Psychology MRes

MODULES

• Advanced Skills for Research and Practice Core: This module will introduce you to the issues that surround the successful management and completion of research projects in professional and applied settings. The course will focus on two core strands. Firstly, ethical and professional standards will be examined in detail. The course will then focus on the practical issues and skills surrounding research projects, their development and their management. An emphasis on applied research, and on research with different populations, will be made during the course.
  
• Research Dissertation (MRes) Core: This module supports you in completing your MRes dissertation project mainly through expert one-to-one supervision, alongside taught workshop sessions relating to the project completion timeline and the assessments. Examples of session topics include literature searching and developing a research idea, presentation skill development, writing a detailed research proposal, ethics and health & safety, Open Research practices, writing an MRes research report, and writing a critical skills reflection. The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to investigate systematically and in depth a topic of direct relevance to Psychology and your personal interests, enable you to draw on and contribute to the development of the growing body of knowledge in the field of Psychology, present the outcomes of your research in the form of a written dissertation of publishable quality, and be able to articulate and discuss your findings in an oral examination.
  
• Researching Thought and Behaviour Optional: This module introduces you to the essentials of psychological research, and includes an introduction to qualitative methods and quantitative methods, including questionnaire/survey and experimental research methods. Overviews of qualitative methodologies are given covering both data acquisition (e.g. interview, focus group, photo elicitation) and major analysis techniques (e.g. discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis, etc.). Thematic or content analysis is covered in more detail. The module also introduces quantitative designs (e.g. surveys and experimental studies) and key analytical techniques. Laboratory exercises provide you with hands-on activities and include training in the use of statistical software packages (e.g. SPSS). The module introduces you to the nature and philosophy of the experimental method, the design and execution of psychological experiments, descriptive statistics, frequentist and Bayesian inferential parametric and non-parametric statistical procedures (e.g. chi-square, t-tests, (factorial) ANOVA, correlation, regression, and allied analyses). The module covers the replication crisis and potential remedies. You will receive guidance on the production of qualitative and quantitative research reports.
  
  
• Applied Research Methods in Psychology Optional: The module introduces you to the nature and philosophy of applied psychology, reinforcing evidence-based critical thinking. The module reminds you about the essentials of psychological research, including brief refreshers on the basics of qualitative and quantitative approaches. You will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of applied psychological methods (e.g. observational studies, interviews, single case studies, and experimental methods). The module also considers quantitative experimental and correlational methods and introduces appropriate analytical techniques for both. Workshops provide you with hands-on activities and will include training in the use of statistical software packages (e.g. SPSS) to supplement the training you will have gained during your undergraduate work. You will be expected to demonstrate the ability to conduct and understand the output of a range of analyses, both descriptive and inferential (e.g. Generalised Linear Model, Structural Equation Modelling, Exploratory Factor Analysis). Taught sessions will provide you with the opportunity to critically evaluate research designs and assess the quality of evidence for different aspects of applied psychology practice. A practical overview of realist qualitative methodologies is given (e.g. interviews, content analysis, thematic analysis). You will be expected to explore at least one qualitative approach in detail. You will receive guidance on the appropriate communication of qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.