Third Level Courses Session THIRD LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

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Session 2011-2012

THIRD LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

MEMBERS OF STAFF IN CHARGE:

Honours (single, joint, combined): Dr Maarten Milders & Dr Lisa DeBruine

GENERAL NOTES FOR

PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

MyAberdeen (the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual

Learning Environment)

MyAberdeen replaces WebCT as students’ virtual learning environment. This is where you will find learning materials and resources associated with the courses you are studying.

MyAberdeen also provides direct access to TurnitinUK, the online originality checking service, through which you may be asked to submit completed assignments.

You can log in to MyAberdeen by going to www.abdn.ac.uk/myaberdeen and entering your University username and password (which you use to access the University network).

Further information on MyAberdeen including Quick Guides and video tutorials, along with information about TurnitinUK, can be found at: www.abdn.ac.uk/students/myaberdeen.php.

Information about academic writing and how to avoid plagiarism can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism.

AIMS OF THE COURSES

Students selected for Honours are given the opportunity to pursue many of the themes introduced in the first two years of psychology in greater detail and depth. The course consists of lectures, practicals and tutorials. The tutorial system and the practical projects allow you to develop your writing skills in the form of essays and scientific reports and to develop your oral communication skills by requiring you to prepare and present work to your peers and tutors/supervisors. The Level 3 timetable allows the opportunity for individual and independent study and you are expected to undertake background reading in addition to specified course work.

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LECTURES

You must attend and do the work of all the following courses:

First half session Second half session

Methodology - A PS3009 Methodology - B PS3513

Biological Psychology PS3014 Memory and Language PS3519

Psychological Assessment PS3011 Developmental Psychology PS3518

Perception PS3012 Social Psychology PS3517

Details of the courses are provided in the following pages. In each half-session, you will be expected to attend lectures and take part in tutorials and practicals.

TUTORIALS

The Function of the Tutorial System

The function of tutorials is to broaden your knowledge of the concepts and content of the subject areas covered at Level 3. Tutorials are not designed simply to cover lecture material in greater detail. Tutorials are designed to broaden your knowledge of course material by writing an essay for each lecture course. You will also be given the opportunity to extend your knowledge by participating in discussions and giving short oral presentations topics decided by tutors. You will be expected to undertake additional background reading for these tutorials.

Transferable skills

This element of the level 3 curriculum is aimed to facilitate the acquisition of the following transferable skills:

• Communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

• Analytic skills, including the ability to gather, analyse, assess and discuss primary data and secondary literature.

• Information Technology Skills, such as word processing, data analysis, email, use of the internet, and web searching.

• Data Management Skills, including the ability to use software packages such as SPSS for preparing data files and for exploring and analysing data appropriately.

• Personal and Organisational Skills, such as the ability to undertake self-directed study, and to plan and submit work within an appropriate deadline.

Attendance at tutorials is compulsory. Any student who misses more than 2 tutorial sessions will be deemed to be at risk of failing the course and may be withdrawn from the course. If you are withdrawn from the course you will not be eligible to sit the examination.

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The Conduct of the Tutorial System

You will attend a total of six one-hour tutorials during each half session. Tutorials will involve discussions of topics set by tutors, informal presentations by students and discussion of how to write the relevant course essay. You are required to write one 2000 word essay for each of the three theory courses in each half-session (i.e., an essay shall be written for Perception, Psychological Assessment and Biological Psychology in the first half-session, and for Memory and Language, Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology in the second half-session). Two copies of each essay must be

submitted to the School Office by the appropriate date of submission. Please note that the Office closes at 4pm, and students arriving after 4pm will not be allowed to submit their essay. Essays must be word processed. Late essays will be penalised (-1 for the weekend, -1 for each week day). In addition, an electronic copy of each essay must to be submitted to the Turnitin Plagiarism Detection website. You will not receive an essay mark until your work has been submitted for plagiarism detection.

As part of each tutorial course, each student will give a presentation to the tutorial group on a topic to be agreed with the tutor. Giving a satisfactory presentation is part of the work of the course, and this will form part of the course assessment (5% of your overall mark)

Also, as part of the tutorial system, you are encouraged to attend School Research Seminars. These seminars are given by members of staff and postgraduates and invited speakers from other universities. Attendance at research seminars is not compulsory, but may be beneficial as they expose you to a range of different areas of research and provide an important and enjoyable way of keeping abreast with developments in Psychology. Research seminars will be advertised each week within the School and usually take place at 3.30pm every Thursday during term, in room T1 in the School. If you have any queries about research seminars please contact the seminar co-ordinators, Dr Doug Martin or Dr Amelia Hunt.

Detailed information concerning the allocation of students to tutors, the location of tutorials, and arrangements for submitting written essays will be made available in a separate handout (‘Level 3 Tutorial System') which will be distributed to you during the first week of each half-session.

PRACTICAL PROJECTS

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Practical projects are carried out as a compulsory element of the courses Methodology A and B. Students work in groups in close collaboration with members of staff on a wide range of topics, e.g., experimental and cognitive psychology, social psychology, health psychology, etc. The function of the practicals is to give you experience of running, analysing and writing up a small research project. You will be expected to contribute to the design and preparation of practical reports, recruit and test participants, collaborate in the analysis of project data, and write a short research report not exceeding 3000 words. Training in research skills is an important part of an advanced undergraduate course in Psychology. It is also intended that the practicals will help you prepare for your research dissertation, which is carried out in the fourth year.

Transferable Skills

This element of the level 3 curriculum is aimed to facilitate the acquisition of the following transferable skills:

1. Communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

2. Analytic skills, including the ability to gather, analyse, assess and discuss primary data and secondary literature.

3. Interpersonal skills, such as the ability to work with others in research collaboration.

4. Information Technology Skills, such as word processing, data analysis, email, use of the internet, and web searching.

5. Data Management Skills, including the ability to use software

packages such as SPSS for preparing data files and for exploring and analysing data appropriately.

6. Personal and Organisational Skills, such as the ability to undertake self-directed study, and to plan and submit work within an appropriate deadline.

The Conduct of Practicals

There are two eight-week practical slots during the academic year (i.e. one each half-session). These slots are periods during which you undertake a research practical for which a written report is submitted and assessed. You are assigned to a practical group, the members of which work together on a project under the supervision of a staff member. Each group will normally meet the supervisor on at least seven or eight occasions, although additional meetings may be needed, especially during the early weeks of the practical. Each student is required to submit a written report at the end of each practical period. The report should not exceed 3000 words. Details of how to write a research report are given in the Methodology A notes later in this Handbook.

As in the case of tutorial essays you are required to submit two word processed copies of your report to the office. As for tutorial essays, a copy of your practical report must be submitted to the JISC Plagiarism software (Turnitin). Following submission of the written practical report you will be required to give an oral presentation of your work to

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students from other groups and a member of staff who was not your tutor. Oral presentation of practical work is a compulsory element of the courses Methodology A and B and is worth 5 % of your overall mark.

Towards the end of the second half-session you must begin preparing for your Final Year research thesis (this thesis is carried out and completed in the Fourth Year). The procedure for assigning students to projects is described in the document 'Thesis Selections'. You must not make independent arrangements to conduct a dissertation with a particular member of staff, or someone outside of the University, without consulting either Dr Sandie Cleland or Dr Kathryn Mearns (level 4 convenors).

Ethical Approval

Before you start work on your project you must have it approved by the School Ethical Committee who will assess whether there are any ethical problems with what you plan to do. This committee will consider whether your project meets current ethical guidelines. (These can be found on the School’s website, under ‘Research’). Once you have agreed the details of your project with your supervisor, you should complete a copy of the ‘ethics questionnaire’, which can be downloaded from the School’s website. Once it has been completed and signed by you and your supervisor you should take a photocopy for your own records, and then hand it in to the School Office. You should do this as soon as possible, as you cannot commence work involving human participants until your project has been approved by the ethics committee. Further copies of this questionnaire and copies of the British Psychological Society Guidelines are available from the School Office.

Level 1 students as participants in research: Group Participation Practicals

• Level 1 students may be available for one-hour sessions in a large laboratory during the teaching session. Your Practical supervisor will have more information about this. Any equipment required must be arranged in the normal way through Technical Support (Jim Urquhart), Room S16.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL

RESEARCH

The rapid development of the School of Psychology has led to an increase in research activity. Whilst it is highly unlikely that you will experience any health and safety problems, the School would like to make some recommendations with regard to health and safety that should be considered when conducting experiments. These recommendations were made following discussions with the University’s Health and Safety Advisor.

Research within the School Layout of the research room

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Whenever possible, arrange the table and chairs in such a manner that the researcher is sitting closest to the door. Whenever possible researcher and participant should not be sitting on the same side of the table, but opposite each other. If it is necessary to have the door closed during the experiment then make sure that the door is not locked (but do not forget to lock the door when you leave the research room after you have finished your experiment).

Use of tape recorders

All of the research rooms are equipped with a tape recorder. It is important that the following explanation is given to participants: “It is now School policy to record every test session. This is in case should there be any cause of complaints by the experimenter or participant. Under normal circumstances the tapes will not be kept after the experiment, but the School reserves the right to retain the contents of the tape should circumstances suggest that this is necessary”. If you have any complaints about a test session, please keep the tape.

Time of testing

Research rooms within the School can only be used during normal working hours, i.e. from 9 am – 4 pm, Mondays to Fridays.

Standards of behaviour

We expect participants to behave in an acceptable manner. The use of angry, threatening, aggressive or sexually related language (or behaviour) is unacceptable. If any researcher feels uncomfortable or threatened during an experiment, the School expects researchers to leave the room in a dignified manner (for example by saying “Please excuse me; there is something I have to do”). After leaving the room, they should go to their supervisor or, if this person is not available, to another academic member of staff and explain what has happened. The member of staff should return to the participant, explaining that unfortunately the researcher is unable to continue with the experiment, but that they will be given their marks. The member of staff should fill in the Research Participation Record as well as the Participants record. Afterwards, the researcher must report this situation as soon as possible to Dr Milders and keep the tape.

Participant’s health

If a participant becomes unwell during testing, contact a First Aider (Dr R Allen, Room S09, ext 2665 or Dr K Allan, Room T6, ext. 3932 or Mr T Mitchell, Room T15, ext. 3066) If an ambulance is required call 9/999.

Research outside the School: research in the community

As said before, it is highly unlikely that you will experience any health and safety problems. However, the School would like to make some

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recommendations, which are standard procedures used by community workers visiting people at home.

Place and time of testing

The School advises researchers to conduct their research during normal working hours and in a neutral location, for example, in the meeting room of an activities centre or a residential home.

Basic precautions

Whenever possible take a mobile phone with you so that you could use it to summon assistance if necessary. Switch it off during your experiment.

Always let someone (for example a friend) know which participants you are planning to visit, the dates, times, and addresses. Let him/her know when you think you will be finished. Phone your friend to let her/him know that you have completed your visit(s). Do not forget to do so! If your friend has not heard from you, he/she should contact your supervisor, the School Office, or police (in the order given until they have contacted one). Inform your friend of this procedure in advance, giving the relevant contact numbers. The supervisor/School Office should ask for the participants’ names, addresses and phone numbers and make a reasonable effort to contact the final participant(s). For example they might phone them to find out whether the researcher actually showed up. If necessary they will contact the police.

PLANNING AND USE OF TIME

The Level 3 courses consist of lectures and a wide range of class activities including practical work and tutorials. It is essential that you make the time to familiarise yourself with lecture material and to pursue the recommended reading for each of the courses. Tutorials and practical work will involve extra background reading and it is important that you organise your time so that this work is carried out effectively. There are a number of ‘empty slots’ in the timetable of Level 3 courses. These slots are included in the timetable of work so that you can pursue private study and library work.

MARKS FOR CLASS WORK

Course essays and practical reports are marked on the University Common Assessment Scale (CAS) described in the front section of this Handbook. For the theory courses, the essay mark for each course will count towards 20% of the overall assessment for that course, while 5% of the mark will come from satisfactory performance in an oral presentation. The practical report in each half-session will contribute 25% and the practical presentations 5% towards the assessment for the Methodology courses.

PROGRESS

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students who may be experiencing difficulties in a particular course. If the year convenors have concerns about your attendance and/or performance, the Registry will be informed. The Registry will then write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to ask you to contact the Senate office in the first instance. Depending on your reason for being deemed ‘at risk’, the Senate will either deal directly with your case or refer you to your Adviser of Studies or a relevant Student Support Service. Students are required to attend such meetings with their Adviser of Studies in accordance with General Regulation 8.

Set criteria are used to determine when a student should be reported in the monitoring system. You will be asked to meet your Adviser if any of the following criteria apply:

either (1) you are absent for a continuous period of two weeks or 25% of the course (whichever is less) without good cause being reported;

or (2) you are absent from two small group teaching sessions (e.g. tutorials, research practical meetings, or SPSS workshops) without good cause; or (3) if you fail to submit a piece of summative or a substantial piece of formative in-course assessment by the stated deadline.

If you fail to contact the Senate Office or meet your Adviser within the

prescribed timescale (as set out in the e-mail or letter), you will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course concerned and will accordingly be ineligible to take the end-of-course assessment or to enter for the resit. The Registry will then write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to inform you of this decision. If you wish consideration to be given to reinstating you in the course you will be required to meet with the Convener of the Students' Progress Committee. The Head of School can declare an Honours student unsatisfactory at the end of a session and discontinue the student from attendance on courses at Level 4 (Regulation 16.1 Section (6)). Thus students not sitting or not passing missed or failed exams in August can be discontinued under this Regulation.

CLASS CERTIFICATES

Students who attend and complete the work required for a course are

considered to have been awarded a ‘class certificate’. Being in possession of a valid Class Certificate for a course entitles a student to sit degree

examinations for that course. Class certificates are valid for two years and permit a total of three attempts at the required assessment within that two year periods i.e. the first attempt plus up to two resists.

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PENALTIES FOR LATE WORK

In addition, running in parallel to the above procedures, a penalty of 1 mark will be deducted from the written essay (in the case of the theory courses) or the practical report (in the case of the methodology courses) for each teaching day (or a weekend) beyond the specified School deadline (see tutorial and practical handouts) that course work is submitted. In the case of the theory courses, such deductions could result in a CAS of 0 for late work and the consequent loss of 20% of the potential assessment.

Late submissions without an acceptable reason will be subject to the penalties outlined in the section titled, PROGRESS. However, the submission of late work accompanied by a medical letter (not a self-certification) will not be penalised. Requests for the extension of a deadline must be made to one of the year convenors and not the member of staff setting the work, and will only be considered in exceptional cases.

FEEDBACK ON ASSESMENT

The University recognises that the provision of timely and appropriate

feedback on assessment plays a key part in students learning and teaching. The guiding principles for the provision of feedback within the University are detailed in the Institutional Framework for the Provision of Feedback on Assessment available at:

www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x8.pdf

Enhancing Feedback:

The University recognises both the importance of providing timely and appropriate feedback on assessments to students, and of enabling students to voice views on their learning experience through channels such as Student Course Evaluation Forms and Class Representatives. FAQs, guidance and resources about feedback can be found on the University’s ‘Enhancing Feedback’ website at:

www.abdn.ac.uk/clt/feedback

PLAGIARISM

The Code of Practice on Student Discipline is Section 5, Appendix 5.16

(see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendices.shtml#section1) of the University’s Academic Quality Handbook.

The University definition of plagiarism is:

"the use, without adequate acknowledgement, of the intellectual work

of another person in work submitted for assessment. A student cannot be found to have committed plagiarism where it can be shown that the

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student has taken all reasonable care to avoid representing the work of others as his or her own."

Any instance of plagiarism in student work is treated extremely seriously and can lead to a mark of 0 being recorded. If a student is unclear about whether his or her written work comprises plagiarised material then he or she should consult with the member of staff to whom the work is being submitted.

TurnitinUK

TurnitinUK is an online service which compares student assignments with online sources including web pages, databases of reference material, and content previously submitted by other users across the UK. The software

makes no decision as to whether plagiarism has occurred; it is simply a

tool which highlights sections of text that have been found in other sources thereby helping academic staff decide whether plagiarism has occurred. As of Academic Year 2011/12, TurnitinUK will be accessed directly through MyAberdeen. Advice about avoiding plagiarism, the University’s Definition of Plagiarism, a Checklist for Students, Referencing and Citing guidance, and instructions for TurnitinUK, can be found in the following area of the Student Learning Service website www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism/.

SUBMISSION OF MEDICAL INFORMATION

Medical Certification

Absence from Classes on Medical Grounds

Candidates who wish to establish that their academic performance has been adversely affected by their health are required to secure medical certificates relating to the relevant periods of ill health (see General Regulation 17.3). The University’s policy on requiring certification for absence on medical grounds or other good cause can be accessed at:

www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x5.pdf

You are strongly advised to make yourself fully aware of your responsibilities if you are absent due to illness or other good cause. In particular, you are asked to note that self-certification of absence for periods of absence up to and including eleven weekdays is permissible. However, where absence has prevented attendance at an examination or where it may have affected your performance in an element of assessment or where you have been unable to attend a specified teaching session, you are strongly advised to provide medical certification (see section 3 of the Policy on Certification of Absence for Medical Reasons or Other Good Cause).

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APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS

The University’s appeals and complaints procedures provide students with a framework through which to formalise their concerns about aspects of their academic experience or to complain when they feel that standards of non-academic service have fallen short of that which they expected.

The process has been designed to make the appeals and complaints process as accessible and simple as possible and to provide a robust, fair mechanism through which to ensure that all appeals and complaints are considered in the appropriate way at the appropriate level.

A major feature of the process is the emphasis it places on early or informal resolution. All students should note that there is an expectation that they will take responsibility for seeking resolution of their academic or non-academic concerns by raising and discussing them at the earliest possible stage with the relevant individuals in an academic School or administrative Service.

Further details of the processes for making an appeal or complaint, including where to find further help and support in the process, is given at:

www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/appeals

Further advise on appeals can be obtained from the AUSA Student Advice Centre in the Hub or your Adviser of Studies..

I am unhappy with my marks. Can I appeal?

Academic appeals will only be considered on grounds where: i) it is believed that the University’s procedures were not followed;

or

ii) it is believed that the person or body making the decision did not have the authority to do so;

or

iii) it is believed that the person or body making the decision did not act impartially;

and

iv) a student considers that they have suffered, or could suffer, material disadvantage as a result.

Those involved in considering academic appeals will not pursue an appeal that does nothing more than question the academic judgement exercised. For example, a student cannot appeal simply because they are unhappy or disagree with a CAS mark awarded. Academic judgement

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If you feel that you need more feedback to understand why you were awarded a particular mark, we encourage you to contact your tutor directly and meet with him/her to discuss your work. If, following this, you wish to appeal your mark, you should follow the procedures described above, indicating in writing the grounds on which you are appealing.

EXAMINATIONS

There is a ninety-minute exam for each Level 3 course. The examination assessment contributes 75% towards the overall assessment for the theory courses and 70% of the assessment for the methodology courses (see contribution of essays and reports under ‘Marks for Class Work’). Please

note that you must write legibly in examinations. Scripts that cannot be read because of extremely poor handwriting will not be marked. The

non-Methodology courses are examined by essay questions. Students are asked to write one essay answer from a selection of three essay questions in

each of two sections. The examinations for the Methodology courses are in

a multiple-choice format. Note that the January course assessments are provisional until approved by the External Examiners in June.

For Single Honours students, eighteen elements of assessment are used to determine the overall Class of Honours Degree based on the University’s Grade Spectrum for Honours Classification (see the Table below) but examiners retain the final discretion in the award of Honours Classes. Eight of these elements are the Level 3 course assessments and ten are the Level 4 assessments made up of the following:

• Examinations (6 elements): Each option will be examined by means of one ninety-minute examination and will contribute one element. Each exam will consist of six questions randomly allocated into two sections. Students answer two questions, one question from each section. Students will be examined on the three first half-session options in January and the three second half-session options in May/June.

• Tutorial Essays (2 elements): The marks from the three essays in each half session will be combined to form one element.

• Thesis (2 elements): The marks for the poster and the thesis will be combined (poster 5%, thesis 95%) and the overall mark will count as two elements.

For Combined Honours Students (e.g. Psychology with French), sixteen elements of assessment are used to determine the final Class of Honours Degree based on the University’s Grade Spectrum for Honours Classification (see the Table below) but examiners retain the final discretion in the award of Honours Classes. Eight of these elements are the Level 3 course assessments and eight are the Level 4 assessments made up of the following:

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• Examinations (4 elements): Each option will be examined by means of one ninety-minute examination and will contribute one element. Each exam will consist of six questions randomly allocated to two sections. Students answer two questions, one question from each section. Students will be examined on the two first half-session options in January and the two second half-session options in May/June.

• Tutorial Essays (2 elements): The marks from the two essays in each half session will be combined to form one element.

• Thesis (2 elements): The marks for the poster and the thesis will be combined (poster 5%, thesis 95%) and the overall mark will count as two elements.

For Joint Honours students, eight elements of assessment are used to determine the Psychology component of the overall Class of Honours Degree based on the University’s Grade Spectrum for Honours Classification (see the Table below) but examiners retain the final discretion in the award of Honours Classes. Four of these elements are the Level 3 course assessments (Methodology A, Psychological Assessment, Developmental Psychology, and Social Psychology), three of the elements are the level 4 course assessments (Perceptual Processes, Memory and Language Processes, and Advances in Biological Psychology) and one element comes from the Level 4 Research Project.

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COMMON ASSESSMENT SCALE (CAS) MARK

DESCRIPTORS LEVEL 3

Unless you are told otherwise all work submitted for Level 3 courses will be marked according to the following criteria.

20, 19, 18 First Class

Direct and penetrating in answering the question, drawing on a wide range of relevant material. Reasoned and sustained argument, with excellent use of supporting evidence. Excellent, critical understanding of concepts, with clear demonstration of insight, perceptiveness and originality. Extensive, in-depth information base. Shows firm familiarity with relevant literature, with effective reference to recent research papers in academic journals, or equivalent. Large ‘value-added’ to material from lectures and prescribed reading.

17, 16, 15 Upper Second Class (2.1)

Direct in answering the question, drawing on a range of relevant material. Reasoned and sustained argument, with effective use of supporting evidence. Firm understanding of concepts, with some signs of critical ability, insight and perceptiveness. Wide and sound information base. Shows familiarity with relevant literature, including some reference to recent research papers in academic journals, or equivalent. ‘Value-added’ to material from lectures and prescribed reading.

14, 13, 12 Lower Second Class (2.2)

Answers the question set, but draws on a limited range of relevant material. Shows some ability to develop reasoned and sustained argument, with adequate use of supporting evidence. Satisfactory understanding of concepts, but with limited signs of critical ability. Adequate information base. Restricted use of relevant academic literature. Little ‘value-added’ to material from lectures.

11, 10, 9 Third Class

Attempts to answer the question, but may digress at times or shows limited awareness of the implications of the question. Argument not always fully reasoned or sustained, with limited use of supporting evidence. Limited understanding of concepts. Little or no sign of critical ability. Limited and/or shaky information base. No use of the recent research literature. No significant ‘value-added’ to material from lectures. Structural weaknesses or poor quality presentation.

8, 7, 6 Marginal Fail

Fails to address the specific question set, or presents

consistently weak or ‘non-academic’ arguments.

Misunderstanding of concepts. Poor information base, perhaps with factual errors. Serious structural weaknesses or serious deficiencies in presentation.

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5, 4, 3, 2 Clear Fail

Answer is largely or wholly inaccurate, irrelevant or incoherent; answer is seriously incomplete or ignores academic conventions.

Progression

In comparison with your work at Level 2, you are now expected to demonstrate:

• A critical understanding of concepts

• Familiarity with academic literature, including some ability to use recent journal papers or equivalent research literature

• ‘Value-added’ to material from lectures and textbooks

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF AN

HONOURS DEGREE

Requirements for the Award of an Honours Degree

All students who are admitted to an Honours programme, in or after 2004/05, will be required to achieve 480 credit points, including at least 180 at levels 3 and 4, of which at least 90 must be at level 4. This

change to the requirements for the award of an Honours Degree was made by the Senate to ensure that Honours degrees are awarded in compliance with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). This is a common national Framework for all awards in Scotland. Further information is available at www.scqf.org.uk.

Accordingly, students failing to meet this credit requirement at the first attempt will require to make up this credit shortfall before graduating.

General Regulation 21, as outlined below, sets out the procedures available to enable students to make up this credit shortfall.

In the case of a candidate who has failed to complete satisfactorily an element of Honours degree assessment at the time prescribed by Regulation 9.3, then the appropriate procedure from (a) to (e) below shall apply:

a) If, but only if, the failure is on account of illness or other good cause, the candidate shall be required to submit themselves for assessment at the next available opportunity, and shall be permitted to count the result of that assessment towards Honours classification.

b) If the failure is the result of absence or non-submission for any other cause, the candidate shall be awarded zero for the assessment concerned and shall be required to submit themselves for assessment at the next available opportunity, but shall not be

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permitted to count the result of that assessment towards Honours classification.

c) For courses at level 4 and above only, if the candidate has completed the assessment but been awarded a mark on the Common Assessment Scale between 6 and 8 inclusive, they shall be awarded the same amount of unnamed specific credit, not exceeding 30 credit points in total, at level 1.

d) If the candidate has completed the assessment, but the course is at level 3, or the course is at level 4 or above and the mark awarded on the Common Assessment Scale is less than 6, the candidate shall be required to submit themselves for assessment at the next available opportunity, but shall not be permitted to count the result of that assessment towards Honours classification. Alternatively, for courses at level 4 and above only, such candidates may elect to attend and submit themselves for assessment in another course or courses of equivalent credit value, which may be at any level.

e) If any of options (a), (b) or (d) above would normally apply, but medical advice indicates that it would be unreasonable to require a candidate to appear for assessment on a subsequent occasion, and if the candidate’s past record provides sufficient evidence that they would have obtained Honours, the examiners may recommend the award of an Aegrotat degree, but only after obtaining the consent of the candidate. The award of an Aegrotat degree will debar candidates from counting towards Honours degree assessment any result achieved thereafter.

Notes (i) For courses at level 4 and above, the timing and format of the assessment required under any of sub-sections (a), (b) or (d) above shall be determined by the Academic Standards Committee (Undergraduate) on the recommendation of the Head of the relevant School.

(ii) The options to achieve or be awarded credit under (b), (c) and (d) above shall not be available to candidates who have accumulated less than 90 credit points at level 4 or who have failed to complete satisfactorily the assessment for a course which, on the recommendation of the Head of the relevant School, has been prescribed by the Academic Standards Committee (Undergraduate) as compulsory for the award of a degree with Honours. Such candidates will be able to qualify for a non-Honours degree only.

Further guidance is also available in the Guidance Note for Students

who either Fail, or who Fail to Attend or Complete, an Element of Prescribed Degree Assessment which can be accessed at:

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HONOURS DEGREE CLASSIFICATION (GRADE

SPECTRUM)

All Honours Degrees are classified using the University’s Grade Spectrum which is available at:

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x4.pdf.

The Grade Spectrum, an extract of which is outlined below, is used to determine degree classification on the basis of the CAS mark awarded for each element of Honours Degree Assessment.

First: Marks at 18 or better in elements constituting half the total elements

and

Marks at 15 or better in elements constituting three quarters of the total elements

and

Normally marks at 12 or better in all elements

2i: Marks at 15 or better in elements constituting half the total elements

and

Normally marks at 9 or better in all elements

2ii: Marks at 12 or better in elements constituting half the total elements

and

Third: Marks at 9 or better in elements constituting three quarters of the total elements.

The Grade Spectrum defines the threshold standards against which the different classes of honours degree are awarded. The Examiners, however, have discretion (in the circumstances defined in Note 4 of the Grade Spectrum) to depart from this and may choose to award a higher degree than that indicated by the Grade Spectrum.

Please note that only degrees at 2ii standard and above are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). If you get a 3rd_{class degree you are not eligible for Graduate Basis}

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Transcripts at Graduation

It is anticipated that students who commenced their studies in, or after, 2009/10, will receive a more detailed transcript of their studies on graduation. The increased details will include a record of all examination results attained. For students graduating in 2012/13 transcripts will show details of all CAS marks awarded, including marks which are fails. Where a resit has been required as a result of medical circumstances or other good cause (MC/GC) this will not be shown, but all other circumstances (i.e. No Paper ‘NP’) will be included.

Aberdeen Graduate Attributes

Graduate Attributes are a wide-ranging set of qualities which students will develop during their time at Aberdeen in preparation for employment, further study and citizenship.

There are four main areas of the Graduate Attributes:

• Academic excellence

• Critical thinking and communication • Learning and personal development • Active citizenship

Students have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes. These include learning experiences on credit-bearing courses and co-curricular activities such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering. In accordance with the University’s commitment to Equality and Diversity, students can request support with any aspect of the Graduate Attributes framework.

The ACHIEVE website offers resources that enable students to assess and reflect upon their present skills and development needs. The website also contains resources to help students to improve their skills and links to a range of university services such as the Careers Service and the Student Learning Service. Students can access ACHIEVE from their MyAberdeen site in the ‘My Organisations’ section. More information about Aberdeen Graduate Attributes and ACHIEVE can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/graduateattributes.

The Co-curriculum

The co-curriculum enhances a student’s employability and provides opportunities to develop and achieve Aberdeen Graduate Attributes. Co-curricular activities complement a student’s degree programme and include: work placements, study abroad, enterprise and entrepreneurship activities, the BP Student Tutoring Scheme, career mentoring and the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award initiative. Below are examples of credit-bearing co-curricular activities. It is anticipated that these types of activity will be

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included on an enhanced transcript for students graduating in, or after, 2012/13

ERASMUS is an exchange programme funded by the European Commission which enables students to study or work in another European country as part of their degree programme. Eligible students will receive a grant to help with extra costs while abroad and a number of our partner institutions teach through English. For more information, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/erasmus/. The University also has opportunities for students to study in a non-European country as part of their degree through the International Exchange Programme. International partners include universities and colleges in North America, Hong Kong and Japan (abdn.ac.uk/undergraduate/international-exchange). The University aims to ensure full academic recognition for study periods abroad, therefore the credits gained from study abroad will count towards the Aberdeen degree programme for students participating in both ERASMUS and the International Exchange Programme.

Work placements can also form an integral part of a degree programme and attract academic credit. Placements are available locally, nationally and internationally, lasting from a few weeks to a full year and are generally paid. Visit the Careers Service website for further placement information and to find available work placements.

Further information about the co-curriculum is available at:

www.abdn.ac.uk/careers

SCHOOL RESEARCH SEMINARS

The School organises a programme of Research Seminars given by speakers from both inside and outside the University, usually on Thursday, 3.30 to 4.30 pm. Seminars are open to all interested parties. They are an important and enjoyable way of keeping abreast of the developments in Psychology and you are strongly encouraged to attend as many of these seminars as possible (see section on Conduct of Tutorials). A copy of the programme is available on the School web pages and posters advertising visiting speakers are placed in the Psychology School.

CONTACTING STAFF

Students can contact staff in the following ways:

• Send an e-mail message (e-mail names are listed at the front of this Handbook).

• Speak to the member of staff at the end of a lecture, tutorial workshop or practical meeting if there is time.

• Go to the staff member's room. If the person is not there, there may be a message pad on the door or a booking arrangement for making an appointment.

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• Leave a message in the appropriate mail basket in the School Office (G1).

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

We value students’ opinions in regard to enhancing the quality of teaching and its delivery; therefore in conjunction with the Students’ Association we support the operation of a Class Representative system.

The students within each course, year, or programme elect representatives by the end of the fourth week of teaching within each half-session. In this course/school/programme we operate a system of course/year/programme representatives. Any student registered within a course/year or programme that wishes to represent a given group of students can stand for election as a class representative. You will be informed when the elections for class representative will take place.

What will it involve?

It will involve speaking to your fellow students about the course/year/programme you represent. This can include any comments that they may have. You will attend a Staff-Student Liaison Committee and you should represent the views and concerns of the students within this meeting. As a representative you will also be able to contribute to the agenda. You will then feedback to the students after this meeting with any actions that are being taken.

Training

Training for class representatives will be run by the Students Association. Training will take place in the fourth or fifth week of teaching each half-session. For more information about the Class representative system visit

www.ausa.org.uk or email the VP Education & Employability

[email protected]. Class representatives are also eligible to undertake the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award, further information about the co-curricular award is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers.

It is important to know who your representatives are so that they can raise matters of concern at the Staff-Student Liaison Committee Meeting on your behalf. Their names and e-mail addresses are displayed on the Level 3 page of MyAberdeen.

Matters of an individual or personal nature should be discussed in the first instance with one of the year conveners (Dr DeBruine or Dr Milders) or your Adviser of Studies, rather than at a Staff-Student Liaison Committee Meeting.

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STUDENT FACILITIES

Levels 3 & 4 Laboratory/Seminar Room – F1

This room has been set aside primarily for the use of Levels 3 and 4 students. Students are expected to keep up to date with notices about lectures, tutorials, practicals, SPSS workshops, book lists and so on. Students must also scan the pigeon holes for any messages or mail. Occasionally, access to the room will be restricted when it is needed for Honours tutorials or other teaching purposes. PCs equipped with the software SUPERLAB for preparing and running experiments have now been located in F1. These are networked to a file-server but are not on the University’s network and therefore cannot be used for e-mail, word-processing or statistical analysis. The room will be locked outside normal working hours.

Lockers

Lockable lockers are available near the first-floor lift for depositing belongings. A key may be obtained from the School Office on payment of a deposit of £2 which is refunded when the key is returned at the end of the academic year.

ROOMS AND LABORATORIES FOR PRACTICALS,

THESES etc.

The School has a variety of accommodation that can be booked for practicals, dissertation work, etc.

(i) Specialist Laboratories:

Various specialist laboratories can be booked through Mr Jim Urquhart ([email protected]), Rm S16.

Small Rooms:

Please read the following Room Booking Procedures

To optimise the use of our research rooms, rooms are now booked out according to the following set of procedures.

There are many more students than there are rooms, therefore rooms normally have to be shared by other users. You are allocated a Room for the following timeslots, mornings 9a.m – 1 p.m. and afternoons 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Lunchtimes and Wednesday afternoons must also be used. You are encouraged to concentrate as much testing as possible into these time slots, and as such, make optimal use of the room e.g. do not book for 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. when you have a lecture.

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Rooms can be booked up to 2 weeks prior to the “start of testing” date,

but you will only be issued with a key (£5 deposit required) when you are ready to start testing actual participants. If you want to pilot your study (for example to find out how long the testing session takes) you will get access to a room as and when required. Note that the room for carrying out pilot work may not be the room allocated to you for testing subjects.

The initial room booking is for 2 weeks only and you will be allocated times as follows:

1 week of 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1 week of 1 p.m. – 5p.m. N.B. Please keep to your allocated time slots i.e. no swapping.

(All testing to be carried out within the above hours, Monday to Friday.) If it is anticipated that testing will take longer than 2 weeks, the room must be rebooked at the end of the first week of testing. Rebooking will be for one

week only. Therefore, it is to your advantage to maximise the use of the hours available to you in the first 2 to 3 week booking period.

If you have not been able to complete your testing in this period, you can sign up for additional weeks, but you will be placed at the end of the queue of students waiting for rooms. So there may be a delay in providing these extra weeks. Please note that you may not be given the same room, but you will be given a room with the same facilities.

For example:

You are ready to start testing on Monday 24th October.

Your initial booking period is for 2 weeks, i.e. until Friday 4th_November.

If you will definitely be finished on Friday 4th November, you do not need to rebook, but remember to return the key and get your £5 deposit returned! If you expect not to be finished testing on Friday 4th_{November, you must}

rebook the room on Friday 28st October.

This gives you a one-week extension to your initial 2 week booking period, i.e. you will have the room booked until Friday 11th November only.

A booking card, with your name, will be placed on the door. On the reverse

of this card will be the booking details to include the weeks you are booked, the time slots for each week and a “rebook if necessary date”.

Remember - you are expected to complete your data collection in 2 weeks with a further one-week extension, only if required.

EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES FOR PRACTICALS,

THESES etc.

Standard pieces of equipment (stopwatches, VCRs, audio-cassette recorders etc.) and materials (acetate sheets, pens etc.) are readily available from F23. The School has a wide range of audio, visual and physiological instrumentation. This can be used in consultation with your supervisor.

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If you require equipment, please complete an equipment request form (see room G16). The equipment will normally be available 2 working days following the receipt of the completed form. Please note that if your request is not sufficiently specific, this may result in a delay in the equipment becoming available. Requests for rooms and equipment can only be made after ethical approval has been obtained.

After use, the equipment must be returned as soon as possible. Please do not pass it on to another person unless this has been arranged beforehand with the technician.

Computers

The School has considerable expertise in using computers to run experiments both on-line (via the internet) and off-line. A computer monitor and keyboard can also be used as stimulus and response facilities, usually in tandem with software such as SUPERLAB (see notes about room F1). Computers are particularly suited to applications needing accurate or very short timing, to the production of randomised stimuli, and to the accumulation of data for statistical analysis.

Audio and Video Recordings

The School has a large number of audio and video recordings, some dating from many years ago, others recently purchased or recorded off-air. Students can borrow them (along with portable audio cassette players in the case of audio material) from Mr Jim Urquhart ([email protected]) , Rm S16

Test Library materials

The School houses a psychometric test library, with a range of tests that can be borrowed and used for research purposes. Further information about the test library is available from Dr Maarten Milders. Please note that tests can be expensive, so it may not always be possible to provide the first choice of materials.

GRIEVANCES AND PROBLEMS

Any grievances or problems should be directed to Dr Lisa DeBruine or Dr Maarten Milders in the first instance. Thereafter, recourse may be made to the Head of School. Students are reminded that they can also seek help from their Advisers of Studies, Student Health Service, and the Student

Counselling Service located on Dunbar Street (www.abdn.ac.uk/counselling)

PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

The student-run Psychological Society, open to all students and staff, arranges a programme of talks and social events during the year.

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THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (BPS)

The British Psychological Society is the principal organisation representing academic and professional psychologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1907, received its Royal Charter in 1965 and now has some 20,000 graduate and student members. Its organisation reflects the main roles of psychologists in Britain. The Professional Affairs Board represents those employed in occupational, clinical and educational psychology, while the Scientific Affairs Board looks after the needs of academic and research workers. One of the roles of the Scientific Affairs Board is to organise the major national conferences of the Society, one of which is held in December and the other during the Easter Vacation. There are numerous sub-groups within the Society representing specialised interests: History and Philosophy; Developmental; Cognitive and so on. Several members of staff in the School serve or have served on various BPS Boards and Committees.

The Society is also represented by groups in regions of the United Kingdom. The Scottish Branch of the BPS has over 700 members and holds regular meetings throughout Scotland. Most of them are one day Scientific Meetings devoted to a particular theme or topic though there is also a three day residential Conference once a year.

If you are pursuing the Honours course in psychology, you can apply to become a Student Subscriber to the Society.

Advantages of membership include:

• The monthly magazine 'The Psychologist' containing news of psychology and psychologists in Britain and short articles on current debates and controversies.

• The monthly Appointments Memorandum, the most comprehensive round-up of job vacancies for psychologists.

• Access to all the Society's Scientific Meetings at both national and regional levels, and use of the Society's London library.

• The opportunity to purchase at cheaper rates the scientific journals run by the Society, including the British Journal of Psychology.

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SENIOR HONOURS

Single Honours students register for the Thesis PS4019 spanning both

half-sessions and each of the 45 credit courses PS4030 and PS4530. Within each of the 45 credit courses, students choose three option courses and undertake a tutorial/essay programme. The list of option courses for 2011-2012 is given below. This may change for 2011-2012-2013 depending on staff availability.

Brain and Body Visual Awareness

Applications of Cognitive Neuroscience Evolutionary Psychology

Perspectives on Social Attributions Abnormal Psychology

Social Cognitive Neuroscience Human Evolution

Human Neuropsychology Human Factors

Combined Honours students register for the Thesis PS4019 spanning both

half-sessions and each of the 6-credit courses PS4029 and PS4529. Within each of the 6-credit courses, students choose two option courses and undertake a tutorial/essay programme. The lists of option courses are given above.

Joint Honours students register for the Research Project PS4507 in the

second half-session and the level 4 courses, Perceptual Processes, Memory and Language Processes, and Advances in Biological Psychology.

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PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

TIMETABLE 2011-2012

First Half-Session

The following timetable shows the times and locations for the lectures and the times for practicals and tutorials. Note that you only attend one tutorial each week and tutorials do not occur every week - a separate handout will give more details about the tutorial system. You are strongly encouraged to attend the research seminars because they often provide useful background information that is not given in the lectures. Questions concerning the timetable should be directed to Dr DeBruine or Dr Milders.

Day Time Location Topic

Monday 11am King’s College F7 Methodology A

1pm William Guild S26 SPSS Workshop – Group 1

Tuesday 9am Meston 1 Psychological Assessment 11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Psych Assessment Tutorials

3pm Practical Handout. Research Practicals

Wed’day 9am King’s College F7 Perception

11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Perception Tutorials

10am William Guild S26 SPSS Workshop – Group 3

Thursday 9am King’s College F7 Biological Psychology 11am William Guild S26 SPSS Workshop – Group 2

3.30pm William Guild T1 School Seminar

Friday 11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Biological Psych Tutorials

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PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

TIMETABLE 2011-2012

Second Half-Session

The following timetable shows the times and locations for the lectures and the times for practicals and tutorials. Note that you only attend one tutorial each week and tutorials do not occur every week - a separate handout will give more details about the tutorial system. You are strongly encouraged to attend the research seminars because they often provide useful background information that is not given in the lectures. Questions concerning the timetable should be directed to Dr DeBruine or Dr Milders

Day Time Location Topic

Monday 11am King’s College F7 Methodology B

Tuesday 9am King’s College F7 Developmental Psychology 11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Social Tutorials

3pm Practical Handout Research Practicals

Wed’day 9am King’s College F8 Social Psychology (Note that the lectures will be 9-11 am for the first 8 weeks only. No lectures from week 9 onwards) 11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Developmental Tutorials

10am William Guild S26 SPSS Workshop – Group 3

Thursday 9am King’s College F7 Memory and Language 11am William Guild S26 SPSS Workshop – Group 2

3.30pm William Guild T1 School Seminar

Friday 11 or 12 Tutorial Handout Memory and Language Tutorials

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FIRST

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SESSION 2011-2012

LEVEL 3 PS 3009 CREDITS 15

METHODOLOGY A

Aims

To impart the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out and evaluate psychological research. Additionally, the first three lectures will concern ethical, historical and conceptual issues, with the aim to introduce students to history and philosophy of psychology and the ethical issues surrounding psychological research.

Learning Outcomes

• Academic excellence:

- Have knowledge of the general principles of psychological research and the commonest elementary designs.

- Have a knowledge of the following statistical methods for use in the practicals and later in dissertations:

 Statistics for exploring a data set (e.g. mean, variance)  Methods to determine if data are appropriate for analysis by

ANOVA

 One-way between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA)  One-way within-subject ANOVA

 Factorial between-subjects ANOVA  Factorial within-subject ANOVA  Mixed design ANOVA

 Follow-up tests, such as multiple comparisons

- Be able to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis.

- Obtain an overview of a number of methods that can be used in qualitative analysis of psychological data,

e.g., discourse analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory, narrative work.

• Critical thinking and effective communication:

- Be aware of the kinds of approach that are appropriate for different research questions.

- Be aware of the pitfalls associated with the use of particular research strategies and experimental designs.

- To gain sufficient knowledge in philosophy of psychology to be able to offer critiques of traditional scientific method theory, method and practice in neuropsychology

• Learning and personal development:

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Windows in order to carry out the techniques and tests specified above.

- Be able to plan, conduct, analyse, and report on empirical studies conducted under the supervision of a member of staff.

• Active citizenship:

- To be aware of ethical issues surrounding psychological research

Staff

Dr Lisa DeBruine (Course Coordinator and lecturer) Dr Royston Allen (SPSS Teaching Coordinator)

Dr. Royston Allen, Dr Philip Benson, Dr Dannette Marie (Course lecturers) Various staff (Practical Course)

Assessment

One ninety-minute written examination

consisting of 60 multiple-choice questions. (70% of the assessment)

Practical Report (25% of the assessment)

Oral presentation (5% of the assessment)

Note that the material covered in the SPSS Practical Course will be included in the written examination.

Teaching Methods

Lectures, SPSS practicals, and experimental practicals.

Lecture and SPSS Practical Syllabus

Full details are available in the Notes for Level 3 Students.

Recommended Reading

Statistics

• Dancey, C. P. & Reidey, J. (2007). Statistics without Maths for

Psychology. Pearson Education Limited.

• Kinnear, P.R. & Gray, C.D. (2009). SPSS 17 made simple. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN: 978-1-84169-729-1

Ethics

• http://www.abdn.ac.uk/psychology/research/ethics_docs.shtml •

http://www.bps.org.uk/the-society/code-of-conduct/code-of-conduct_home.cfm

Philosophy of Science (available on WebCT)

• Cooper, R. (1982). The passing of psychology. Canadian Psychology, 23, 264-267.

Third Level Courses Session THIRD LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

Session 2011-2012

THIRD LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

CONTENTS

GENERAL NOTES FOR

PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

MyAberdeen (the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual

Learning Environment)

AIMS OF THE COURSES

LECTURES

TUTORIALS

PRACTICAL PROJECTS

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL

RESEARCH

PLANNING AND USE OF TIME

MARKS FOR CLASS WORK

PROGRESS

CLASS CERTIFICATES

PENALTIES FOR LATE WORK

FEEDBACK ON ASSESMENT

PLAGIARISM

TurnitinUK

SUBMISSION OF MEDICAL INFORMATION

APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS

EXAMINATIONS

COMMON ASSESSMENT SCALE (CAS) MARK

DESCRIPTORS LEVEL 3

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF AN

HONOURS DEGREE

HONOURS DEGREE CLASSIFICATION (GRADE

SPECTRUM)

Transcripts at Graduation

Aberdeen Graduate Attributes

The Co-curriculum

SCHOOL RESEARCH SEMINARS

CONTACTING STAFF

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

STUDENT FACILITIES

ROOMS AND LABORATORIES FOR PRACTICALS,

THESES etc.

EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES FOR PRACTICALS,

THESES etc.

GRIEVANCES AND PROBLEMS

PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (BPS)

SENIOR HONOURS

PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

TIMETABLE 2011-2012

First Half-Session

PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR HONOURS

TIMETABLE 2011-2012

Second Half-Session

FIRST

METHODOLOGY A