BSc Psychology

Most people taking this unit will not go on to become psychologists. But all of you will, in your personal and professional lives, need to take decisions and evaluate 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 evaluate 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.

• Give you the tools you need to evaluate real-world claims using the peer-reviewed psychology – and broader scientific – literature.
• Help you to appreciate the importance of evaluating claims on the totality of the evidence (e.g., meta-analysis, systematic review), avoiding cherry-picking.
• Teach you to communicate evidence for real-world claims using non-technical written language that is both clear and engaging for non-academic audiences.
• 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 crucial role in achieving the module aims, since writing for a general audience – 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 – summarise 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, using appropriate empirical evidence, claims relating to the application of Psychology in the Real World.
• Reflect on the content of empirical research and review papers and extract the key points 

• 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

• Engage in group discussions and collaborative groupwork and make contributions to a collective goal  
• Communicate evidence for real-world claims using non-technical written language that is both clear and engaging for non-academic audiences.  
• Engage via online discussion and real-time writing collaboration with peers and academic staff
• Work in a self-directed and supported way to achieve stated goals
• 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
• Make evidence-based decisions on issues that matter to you in your personal and professional life 

See Assessment Methods

Recommended reading

• Ambridge, B, (2015). Psy-Q: A Mind-Bending Miscellany Of Everyday Psychology. Profile 
• Ambridge, B, (2017). Are You Smarter Than A Chimpanzee?: Test yourself against the Amazing minds of animals. Profile 
• 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: Research and Practice. 
• Rohrer, J. M., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2015). Examining the effects of birth order On personality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(46), 14224-14229. 
• Newton, P. M., & Miah, M. (2017). Evidence-based higher education–is the learning styles 'myth' important?. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 444. 
• Kelly, J.F., Humphreys, K., & Ferri, M (2020).. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020(3). Art.No.: CD012880. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012880.pub2. Accessed 22 April 2022. 
• Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition From novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5-51. 
• 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. ActaPsychologica, 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 effectiveness: Student evaluation of teaching ratings and student learning are not related. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 54, 22-42. 
• Goldcare, B. (2008) Bad Science. Fourth Estate. 
• Ritchie, S.J. (2020). Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science.Bodley Head