which is completed in semester 1, 75% of the unit mark for the write up of the project, and 12% of the unit mark for an oral presentation, both of which are completed in semester 2. 

The course is a compulsory Final Year course unit for the BSc (Hons) Psychology, and must be passed at 2:2 level or above in order to be eligible for the BPS Graduate Basis for Chartership.

Undergraduate Psychology students from years one and two will be able to sign up to act as participants for third year students undertaking their empirical project, and the SONA system is used to manage this process. 

Building on previous knowledge (see recommended PSYC21061), the unit aims to:

• Allow students to use and develop the knowledge and experience gained through year one and two to utilise research skills in relation to one specific field of study in psychology.
• Provide an opportunity for students to work individually or in very small groups with a member of academic staff to carry out a piece of empirical research, from initial formulation of a problem and design, through setting–up, running the study, analysing and interpreting the data, and finally writing up and presenting the research.
• Give students ‘hands-on’ experience of the research process, for example, obtaining ethical approval and collecting data from participants.
• Build on the empirical work conducted in years one and two to further develop students’ report-writing, critical thinking, problem-solving and reasoning skills 

Students and supervisors will arrange at least 8 supervision sessions (4 each semester) and these will be tailored around the stage of the project and the student’s needs. Supervisors will provide advice on all aspects of the project, including management, although students are expected to be self-motivated and proactive in their interactions with their supervisor. Supervisors may provide references, but it is the student’s job to fully research the area under investigation. If the required data analysis has not been covered on the course, the supervisor will take the lead. 

The supervisor will read a draft of the Results section of the final report, and will provide feedback on the draft before the final submission.

• Choose appropriate methodology
• Demonstrate awareness of ethical issues and current codes of ethics and conduct
• Discuss findings in relation to previous research
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of appropriate sources of information
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of APA writing and formatting conventions
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of theoretical positions that are the subject of the research project 

• Define a research problem
• Formulate testable hypotheses
• Demonstrate the ability to reason about the data and present the findings effectively
• Evaluate methodologies and analyses employed  
• Integrate and summarise research and scholarly material in order to introduce and justify a research question 

• Plan and carry out a study efficiently
• Obtain ethical approval for their research
• Choose and apply appropriate data analysis techniques
• Present information, ideas and arguments in written form with due regard to the target audience and discipline conventions 

• Collaborate effectively with participants, the supervisor and, where appropriate, outside agencies.
• Present the research findings to an audience of peers, and adapt the material to the audience
• Manage an independent project effectively over two semesters 

See Assessment Methods

Reading will be discussed during supervision sessions.