MSc Research Methods in Psychology - University of Bristol · Functional Neuroanatomy and...

MSc Research Methodsin Psychology

12a PRIORY ROAD

BRISTOL BS8 1TU

UK

Telephone: +44 (0)117 928 8452Email: [email protected]

SCHOOL OF EXPERIMENTAL

PSYCHOLOGY

OCTOBER 2011

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CONTENTS OF HANDBOOK

Page

Welcome to the School of Experimental Psychology 3Introduction 4Course Structure & Assessment 4Classification of Marks & Extenuating Circumstances 5Submission of coursework & submission dates 6Penalty for late submission of coursework 7Complaints about coursework 7Communication & lecture notes 8Updating personal information 8Coursework cover sheet 9Prizes 10Exams 10Personal tutors 10Student representatives and Staff Student Liaison Committee 11Teaching Evaluation Questionnaires 11Study and Transferable Skills 11Careers Advice 12Disability issues 12Computer lab usage 12Photocopying 12School emergency and fire procedures (inc. first aiders) 13Student Counselling 14General help 14Term Dates and Programme Content 15Course Timetable for taught units 16

Autumn TermPsychological Statistics 17Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative 19General and Generic Research Skills I 21Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods 24Apprenticeship in Psychological Research 26

Spring TermAdvanced Psychological Statistics 27Issues in Psychology 29General and Generic Research Skills II 30Language, Memory and Development 33MRI Summer School 35

Summer TermResearch Dissertation 37

General InformationSupport Staff 40Staff list and research interests 41

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Library Information 44Code of Practice for students and supervisors 49Plagiarism and Cheating 50Regulations on research misconduct 51Marking Scale 54MSc presentation scoring sheet 56

The information in this booklet is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of printing but the School of Experimental Psychology and the University of Bristol reserve the right to

alter and interpret the contents in any way deemed appropriate, and disclaim any legal responsibility for the information and amendments contained herein.

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I wish to welcome you to the School of Experimental Psychology, where we hope to provide an exciting environment for your MSc in Research Methods. This is anevolving course that while providing a very strong grounding in the statistical and methodological methods that underpin psychological research, also allows the flexibility to explore other areas in some detail. It seems reasonable that such a course should be organised by someone with an active interest in methods and statistical techniques, and I am particularly excited about the potential of recently developed Bayesian techniques change not only the way we analyse data, but how we understand cognition in general and perception in particular. Though I will only be teaching on a minority of courses, feel free to contact me if you have any kind of problems, either related to the course material or more general.

Our mission is to train undergraduates and postgraduates in the scientific understanding of the human mind and behaviour.

We have increased our postgraduate numbers and we have appointed new research-active staff. Thus, our programmes can be delivered by established leaders in their fields and by up and coming lively and brilliant young lecturers. We have arranged for our post-doctoral staff to be involved in teaching skills required to write theses and papers, on the grounds that they are people who have recently used such skills themselves. Our teaching is offered in a research-led department, which is a vibrant place to be: there are regular internal and external research seminars, as well as more informal gatherings at which staff and postgraduates can interact. We have incorporated the seminars into the structure of the MSc course in order to give you an opportunity to digest some of the leading research in the UK.

Present-day demands for postgraduates to acquire transferable skills mean that you must have the opportunity to acquire skills in making presentations, communicating well, working in teams, and solving problems. Thus, apart from the statistics courses (which involve lectures and computing practicals), some of our postgraduate teaching and learning is seminar-based, with several student-led meetings, where each participant is expected to undertake suitable preparation and to contribute fully to the session. Some of the coursework is formative and needs to be completed as the course progresses. However, all coursework must be submitted by the last day of the relevant teaching term (please see deadlines). We expect you to plan your time efficiently so that you can meet these deadlines.

We very much value our postgraduate students and try our best to offer maximum support. We now have a system in which each student is assigned a tutor, who is a member of staff. Tutors will be available to help and advise on all matters. If at any time during the coming year you are unhappy with your progress, or the support you are being offered, please don’t hesitate to contact me, preferably by e-mail initially: [email protected]. For really urgent problems, my office is 5D3, or you can make an appointment (0117 928 8574).

I hope that during your MSc, you are able to make the most of all the opportunities, and, of course, enjoy your time with us.

Dr Jeff BrunstromProgramme Director

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MSc IN RESEARCH METHODS

This degree is an M.Sc. by Advanced Study and Research within the Faculty of Science and has been running since 1996. It has a modular structure and offers students a first-class theoretical and practical grounding in psychological research techniques in the field of Psychology. Its content is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The MSc provides a first year of research training suitable for those intending to continue with postgraduate research or with further professional training in this area of psychology. It is also intended to be suitable for those who may wish to apply such research techniques outside academia, for example, in the health service, education or industry.

About this booklet:

Please read it and digest its contents. It is your guide for the course, and we have tried hard to address all the important issues in it. Refer to it when you are in doubt about a given issue. Let Jeff Brunstrom know if it contains any errors or omissions.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The curriculum comprises ten components/units (each worth 10 or 15 credit points). Five units are associated with the autumn term and five with the spring term. Following satisfactory performance in the coursework and examinations associated with each unit, a student will proceed to a mandatory dissertation unit (worth 60 credit points) in the summer term.

Each student will receive a copy of a pamphlet detailing the Ordinances, Regulations, and Guidance for MSc degrees, from the Faculty of Science Office, Royal Fort House Annexe, also see:http://www.bris.ac.uk/science/postgraduates/

ASSESSMENT

In order to be eligible for award of the MSc, 180 credit points are needed. A Postgraduate certificate can be awarded if only 60 credit points have been obtained, and a Postgraduate diploma for 120 credit points.

Taught units are assessed by a variety of means including coursework, presentations, and examinations, using the marking scale located at the end of this booklet. Please see individual units for their assessment methods used.

Students must successfully pass the taught courses in order to progress to the dissertation. The research dissertation will comprise an independent, supervised piece of empirical research, and should have a maximum length of 6,000 words, excluding references, appendices and list of contents pages.

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The general regulations for pass marks and progress to dissertation are those issued by the Faculty of Science. They can be found at: http://www.bris.ac.uk/cms/go/universitycalendar/regs/regulations/genpostgregs.htmland http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/assessment/codeonline.htmlIn particular, students must achieve an average mark of 50% or more for their taught course AND 50% or more for each individual unit of the taught course in order to progress to dissertation. An examination board meets in May to determine students' progress on a case-by-case basis. Re-submission of coursework or re-takes of examinations are not permitted. Students who fail to progress to dissertation might be eligible for a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma. The final mark for the MSc course is a weighted average of the taught component (2/3 of the final mark) and the dissertation (1/3 of the mark).

Please note that all marks are provisional until approved by the Faculty of Science Examinations Board for Taught Masters Programmes which takes place in January2013. It is your responsibility to keep safe the feedback coversheets until after the Faculty of Science Exam Board in January 2013.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF MARKS FOR TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE AWARDSSee http://www.bris.ac.uk/science/postgraduates/ and click on Handbook for Postgraduate Students.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES AND BOARD OF EXAMINERSThe Exam Board in May discusses the taught component marks. This Exam Board will not raise marks if students are borderline to a classification threshold; however at the December Exam Board, if there are any significant extenuating circumstances or if there is clear evidence of excellence, the Exam Board has the flexibility and discretion to recommend the award of a classification higher than the marks dictate.

If students are ill during the course of the year, it is essential that they complete a self-certification form (available on First Class, or request one from the Postgraduate Secretary) and get it verified by a doctor. Independent medical evidence (a doctors note) is essential. Students wishing an illness or period of absence to be considered by the Extenuating Circumstances Committee which meets prior to both Exam Boards, must state in a covering letter the nature of their illness/condition and the period of time it affected their studies. All relevant paperwork should be submitted to the Postgraduate Secretary.

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SUBMISSION OF COURSEWORK AND SUBMISSION DATES:

Coursework must be submitted before 4.00 p.m. on the designated date. All coursework should be submitted electronically via Blackboard, the institutionally supported virtual learning environment. Instructions, and support material on how to submit electronically will be made available within Blackboard, together with information on how to check your work has been successfully submitted https://www.ole.bris.ac.uk/webapps/login/ All coursework is run through software to check for plagiarism.

A hard copy of the coursework with a coversheet (as on page 8 - available in Reception or on the First Class MSc folder) should be submitted to the Postgraduate Secretary, Charlotte, in the Admin Office by 4.00 p.m. on the designated date.

Generally, the word limit for essays is 2,000 words (expect if stated differently in the individual unit form) excluding tables, figure legends, references, and appendices, which will be strictly enforced. Essays must be presented in a 12 point font, black ink and double-spaced. Please create a header with your student number on each page. All writing should conform to APA (American Psychological Association) style and use non-sexist language.

Coursework final submission Dates (you can submit earlier):16.12.2011 General and Generic 1 seminar diary

16.12.2011 Research Methods: Q&Q

19.12.2011 Psychological Statistics

23.12.2011 Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods

05.03.2012 General and Generic 2 literature review

02.04.2012 General and Generic 2 seminar diary

13.04.2012 Advanced Psychological Statistics

13.04.2012 Language, Memory, and Development

20.04.2012 Issues in Psychology

20.04.2012 MRI Summer School

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PENALTY FOR LATE SUBMISSION:

Coursework

Coursework submission dates are absolute. As a general rule, the School does not give extensions, so do not approach staff and ask for extra time. If you do not submit your coursework on the designated submission date, you need to complete the work as soon as possible and hand in to the Postgraduate Secretary, Charlotte Webb. If you have a good reason for your work being late, please write a letter to the Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies explaining why the work was late and enclose any accompanying documentation such as a medical certificate/doctor’s note. Acceptable reasons might include serious medical illness, although please note that a final decision on whether the reason for lateness was acceptable will be made by the Director of Taught Postgraduate Studies, in consultation with the relevant Examinations Board. Computer failure or lack of toner cartridge in printer are not acceptable reasons, and students are encouraged to back up their work regularly.

If it is felt you have good reason to explain why you didn’t meet the designated submission date, the original mark given will stand. If the reason is inappropriate, a penalty for late work will be applied and the reduced mark will be entered in your official records.

Deduction of marks for late submission:

10% for the first day and an additional 3% for everyday late thereafter up to the 10th

day.

Between 11 and 20 days late, coursework can score a maximum of 50%.

At 21 days late, it will score a mark of 0% and students will be reported to Progress Committee which may result in the failing of the unit concerned.

Weekends and Bank Holidays are not counted when calculating marks deducted for lateness.

Dissertations

For each of the first 10 working days late, a deduction of 2% each day will be made. A maximum of 50% will be given for the next 10 working days late, providing the project is of a ‘pass’ standard, following by a mark of 0% for dissertations later than that.

Please note: an MSc cannot be awarded if no dissertation is submitted. Students should allow a minimum of one day to get two copies of their dissertations soft-bound.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT COURSEWORK

Occasionally, situations arise where students wish to appeal against a coursework mark. In such situations, a ‘Mark Complaint Form’ (available from Charlotte in the Admin Office) should be completed and returned to her within two weeks of the coursework being returned to the student. The form will be returned to the original marker for reconsideration in light of the student’s reasons for the appeal. If no change in the mark is recommended by the marker, students may make a further

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appeal to the Course Coordinator who will arrange for the work to be independently marked by a member of staff who is not informed of the existing mark. The Course Coordinator will then consider both marks and the basis for the student appeal, and will grade a final decision concerning the mark.

MARKING

Marked coursework, accompanied by a summary of the quality of the essay will be returned to you via Reception. The School aims to return marked coursework within 15 working days of the submission date (excluding the vacation), therefore expect coursework to be returned 15 working days after the following term commences.

COMMUNICATION AND LECTURE NOTES/READINGS

Most lecturers post lecture notes, slides, relevant readings relating to upcoming classes on First Class – the MSc folder. Please check First Class (the Schoolcommunication system) at all times in the first instance. Some staff provide lecture notes on the Blackboard online system, others provide paper notes, others believe note-taking is the integral part of the education process. The School recognises these differences and respects and supports all perspectives.

UPDATING PERSONAL INFORMATION

It is VERY important to keep us informed of your contact address and mobile telephone numbers in the event of correspondence and communication with you. This information is stored on a secure university database which only authorised users can access. You can update your own details by going to www.bris.ac.uk/studentinfo and logging in and updating your contact address and your telephone numbers.

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SCHOOL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

MSc COURSEWORK COVER SHEET

(This section to be completed by student)

Student Number: …………………….. Unit Title: …...………………….……

Coursework Marker: ……………………Date Coursework submitted: .……….

I confirm that this essay is my own work only and does not contain any plagiarised material:

YES: □ NO: □Word Count: ……………………………………….(not including references)

(This section to be completed by Coursework marker)

______________________________________________________________

Marker’s Grade: [………..]

Marker’s Signature: ……………………………….

For office use only:

Marks deducted for lateness: …….. Final Mark: ………

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SCHOOL PRIZES

At the end of each year, a couple of prizes are awarded.

RESEARCH PROJECT PRIZE

The prize for Masters-level research projects is to be awarded by the Board of the Faculty of Science on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners for the Schoolof Experimental Psychology. The prize is to be awarded to the best research project (or average mark across projects if more than one is completed) across the SchoolMSc and MRes programmes. Any project in any of these Masters courses will be eligible. The prize may be split in the event that there are candidates with equal overall marks. If there is no candidate of suitable merit, the prize will not be awarded.

TAUGHT COMPONENT PRIZE

The prize for Masters-level taught components is to be awarded by the Board of the Faculty of Science on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners for the Schoolof Experimental Psychology. The prize is to be awarded to the best taught component average marks across the School MSc programmes. Any candidate in any of these Masters courses will be eligible. The prize may be split in the event that there are candidates with equal overall marks. If there is no candidate of suitable merit, the prize will not be awarded.

EXAMS

The exams take place directly after the Easter vacation apart from Psychological Statistics which takes place after the Christmas vacation. Each exam is of two-hours duration and there is one paper unit concerned. Exam results will not be available until after the May Examination Board. This Board determines progression to the dissertation stage.

In exceptional circumstances, you may be invited to resit the modules in September, and complete your studies with a dissertation following the resit exams. This opportunity is usually due to ill health during the examination period. After resit/supplementary exams which take place during the first two weeks of September, an Exam Board will meet to determine progression to the dissertation stage. If granted, this will require you to remain in Bristol for an additional three months.

Dictionaries are NOT permitted in examination rooms even if ENGLISH is not your first language.

PERSONAL TUTORS

Your personal tutor’s overall role is to ensure that you receive adequate academic guidance and pastoral support. Your tutor therefore acts as a single point of contact and responsible person within the University from whom you can obtain general academic and pastoral support.

Sometimes this will take the form of direct personal support or advice. Sometimes it may involve helping you access appropriate services.

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It is your responsibility to attend meetings arranged with your personal tutor. If for any reason you cannot attend, you should let your personal tutor know, and preferably, in advance.

It is also important that you inform your tutor of any special circumstances that may be affecting your academic performance. Your tutor will advise you whether you need to ask for circumstances to be taken into account in any subsequent decisions on your results.

Students often choose their personal tutors as one of their referees for jobs. As a matter of courtesy you should let your tutor know about the applications you are making, and make sure that your tutor has an up-to-date copy of your CV.

You may change your personal tutor if you feel that the process is not working for you. You do not need to state a reason. To do this you should contact your CourseCoordinator.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES AND STAFF STUDENT LIAISON COMMITTEE

At the beginning of each academic year, a rep from each of the MSc programmes is requested by someone volunteering for this role. The role involves attending a Staff Student Liaison Meeting once per term to discuss matters that have arisen. Dr Justin Park, the Director of Postgraduate Studies, and Dr Jeff Brunstrom, the Director of MSc Studies attend, along with the postgraduate secretary who will produce minutes of the meeting with action points. This committee is very effective a it is often able to take on-the-spot decisions to implement changes, although complex matters are referred to course directors and unit coordinators if deemed appropriate. The minutes of the meetings are posted to committee members only and the student representatives can then forward them to their student peers.

TEACHING EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRES

Other than expressing opinions and comments to the course representative, at the end of each unit all students complete a questionnaire anonymously. Students rate the teaching in a number of areas, and have the opportunity to provide constructive comments and suggestions. Responses are then passed on to the relevant lecturer(s).

STUDY AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

The School offers useful sessions on essay writing, referencing, presentations skills, and career information in the General and Generic Research Skills units, but there is also a Student Development Unit based within the Student Union which offers a range of free services designed to develop the skills and abilities of students through activities and skills workshops http://www.ubu.org.uk/societies/skills-training

There is a Student Skills Directory enabling students to search for and book skills courses. Visit http://www.bris.ac.uk/studentskills/skills_resources/

There is also a downloadable guide for students on learning from experience, enhancing learning through reflection, skills development and goal setting to enhance future employability http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/studentlearning/pdp/

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CAREERS ADVICE

The Careers Service provides career-orientated workshops, practice interviews, assistance with CV writing, and personal guidance as well as a variety of courses to help[ develop student skills http://www.bristol.ac.uk/careers/ The Careers Service also has a section which is aimed specifically at postgraduate students http://www.bristol.ac.uk/careers/postgrads/

DISABILITY ISSUES

Simon Farrell is the School disability representative. He acts as a channel for information about disability matters. The Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students offers a range of services to ensure that students receive appropriate and accessible support. More information can be obtained from: http://www.bris.ac.uk/accessunit/

COMPUTER LAB USAGE

In the psychology building, there are two MSc computer labs located on Level 1, with a laser printer, plus there is a large computer lab on Level 4 which is sometimes used for teaching, but you are able to use if it is empty. Undergraduate students also use this Level 4 lab and there are no free printing facilities.

Visit http://www.bris.ac.uk/is/locations/computerrooms for computer rooms in the University precinct.

COMPUTER HELP AND ADVICE

Mike Davies, and Dave Beech are the Computer Support Group in the School, to whom any computing queries can be directed. They are located in 1D13, tel: 0117 9288469. There is also a Computing Help Desk in the Computing Service on Tyndall Avenue. Queries can be directed to [email protected]

Students are not required to purchase a computer as part of their study, although many decide to do so. Advice and information on purchasing a computer can be found on the ResNet website at http://www.resnet.bristol.ac.uk/ The ResNet site also provides information on the ResNet service, which allows students in University residences to access the University network and the Internet from their rooms (currently priced at £55 per academic year).

PHOTOCOPYING

There is a photocopier on Level 4 in the lobby outside the large computer lab (room 4D29) for you to use. This machine requires a card. MSc students can obtain these cards from Reception (Level 1) free of charge.

All of the University’s branch libraries offer photocopying facilities, and at the Computer Centre on Tyndall Avenue. Both printing and photocopying services start from 5p per page. Information on locations and charges can be found at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/printservices/

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SCHOOL EMERGENCY AND FIRE PROCEDURES

FIRST AID BOXES:

First aid boxes are located at Reception, Room 1D18 computer support group, 4D29 (computer lab) and in 5 Priory Road.

FIRST AIDERS:

Fully qualified first aiders Danielle Ferriday (5 Priory Road room 1.3)Sanaya Pardiwalla (5 Priory Road room 1.3)

Appointed first aiders Alia Ataya (4D27)Laura Wilkinson (5 Priory Road room 1.3)

FIRE ALARMS:

IN THE EVENT OF THE FIRE ALARM SOUNDING, YOU MUST EVACUATE THE BUILDING BY USING THE STAIRS, NOT THE ELEVATOR, AND CONGREGATE IN THE CAR PARKS IN PRIORY ROAD OPPOSITE THE MAIN 12a PRIORY ROAD ENTRANCE.

FIRE WARDENS

There are Fire Wardens on each floor of the building.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:

Fire extinguishers are located near all doors to stairwells on each level.

Extra Note:Children should be accompanied by an adult at all times on the premises.Visitors are the responsibility of the person who has invited them. They should ensure the person leaves the building and congregates as the designated space. However, if they are unable to escort them personally (if not together when the alarm sounds), they should inform a fire warden as soon as they are personally outside the building.

Procedures for the evacuation of buildings in the event of fire are posted in numerous places and students should read these. Points to note include the following: the first concern must be for persons, not property. When the fire alarm sounds, please check that others immediately around you have heard it and proceed quickly by the nearest staircase to the nearest exit. Emergency escape routes are marked with signs. After leaving the building, assemble with others outside, keep well clear of the building and do not re-enter until it has been declared safe to do so. The Fire Brigade can be called on Int. 88777 and the Safety Office on Int. 88780.

Any concerns about fire hazards and safety in general should be reported to Kevin Williams, School Manager (Room 1D25), Int. 46998.

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FINANCIAL MATTERS

Any students experiencing financial difficulties should contact the Student Funding Office for advice. The website http://www.bristol.ac.uk/studentfunding/ offers further information and contact details.

STUDENT COUNSELLING SERVICE

At times we all seek help with difficulties by talking them over with others, often friends, family, or tutors. But sometimes, it seems right to seek help elsewhere. The Student Counselling Service exists to meet this need and offers friendly, confidential support to students with problems of many kinds. The service is located at 1a Priory Road (go up the outside staircase) and is open on weekdays throughout the year (closed August). The receptionist’s hours are 08.30-12.00 and 14.00-16.00. Tel: 0117 9546655. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/student-counselling/

CONFIDENTIAL LISTENING SERVICE - Nightline

Nightline is run by students for students, and offers a confidential listening service for students to discuss any kind of problem, as well as having information on many topics, from local bus times to sources of help on welfare and health matters. It operates its anonymous telephone and email services during term time from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every night and is staffed by trained volunteers. The telephone number is on the back of your student card. Visit the Nightline website www.bristol.ac.uk/nightline/

GENERAL HELP WITH MATTERS

The Postgraduate Handbook is also now on the Faculty Websitehttp://www.bris.ac.uk/science/postgraduates/

Students should look at this website for initial questions on council tax, extensions, suspensions, etc

There is a University Student Help site for answers to frequently asked questions regarding support and advice which can be found at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/studenthelp/

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TERM DATES

Autumn Term: Monday 3rd October 2011 – Friday 16th December 2011Spring Term: Monday 16th January 2012 – Friday 23rd March 2012Summer Term: Monday 23rd April 2012 – Friday 22nd June 2012

PROGRAMME CONTENTAutumn Term

Psychological Statistics (15 credit points)Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative; (15 credit points)General and Generic Research Skills I (10 credit points)Apprenticeship in Psychological Research (10 credit points)Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods (10 credit points)

Spring Term

Advanced Psychological Statistics (15 credit points)Issues in Psychology (15 credit points)General and Generic Research Skills II (10 credit points)Language, Memory and Development (10 credit points)MRI Summer School (10 credit points)

Summer Term

Students will take a Psychological Statistics examination in January and then will take seven examination papers in the first weeks of the Summer Term. The papers will relate to: Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods; Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative; Language, Memory, and Development;Advanced Psychological Statistics; and Issues in Psychology.

With the approval of the Faculty of Science and the Head of School, acting on recommendations from the MSc Board of Examiners, students succeeding in their coursework and examinations will normally be admitted to the Dissertation Unit. (60 credit points). This Board of Examiners is held during May.

Students will work full-time on their research dissertation and will submit a thesis of no more than 6,000 words, by 28th September 2012. See Faculty of Science pamphlet on the Degree of MSc by Advanced Study and Research, and the submission requirements specified in Taught postgraduate programmes, Annex B at: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Registrar/Exams/higher.html

NoteThe University is closed on the Tuesday after Easter Monday and on the Tuesday after August Bank holiday.

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Autumn Term

Weeks 1-10 (Monday 10th October – Friday 16th December)

9:00 10:00 11:10 12:10 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:10MonTues Research

Methods Q&Q

SSL 8 WR 1F5

Functional Neuroanatomy

WMB OCC LT

Psychological Statistics

ARTS CMPLX LR8

Weds Statistics practical

4D29

App. in Psyc ResearchSSL 7 PR B2

General & Generic 14D29

ThursFri

Spring Term

Weeks 11-20 (Monday 16th January – Friday 23rd March)

9:00 10:00 11:10 12:10 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:10Mon Language

Memory & DevelopmentSOC SCI CMPLX LT 3F9

Tues Issues in Psychology

SSL 8 WR 4F5

Advanced Psych StatsSSL 8 WR 1F5

Weds Adv stats practical

4D29

General & Generic 2

4D29ThursFriMRI Summer School 26th – 30th March Lecture: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am – 5 pm Arts LT2Practical: Thursday and Friday 4D29

Location of Lecture theatres:SSL 8 WR = Social Science Complex, 8 Woodland RoadSSL 7 PR B2 = Social Science Complex, Priory RoadWMB OOC LT = Wills Memorial BuildingArts CMPLX = 21 Woodland RoadSOC SCI LT = Social Sciences complex, Priory Road43 WR = Inside the History of Art Building, 43 Woodland Road4D29 = Experimental Psychology Computer lab

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AUTUMN TERM

1. Unit Title Psychological Statistics

2. Unit Code PSYCM0001

3. Credit Points 15

4.Unit Director Contact Phone No. & E-Mail Address

Dr Roland BaddeleyInternal: 88561 External: 0117 928 [email protected]

5. Description of this Unit

This should provide a suitable foundation for the Unit in Advanced Psychological Statistics and it should enable you to develop a good practical and conceptual understanding of traditional psychological methodology.

6. Key Reading and References

Everitt,B.S. (1996) Making sense of statistics in Psychology: a second level course. Oxford University Press (BF39 EVE)Field,A. (2000) Discovering statistics using SPSS for windows: Advanced techniques for the beginner. London Sage (BF39 FIE)Tabachnick,B.G. abd Fiddell,L.S. (2001) Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.) Harper and Row (QA 278 TAB) Reference Handbooks:Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L., Black, W.C. (1998). Multivariate Data Analysis (5th ed.). Prentice-Hall.

[QA278 MUL]Tabachnick, B.G. and Fiddell, L.S. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics. (4th ed.) Harper and Row. [QA278 TAB] SPSS for WindowsBryman, A. and Cramer, D. (2000). Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS Release 10 for Windows: A guide for

social scientists. Routledge. [HA32 BRY]Kinnear, P.R. and Gray, C.D. (2000). SPSS for windows made simple: release 10. Hove: Psychology Press. [Oversize BF39

7. Statement of Unit Aims:

This unit will attempt to ensure that you gain a thorough grounding in statistical topics that may have not been covered in previous undergraduate study.

8. Statement of Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, students will have an understanding of a range of statistical techniques used in psychological research.

9. Methods of teaching

Lectures and computer based course work

10. Number of contact hours per week 4

11. Methods of assessment:

Coursework (50%) There will be computer-based exercises during the Practical Sessions, and an assessable assignment to be submitted by the last day of the Autumn Term.

Examination – open-book style (50%).

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Aims:

This Unit will attempt to ensure that you gain a thorough grounding in topics that may not have been covered fully in the undergraduate curriculum. This should provide a suitable foundation for the Unit in Advanced Psychological Statistics and it should enable you to develop a good practical and conceptual understanding of traditional psychological methodology.

Topics:

1 Introduction2 Exploratory data analysis3 Multiple regression4 A primer on ANOVA and post-hoc tests5 Multi-factor designs6 Mixed designs and ANCOVA7 Principal component analysis8 Exploratory factor analysis9 Signal detection theory10 Computer-intensive methods

References:

(A) Statistics:

Everitt, B.S. (1996). Making Sense of Statistics in Psychology. Oxford University Press. [BF 39 EVE].

Everitt, B.S. and Dunn, G. (2001). Applied multivariate data analysis (2nd edition). Edward Arnold. [QA 278 EVE].

Field, A. (2000). Discovering statistics using SPSS for windows: Advanced techniques for the beginner. London: Sage Publications. [BF39 FIE].

Grimm, L.G. and Yarnold, P.R. (Eds.) (1995). Reading and understanding multivariate statistics. American Psychological Association [Education Library @ HA REA; Main Library - QA 278 REA].

(B) Reference Handbooks:

Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L., Black, W.C. (1998). Multivariate Data Analysis. Fifth Edition. Prentice-Hall. [QA 278 HAI]

Tabachnick, B.G. and Fiddell, L.S. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics. Fourth Edition. Harper and Row. [QA278 TAB]

(C) SPSS for Windows

Bryman, A. and Cramer, D. (2000). Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS Release 10 for Windows: A guide for social scientists. Routledge.(HA 32 BRY)

Kinnear, P.R. and Gray, C.D. (2000). SPSS for windows made simple: release 10. Hove: Psychology Press. (Oversize BF39 KIN)

Coursework:

There will be computer-based exercises during the Practical Sessions, and an assessable assignment to be submitted by the last day of the Autumn Term.

Assessment:

By coursework (50%) and open-book examination (50%)

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1. Unit Title Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative


3. Credit Points 15

4. Unit Director Contact Phone No. & E-Mail Address

Dr Brian StolleryInternal: 88575 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of various major perspectives on research design and methodology in Psychology, ranging from the more quantitative to the more qualitative.

6. Key Reading and References:

Breakwell, G.M., Hammond,S., & Fife-Schaw,C. Research methods in psychology (2nd edition London Sage (BF76.5 RES)

Camic,P.M., Rhodes,JE., & Yradley,L. (Eds) (2003) Qualitative research in psychology: Expanding perspectives in methodology and design. Washington, D.C. American Psychological Association. (BF76.5 QUA).

Lyons, E., & Coyle, A. (Eds.). (2007). Analysing qualitative data in psychology. London: Sage Publications. (BF76.5 ANA)

Other relevant texts can be found on the Blackboard site for this unit


The unit will aim to develop appreciation of the inherent strengths and weaknesses of experiments, psychological assessment and testing, surveys and questionnaires, as well as of interviews, field and observational studies.


Comprehension of the basic principles of good research design.Competence in formulating researchable issues.Competence is selecting appropriate research methods, including effective analytic strategies.Competence in managing the problems of professional data collection with human participants.

9. Methods of teaching (e.g., Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):

Lectures, seminars

10. Number of contact hours per week: 2


Course work (50%), Examination (50%). Participation in formative exercises and class discussion during the unit and summative assessment by an essay based upon the unit material.

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Topics

1 Prototypical research methods: Strengths and weaknesses Brian Stollery2 Experimental design and causality Brian Stollery3 Threats to validity Brian Stollery4 Psychophysical Methods I Chris Benton5 Psychophysical Methods II Chris Benton6 Introduction to qualitative research Brian Stollery7 Eliciting methods: Interviews and focus groups Brian Stollery8 Methods of analysis: Grounded theory Brian Stollery9 Methods of analysis: Interpretative phenomenological analysis Brian Stollery10 Assessing qualitative research Brian Stollery

Course work

Write an essay, in the APA style, on one of the following topics

Essay topics

1. Quantitative methods produce information only on the particular sample studied and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Discuss.

2. Explain the diffusion model approach to the initial analysis of reaction time data. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach when compared to others?

3. Coding is not only how qualitative research is done, it is also what is being studied when qualitative research is being done. Discuss.

4. Compare and contrast the different philosophical and underlying principles of grounded theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Evaluate the implications of these differences on the way we treat qualitative data.

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1. Unit Title General and Generic Research Skills 1


3. Credit Points 10


Dr Justin ParkInternal: 46845 External: 0117 954 [email protected]

5. Description of this Unit:

This unit provides taught postgraduate students with a toolkit to allow them to carry out research within Psychology. The purpose of the unit is to bring all students up to the standard required to support teaching and learning at postgraduate level.


APA (2001) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. (PN147 PUB).

APA (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct: 2010 amendments.http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Bell, P.B., Staines, P.J. with Michell, J. (2001). Evaluating, doing and writing research: A step-by-step guide for students. London: Sage Publications. (BF77 BEL).

BPS (2009). Code of ethics and conduct: Guidance published by the Ethics Committee of the British Psychological Society. Leicester: British Psychological Society. Available online to download as a .pdf file: http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_ethics_and_conduct.pdf

Kimmel, A.J. (2007). Ethical issues in behavioral research: basic and applied perspectives (2nd

edition). Oxford: Blackwell. (BF76.4 KIM)

Sternberg, R.J. & Sternberg, K. (2010). The psychologist's companion: A guide to scientific writing for students and researchers (5th edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (BF76.8 STE).


The sessions aim to cover general research skills, which are not subject-specific, but which should help you to produce high quality psychological research. In addition, the unit aims to facilitate the acquisition of several personal skills that are transferable or generic, being applicable both within and outside academia. The unit provides an introduction to basic IT skills, being able to use web-based databases and reference management systems in addition to being aware of the issuesrelating to ethics in human behavioural research.


Appreciate ethical considerations in the conduct of psychological research;Use standard bibliographic methods for information searching in psychology;Use certain computer packages in writing research reports and papers;Use a programming tool for designing a psychological experiment;Understand how psychological research is communicated; andUnderstand the peer review process relating to research outputs and research funding.

9. Methods of teaching (e.g. Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):

Lectures and practical programming interactive sessions.

10. Number of contact hours per week 2

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This Unit is assessed purely on Coursework: Programming Tasks (70%) and Seminar Diary (30%).

1. Lecture Topics:

Wk 0

Introductory IT trainingInstruction in basic computer use on Campus and remotely, using a Web browser and Internet searching, using email (Web-based) and the Departmental communications system First Class.

Dr Jeff Brunstrom

(Thurs 6 October 2011)

Wk 1

How to write an MSc assignment Dr Kit Pleydell-Pearce

(12 October 2011)

Wk 2

Staff Dissertation Presentations 11am -1pm AND 2pm – 4pm

Lecture Theatre: Soc Sci Complex LT 0A1All academic staff

(19 October 2011)

Wk 3

Ethics & Conventions(a) Ethical considerations necessary for psychological research(b) The British Psychological Society research guidelines(c) The American Psychological Association (APA) conventions for manuscript preparation and publication.

Dr Casimir Ludwig

(26 October 2011)

FRIDAY 28th OCTOBER 2011, 10.00 a.m. – 12.00 noon AND 1.00 p.m. – 2.30 p.m.

Subject-specific database searchingIt will introduce you to the following:(a) PsycINFO(b) The Web of Science(c) Internet resources(d) Electronic journals

Sue Chubb (subject librarian for Psychology)

Computer Lab rm 4D29

BRING YOUR COMPUTER PASSWORD SHEET FROM REGISTRATION & CHECK YOUR USERNAME & PASSWORD WORKS PRIOR TO THIS SESSION

Wks 4-7

DMDX

Introduction to DMDX: download, installation, benchmarking, etc.

A simple experiment with visual stimulus presentation

An experiment with spoken responses – setup and analysis

Collecting ratings

Dr Nina Kazanina (2 & 9 November 2011)

Professor Markus Damian (16 & 23 November 2011)

Wk 8

DMDX assessment

Assessed programming task.

Dr Nina Kazanina and Professor Markus Damian (30 November 2011)

Wk 9

Clinical careers and dealing with NHS issues

This seminar will explain issues leading towards a career in Clinical Psychology and also how to interact with NHS systems, e.g. ethics.

Dr Kit Pleydell-Pearce

(7 December 2011)

**ALTERATIONS TO THE SESSIONS ARE POSSIBLE.THE INFORMATION FOR THIS UNIT IS CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINTING THIS HANDBOOK**

2. Seminar Series:

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This component consists of attendance and participation in the seminar series (consisting of internal and external speakers). It aims to introduce the student to a range of work by outside speakers and their associates, drawn from across the spectrum of topics and methodologies in contemporary psychology. Internal speakers also report on their investigations of significant new problems, techniques, findings and theories, and they usually concentrate upon work that is ongoing.

Learning Outcomes:

Successful completion of this unit will enable the student to:

- Achieve a broad coverage of different research methods;- Increase their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of methodological

options;- Gain insight into the critical dilemmas that arise in theory construction;- Have the opportunity to learn about communication skills from established

practitioners; and- Have an opportunity to develop critical skills by participating in post seminar

discussions.

Coursework Assessment:

(1) Seminar Diary. Students will write summaries of 5 full-length seminars (internal or external) in the form of academic abstracts, with full sentences and structure (not note format). Each summary should consist of approximately 250 words. The seminar diary should be submitted for assessment at the end of the Autumn term andwill constitute 30% of the mark for this unit.

(2) Assessed programming task. These will be taken as a time-constrained event within a two-hour teaching session and constitute 70% of the mark for this unit.

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1. Unit Title Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods


3. Credit Points 10


Dr Ute LeonardsInternal: 88571 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


This Unit has two central aims. First, it reviews the functional neuroanatomy of the human brain, and thus provides an absolute core set of knowledge for Neuropsychology. Second, the Unit gives a comprehensive review of the major techniques and methods employed to study the human brain (since these provide information about function at various levels in the brain). These techniques will allow students to appreciate the theoretical interpretation of both spatial and temporal aspects of cerebral activity. Students will be required to perform preparatory reading prior to each seminar and will be expected to make an active contribution to discussion. The course will cover the entire brain, and will not simply focus upon structures typically associated with ‘higher-order cognitive function. The Unit will include ten seminars, each lasting 2 hours.

6. Introductory Reading:

Gazzaniga, M. S., Ivry,R. B & Mangun, G. R. (2009). Cognitive neuroscience: the biology of the mind (3rd ed.).London: Norton.Kolb, B., & Wishaw, I.Q. (2009). Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology. Worth Publishers, New York (6th

Edition).Cabeza, R., & Nyberg, L. (2000). Imaging cognition II: An empirical review of 275 PET and fMRI studies. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,12(1), 1-47.Cabeza, R., & Kingstone, A. (2006). Handbook of functional neuroimaging of cognition. (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press. Brodal, P. (2010). The central nervous system. 4th Ed., Oxford University Press.


The aim of the unit is to provide a thorough grounding in human functional neuroanatomy and in techniques employed to study the brain. The course will stress how knowledge of functional neuroanatomy is crucially related to a range of methodological techniques, applied at varying levels within cerebral organisation (from single neuron recordings to whole brain imaging techniques).


At the end of the course, students will provide knowledge of a range of techniques used to investigate the human brain. This will allow students to pursue further self-organised study of techniques which they find interesting and/or career relevant.


Teaching will consist of lectures given by research active staff members, with a strong seminar-style interactive component. For the last two lectures, students will be expected to prepare short Powerpoint presentations in which each student applies different neuroimaging techniques to an area of neuroscience.



Powerpoint group presentation (10%) Unseen examination that assesses the level and depth of background knowledge (90%)

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Topics: 1 Introduction to the course and Overview: history

of Neuropsychology, localisation versus networking, development of different techniques

UL

2 A brain tour: Neuroanatomy and Functional anatomy

KPP

3 Brain Damage - what can brain lesions tell us about cognition?

UL

4 Assessment of neurological deficits with psychophysical methods

CB

5 FMRI and related technologies** UL6 Positron Emission Tomography and related

technologiesKPP

7 Electroencephalography and related technologies

KPP

8 Principles of psychopharmacology AA9-10 Summary, short presentations and topic-led

discussions GP

** MRI scanning equipment can be viewed during the MRI Summer School.

Group-based short presentations in Seminars 9 and 10:

In the first lecture, every student will get one brain area and prepares an overview about itsfunction(s) by providing evidence deriving from a variety of neuroscience techniques. During the oral presentations in the last lecture, we will bring all this information together to produce your own “functional” brain atlas.

26

1. Unit Title Apprenticeship in Psychological Research


3. Credit Points 10


Professor Sven MattysInternal: 88449 External: 0117 928 [email protected]

5. Description of this Unit This unit provides students with hands-on experience with psychological research. Students will contribute to the design, implementation, and dissemination of an ongoing research project carried out in the School of Experimental Psychology. Students will participate in research meetings and help with data analysis and data interpretation.


Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (2009). American Psychological Association; 6th Revised edition edition. ISBN-10: 9781433805615

Doing quantitative psychological research: from design to report. (1997). Psychology Press Ltd. ISBN-10: 0863777899


The main aim of the unit is to develop an appreciation of the inherent strengths and weaknesses of experimental research, psychological assessment and testing, surveys and questionnaires, as well as of interviews, field and observational studies. An additional aim is to provide the student with an appreciation of the daily activities of a research group, its collaborative structure, and communication style.


- Critical insight into the process of conducting psychological research, especially with respect to selecting methods, tools, and analyses.- Concrete experience with the daily workings of a research lab.- Communication with researchers on an actual project and brainstorming with a research group.- Presentation of raw data and un-interpreted results.

9. Methods of teaching (e.g., Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):The unit will comprise an introductory lecture (1 hour) followed by approximately bi-weekly meetings with a nominated member of academic staff in the School of Psychology, and participation in the regular meetings of his/her research group.

10. Number of contact hours per week: Flexible.


Students will be required to produce a research portfolio (2000 words max) comprising two sections of approximately equal length. In the first section, the students will provide an overview of the project in which they took part, together with an account of its aims and outcomes. In the second section, the students will produce a structured research diary. This will contain a reflective account of the day-by-day management of the project, scientific advances made during the apprenticeship, practical and theoretical hurdles, how these have or might be overcome. This section should be written in style reflecting the student's personal experience (e.g., difficulties encountered during the project, stimulating experiences, new ideas).

In addition, the student will give a short oral presentation at the end of the apprenticeship period. This will provide an overview of the research project, with an emphasis on suggested directions for future research. Oral feedback will be provided by the mentor.

The research portfolio and oral presentation will contribute 80% and 20% of the total mark, respectively.

27

SPRING TERM

1. Unit Title Advanced Psychological Statistics


3. Credit Points 15


Dr Brian StolleryInternal: 88575 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


The unit will expand on the knowledge acquired in Basic Statistics. It focuses on methods for treating data with scale properties not suitable for t-tests or ANOVAs (e.g., categorical data), on multivariate methods to structure large sets of variables and their relationships, and on techniques of summarizing data across studies. Most of these techniques have been implemented in computer programs and are often highly appropriate for the analysis of complex data sets.


Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd edition). London: Sage

Howell, D. C. (2002). Statistical Methods for Psychology. Pacific Grove: Duxbury.

Tabachnick, B. G. & Fiddell, L. S. (2001) Using multivariate statistics (4th ed) Harper and Row (QA 278 TAB).

Schumacker, R. E. & Lomax, R. G. (2004). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modelling. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum (QA278 SCH)

Other references to on-line publications will be made during the unit.


The unit will aim to develop your understanding of newer analytical and inferential techniques now increasingly evident in the psychological research literature. Besides learning about the conceptual background of specific statistical methods and acquiring the skills of using the corresponding statistical software, you should understand the logic of statistical inference, and appreciate the pitfalls in mindless application of analyses.


The ability to understand and carry out a number of recent advanced statistical techniques.

9. Methods of teaching (e.g., Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):

Lectures and computer-based practical sessions.



Course work (50%), Examination (50%).

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Topics

1 General Linear Model Simon Farrell2 Categorical data I: Chi2 and log-linear models Simon Farrell3 Categorical data II: Logistic regression Simon Farrell4 Multilevel Regression I Simon Farrell5 Multilevel Regression II Simon Farrell6 Effect sizes & Power Marcus Munafo7 An Introduction to Meta-analysis Marcus Munafo8 Structural Equation Modelling I Brian Stollery9 Structural Equation Modelling II Brian Stollery10 Structural Equation Modelling III Brian Stollery

CourseworkThere will be computer-based exercises during the linked practical sessions. The assessable computer-based coursework assignment question, associated data-set, and the form of the required write-up will be made available once the unit begins.

29

1. Unit Title Issues in Psychology (see separate handbook)


3. Credit Points 15


Dr Nick Scott-SamuelInternal: 88557 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


This unit will explore issues relating to philosophical, conceptual, and epistemological aspects of psychology. It will attempt to address the limitations of scientific methods as practised in contemporary psychology. It will also attempt to explore critically the nature of psychological knowledge and the extent to which it is context-dependent (e.g. biological, developmental, cognitive, social, applied, etc.)


Chalmers, A.F. (1994). What is this thing called science? An assessment of the nature and status of science and its methods. (2nd ed.). Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. (Q175 CHA) ( 3rd ed. – 1999 also available at same location)Prilleltensky, I. & Fox, D. (1997). Introducing Critical Psychology: Values, Assumptions and the Status Quo. In D. Fox, & I. Prilleltensky, (Eds.). Critical psychology: An introduction. London: Sage. (BF39.9 CRI).Reason, J. T. (1990). Human Error. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (BF323.E7 REA)Schacter, D.L. (1996). Searching for memory: The brain, the mind, and the past. New York: Basic Books. (BF371 SCH)Valentine, E.R. (1992). Conceptual issues in psychology. (2nd ed.) London: Routledge (BF38 VAL)


To explore issues relating to philosophical, conceptual, and epistemological aspects of psychology. The Unit will attempt to address the limitations of scientific methods as practised in contemporary psychology. It will also attempt to explore critically the nature of psychological knowledge and the extent to which it is context-dependent (e.g. biological, developmental, cognitive, social, applied, etc.)


On completion of this unit the student will:

Be familiar with the major critical contexts of psychological knowledgeAppreciate the contributions of a range of key perspectives to psychological thinking


Lectures.



Course work (50%), Examination (50%).

30

1. Unit Title General and Generic Research Skills 2


3. Credit Points 10


Dr Justin ParkInternal: 46845 External: 0117 954 [email protected]

5. Description of this Unit (not more than 150 words):

The unit builds on the General and Generic Research Skills 1 unit to increase both the breadth and depth of coverage for taught postgraduate students to carry out research within Psychology. The purpose of the unit is to bring all students up to the standard required to support teaching and learning at postgraduate level.


APA (2001) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Edition). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. (PN147 PUB).

APA (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct: 2010 amendments.http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Bell, P.B., Staines, P.J. with Michell, J. (2001). Evaluating, doing and writing research: A step-by-step guide for students. London: Sage Publications. (BF77 BEL).

BPS (2009). Code of ethics and conduct: Guidance published by the Ethics Committee of the British Psychological Society. Leicester: British Psychological Society. Available online to download as a .pdf file: http://www.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/code_of_ethics_and_conduct.pdf

Kimmel, A.J. (2007). Ethical issues in behavioral research: basic and applied perspectives (2nd

edition). Oxford: Blackwell. (BF76.4 KIM)

Sternberg, R.J. & Sternberg, K. (2010). The psychologist's companion: A guide to scientific writing for students and researchers (5th edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (BF76.8 STE).


The lectures aim to cover an increased range of research skills, some of which are subject-specific, and will help you to produce high quality psychological research. The Unit develops more advanced IT skills, including thesis and publication preparation, presentation skills, publication skills, and an introduction to the process of peer-review publication and grant application procedures.


Be able to prepare a manuscript for publication;Write and present an academic oral presentation; andCarry out data manipulation and analysis using a range of computer packages.

9. Methods of teaching (eg Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):

Lectures



This Unit is assessed purely on Coursework: Literature Review (70%) and Seminar Diary (30%).

31

1. Lecture Topics:

Wk 2 Practical Presentation SkillsThis seminar will require students to produce a brief Powerpoint presentation and will then offer commentary and feedback on this.

Dr Nathalia Gjersoe

(25 January 2012)

Wk 3 Academic career issues – publications, grants and jobs

This seminar will discuss how to head towards, and progress in, an academic career dealing with publication of papers, and obtaining funding, as well as applying for academic jobs.

Prof Tom Troscianko

(1 February 2012)

Wk 4 MOCK EXAM (Neuropsychology of Language) 8 February 2012

**ALTERATIONS TO THE SESSIONS ARE POSSIBLE.THE INFORMATION FOR THIS UNIT IS CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINTING THIS HANDBOOK**

2. Seminar Series:

This component consists of attendance and participation in the seminar series (consisting of internal and external speakers). It aims to introduce the student to a range of work by outside speakers and their associates, drawn from across the spectrum of topics and methodologies in contemporary psychology. Internal speakers also report on their investigations of significant new problems, techniques, findings and theories, and they usually concentrate upon work that is ongoing.

Learning Outcomes:

Successful completion of this unit will enable the student to:

- Achieve a broad coverage of different research methods;- Increase their understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of methodological

options;- Gain insight into the critical dilemmas that arise in theory construction;- Have the opportunity to learn about communication skills from established

practitioners; and- Have an opportunity to develop critical skills by participating in post seminar

discussions.

Coursework Assessment

(1) Seminar Diary. Students will write summaries of 5 full-length seminars (internal or external) in the form of academic abstracts, with full sentences and structure (not note format). Each summary should consist of approximately 250 words. The seminar diary should be submitted for assessment at the end of the Spring term andwill constitute 30% of the mark for this unit.

(2) Literature Review (3000 words) on a topic to be chosen by the student. Selected topic must be approved by a member of academic staff who only discusses the titleand basic outline with the student (staff do not provide feedback on drafts). Note that each staff member is generally allocated no more than 3 students. The aim of the literature review is to show competence in communication of scientific ideas and ability to demonstrate critical synthesis of diverse theoretical and empirical sources. Students are free to choose any topic they wish (subject to approval by a member of academic staff), provided that it is deemed to fall within the natural scope of their MSc. Students will be encouraged to select topics which cohere with their career aspirations. However, the topic/staff must not overlap with the topic/staff for the Research Dissertation and Research Apprenticeship. The literature review should be

32

submitted for assessment at the end of the Spring term and will constitute 70% of the mark for this unit.

33

1. Unit Title Language, Memory, and Development


3. Credit Points 10


Prof. Sven MattysInternal: 88449 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


The focus of this unit is twofold: first, it aims at covering in substantial detail the developmental aspects of cognitive language skills, such as maturation, critical period, innateness, etc. Second, it will investigate language and its relation to memory structures and systems, both from a developmental and a mature viewpoint. Topics include the properties of the working memory system and its interaction with linguistic structures, and the structure and function of long-term memory and its linguistic dimensions.


Baddeley, A. (1997). Human memory: Theory and practice. Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.Hoff, E. & Shatz, M. (2007). Blackwell handbook of language development. Wiley- Blackwell.Jusczyk, P. (1997). The discovery of spoken language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.


This unit will add a developmental perspective to the background knowledge that students acquired in the introductory unit. It will also deepen students' understanding of how cognitive aspects of language are both implemented in and constrained by more general cognitive structures, such as long-term and short-term memory. Students will be familiarised with the various research techniques currently used to approach developmental and memory issues.


This unit intends to enable students to assess, generate and potentially answer important research questions relevant to developmental and memory-related topics in psycholinguistics.


Seminars which will be led by research-active staff members. Students are expected to take turns in providing weekly summaries of relevant background reading, providing a starting point for structured discussions.



Essay which requires students to synthesise knowledge about a particular research topic into a coherent argument (50%)

Exam which assesses the level and depth of background knowledge (50%).

34

Aims: This unit focuses on the interaction between language and memory, and proposes a critical evaluation of this interaction from a developmental perspective. The unit aims to coverin substantial detail the developmental aspects of cognitive language skills, such as maturation, sensitive periods for language acquisition, and the innateness of language.Topics include the properties of working memory and its interaction with linguistic structures, and the structure and function of long-term memory and its linguistic aspects.

Learning points: Students will have a critical understanding of key issues relating to the acquisition of language and the development of language processes. They will also have acritical understanding of the interaction between language and memory (both short-term and long-term memory) in adults and from a developmental perspective.

Topics:

1 Language acquisition in infancy Sven Mattys

2 Language development in children: Words and rules Sven Mattys

3 Language development in children: Semantics Sven Mattys

4 Language development in deaf children Sven Mattys

5 STM and vocabulary acquisition Josie Briscoe

6 Specific Language Impairment (SLI) Josie Briscoe

7 LTM and development Josie Briscoe

8 Language, Memory, and Amnesia Martin Greaves

9 Memory and encoding Martin Greaves

10 Perception of speech Martin Greaves

Coursework assessment:

1. Discuss the role of language in shaping colour perception.

2. Critically review the evidence supporting the linguistic nature of babbling.

3. Describe some of the problems children face during the development of semantic categories.

4. Evaluate Ullman and Pierponts' (2005) procedural memory deficit account of SLI.

35

1. Unit Title Magnetic Resonance Imaging Summer School


3. Credit Points 10


Prof. Risto KauppinenInternal: 88461 External: 0117 928 [email protected]


The course organised in the form of a “Summer/Easter school” gives students deeper insight into one of the major imaging techniques used in the modern Cognitive Neurosciences /Neuropsychology and research into brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and dementia. This new mandatory 10 credit point unit is a response to the newly arisen opportunity to use Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a research tool in Neuropsychology here at Bristol with the opening of our Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC).This unit provides a deep insight into current state-of-the art use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in scientific and clinical research into the functioning of the human brain.Beside oral presentations/lectures/seminars by MR specialists, this unit will give students the opportunity to see the scanner at work and experience data handling first-hand.

6. Introductory Reading:

McRobbie D.W., Moore E.A., Graves M.J. & Prince M.R.(2004). MRI: From Picture to Proton. Cambridge University Press

Jezzard P., Matthews P.M. & Smith S.M. (2002). Functional MRI; An Introduction to Methods. Oxford University Press,

Further, selected peer reviewed scientific papers will be used as teaching material .


The central aim of the unit is to provide students with a critical perspective and understanding of magnetic resonance-based brain imaging techniques in the context of neuropsychological and neurological research. This module not only provides students with theoretical knowledge and concepts in this domain, but allows them hands-on experience with the MR scanner as well as data analysis. It fosters original thought because each student is invited to develop their own theoretical position on usefulness and limitations of the techniques for their particular area of research interest.


Completion of the course will provide: A deeper understanding of the advances in magnetic

resonance imaging in scientific research and current limitations of the technique. A capacity to think independently and generate novel

theoretical positions. An appreciation of the relationship between scientific

and clinical research. An understanding of mechanisms underlying brain

function.

9. Methods of teaching (e.g. Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):20 lectures will be delivered by the course leader and invited speakers from the field of magnetic resonance technology and their applications for brain imaging. There will be a scanner demonstration at CRICBristol and data analysis demonstration in the computer class.

10. Number of contact hours per week: This course will be taught in the format of a “summer school” over three days (23 hours in total) **

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Summative assessment is based on a 2500-word essay written from selected topics covered by the teaching sessions.

Coursework will be completed over a three-week period, beginning at the end of the summer school.

Topics will include:

Principles of magnetic resonance (MR), MR imaging (MRI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS), functional MRI (fMRI) techniques, diffusion MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), physiological mechanisms underpinning fMRI signals, applications of fMRI for cognitive neurosciences and imaging common brain pathologies, resting-state fMRI, applications of DTI for brain imaging, applications of MRS for brain studies, techniques for advanced MRI and MRS analyses.

COURSEWORK:Essay Length: 2500 words MAXIMUM in APA style

Essay topics will be announced at the end of the summer school

** This Year’s summer school will be held from the 26th to the 30th of March 2012. The first 3 days will consist of lectures, the practical sessions will be held on the last two days.

37

SUMMER TERM

1. Unit Title Research Dissertation


3. Credit Points 60


Dr Ute Leonards & Dr Kit Pleydell-Pearcetel: 0117 928 8571 & tel: 0117 954 [email protected]; [email protected]

5. Description of this unit:

The aim of this mandatory unit is to apply the research techniques learned elsewhere in the course to a particular psychological issue, under the supervision of a member of academic staff.

Timetable:Students should register their interest with a member of academic staff early in the Autumn term (after attending the October project presentation event). Individual members of staff will favour different patterns of supervision, and students should discuss their progress with their supervisor at the first meeting. Students may only progress to taking this Unit if they have satisfied the Examiners by passing in all previous finished Units in the MSc course. The deadline for the submission of the dissertation is the 28th September 2012, but students should bear in mind the following deadlines and the recommended timetable for progress:

19th October 2011 Project planning meeting (please see G&G1 for time and location): Most staff members present a brief summary of their interests, and potential projecttopics they might offer. Please note that the presented clinical projects are for MSc Neuropsychology students only.

2nd November 2011, 4pm Deadline to sign in for your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd project options on the list posted on the MSc Notice board. If, for whatever reason, your name does not appear on this list, please contact one of the Project Coordinators as soon as possible. If options include clinical projects, you need to hand in your CV to the School Admin Office.

23rd November 2011 Project allocation announcement. (In some cases it may not be possible to assign a student with any of his/her preferred supervisors. For these rare cases the Project Coordinators will organize a group meeting shortly after in which students meet up with advisors who can still take on more students).

November-December 2011 Project meeting with supervisor and preparation of the Project Registration Forms Please note that these forms require signatures from both student and supervisor, including information about ethics deadlines of the appropriate ethics committees for your study, a plan about participant recruitment and so on. Please ensure sufficient time in December to sort these things out.

17th January 2012, 4pm Final deadline to hand in signed Project Registration Form.

January-March 2012 Write a literature review, and plan details of project, obtain ethical clearance*, run pilot study if necessary. Note that if opting for a clinical project (involving patient testing), it is your responsibility to seek the necessary NHS ethical approval well in advance (ideally before the Winter break) as this can easily take up to 6 months – these ethics applications need to specify already the design of the study.

16th May 2012, 4pm Deadline to hand in Progress review form.

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21st – 25th May 2012 Progress review interviews. Any study (in particular clinical study) that has not yet obtained ethical clearance or for which the start of data collection is be delayed beyond this date will be automatically reconsidered, and the student might be requested to move toward their chosen backup project

May-August 2012 Complete data collection. Begin data analysis.

July-September 2012 Write dissertation.

28th September 2012, 4pm Deadline to hand in your Dissertation.

It should be noted that University accommodation is for a 50 week period and has to be vacated mid-September to allow some preparation time for the new intake. This may have implications with regard to the planning of your dissertation work


The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition or 6th edition) is held in the Arts & Social Sciences Library (PN147 PUB).


The aim of this Unit is to apply the research techniques learned elsewhere in the course to a particular psychological issue, under the supervision of a member of academic staff.


This Unit intends to enable students to design a novel experimental investigation in the area of Psychology of their choice, supervised by an expert in the field, and to carry out the investigation, analyse the results and write a Dissertation based on the results.

9. Methods of teaching (eg Lectures, seminars, fieldwork):

Original research under the guidance of the Supervisor; production of Dissertation.


The maximum length of the thesis is 6,000 words. References, Appendices and Contents pages are additional to this limit. Two soft-bound copies must be submitted by 4.00 pm on September 28th 2012 to Charlotte Webb in the Admin Office plus an electronic copy submitted via Blackboard on this date. These are jointly assessed by internal and external examiners.

(MSc in Research Methods: Please take note that good methodology and statistics is essential in order to achieve a distinction level mark for the dissertation).

For submission requirements see statement of good practice, taught postgraduate programmes.http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/pg/pgtcodeonline.html

The School has adopted the style of the American Psychological Association (APA) for all uses of referencing. Briefly, the form of this referencing system is as follows. For text citations, you provide the authors’ surnames and the date of publication. For example, “Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) proposed an alternative metaphor that conceptualised memory in terms of three memory stores” or “Several authors have sought to understand the phenomena of implicit memory (Schacter, 1995; Schacter & Graf, 1986).” In the reference section an alphabetised list of all the references cited in the text is provided in chronological order. Sternberg (1993) provides a good general introduction to referencing and other matters. Examples of how to reference a journal article, a book or a chapter in a book are provided below.

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Schacter, D. L. (1995). Implicit memory. In M. S. Gazzaniga (Ed.), The cognitive neurosciences (pp. 815-824). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Schacter, D. L., & Graf, P. (1986). Effects of elaborative processing on explicit and implicit memory for new associations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 12, 432-444.

Sternberg, R. J. (1993). The psychologist’s companion: A guide to scientific writing for students and researchers. New York: Cambridge University Press.

YOU MUST USE APA. Poor reference sections are likely to jeopardise coursework marks, so make sure that you familiarise yourself with the technical style required.

* You need to complete an ETHICS CHECKLIST prior to commencing your research dissertation/data collection. This form can be obtained from the School Admin Office. If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the checklist questions, you are required to submit a full proposal to the Faculty of Science Human Research Ethics Committee which meets on a monthly basis. Please note that there are additional ethics requirements for clinical projects which take substantially longer to obtain.

** Up to £100 is given to cover costs incurred by each project. Costs such as travel to hospitals/schools, postage, participant payment etc. One of the School administrators can give you the necessary forms for advance payment or the claiming of expenses.

Supervisor's Comments

Your supervisor CANNOT give comments on any draft of your write-up. A part of a successful project is making valid contributions in discussions with your supervisor, i.e. it is important to discuss your work actively. Such contributions can occur at all stages within the project, for example, in the original project idea, the experimental design, associated reading, the way data are analysed and so on.

Other Relevant Information (clinical projects)

There are approximately 12-14 clinical projects available per year; therefore not all Neuropsychology students will be able to be allocated with one of these projects. Moreover, the realisation of clinical projects depends on factors outside the School’s control such as clinicians not being readily available due to extensive clinical workloads, delays with NHS ethics issues, students not working within the University environment, and the dealing with patients rather than participants. For this reason, all Neuropsychology students need to select a project with a member of the School’s academic staff a) in the event they are not allocated a clinical project, or b) the realisation of the clinical project becomes questionable (please see progress review date in timetable).

As the above-mentioned factors influencing clinical projects make these more demanding and require more forward planning from students, students should seriously consider the demands of a clinical project when making their supervisor selections. Please note that students with a weak academic results profile will not be given the opportunity to be put forward for a clinical project.

Please note that the relationship between the School of Experimental Psychology and the North Bristol Trust is highly valued and relies on mutual trust and respect.

Dissertation Guidelineshttp://www.bris.ac.uk/esu/pg/annex6dissertationguidelines.pdf

Required FormsRequired forms (e.g. Project Registration Form, Progress Review Form) can be found on Blackboard.

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SUPPORT STAFF

Secretarial Staff are located in the Admin Office. Please feel free to go along to the office if you have any questions regarding administration, stationery, or finance.Charlotte Webb is the postgraduate secretary, and the administrator of this course. You are welcome to contact her with any queries you may have.

Kev Williams School Manager Rm 1D220117 9546998 Kev,[email protected]

Oona Kelly Student Admin Manager Admin Office – Level 10117 928 8475 [email protected]

Susie Lucas Undergraduate Administrator Admin Office0117 9288327 [email protected]

Charlotte Webb Postgraduate Administrator Admin Office – Level 10117 9288452 [email protected]

Computing Issues:

For all computing and IT matters please contact the IT Helpdesk:

Phone: (0117) 928 7870 | internal 87870. Mon-Fri 8:00am - 5:00pm

Email: [email protected]

Fax: (0117) 929 1576

Address: 5 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1UD, UK

In Person: Computer Centre first floor. Mon-Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm

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School Staff, 2011

Angela Attwood [email protected] 5D10 Teaching AssociateEffects of social drugs and drug-related stimuli, and the psychological and biological factors that underlie addiction and continued drug use.Roland Baddeley [email protected] 4D2 ReaderMathematical models to understand a diverse range of topics, from colour perception, eye movements, signalling and vision in cuttlefish, to forgetting, and neural networks.Chris Benton [email protected] 4D6 Senior LecturerVisual perception, particularly the investigation of low level visual processing through psychophysics and computational modelling.Katharine Barden [email protected] 3D3 Post Doc ResearcherWorks with Prof Sven Mattys.Jeff Bowers [email protected] 3D22 ProfessorMemory and language. Visual word recognition, speech production, connectionist modelling, word learning.Josie Briscoe [email protected] 3D20 LecturerDevelopmental cognitive neuroscience. Developmental disorders, language impairment, working memory, episodic and event memory in children.Jeff Brunstrom [email protected] 5D3 ReaderBiological psychology, especially learned and cognitive aspects of appetite control and food choice.Markus Damian [email protected] 1D20 ProfessorLanguage production, speaking, psycholinguistics, visual word recognition, computational models of language, unconscious processing, numerical cognition.Rhys Davies [email protected] 5D11 Research AssistantWorks with Dr Cas Ludwig.Peter Etchells [email protected] 4D4 Post Doc ResearcherWorks with Dr Ian Penton-VoakSimon Farrell [email protected] 3D9 ReaderShort-term memory, specifically memory for serial order, recall latencies in short- and long-term memory, serial correlations in human performance, automation-induced complacency, computational modelling of cognition.Iain Gilchrist [email protected] 3D23 ProfessorVision, with particular reference to active vision, eye-movements and attention, neuropsychology, perceptual grouping.Martin Greaves [email protected] 3D3 Post Doc. ResearcherWorks in the memory research group.Debbora Hall [email protected] 3D3 Post Doc. ReseracherWorks with Dr Chris JarroldElanor Hinton [email protected] 3D32 Post Doc. ResearcherWorks with Dr Jeff Brunstrom.Bruce Hood [email protected] 3D28 ProfessorDevelopmental cognitive neuroscience of attention, gaze processing, naive reasoning about Newtonian principles.Chris Jarrold [email protected] 3D17 ProfessorDevelopmental psychopathology, particularly autism, Williams syndrome and Down syndrome, working memory in special populations, pretend play, executive dysfunction.Risto Kauppinen [email protected] 3D12 ProfessorClinical Research Imaging Centre.Chris Kent [email protected] 3D27 Research FellowPerceptual cognition, with a special interest in the time course of cognition. Perceptual and memory processes that support a wide range of cognitive tasks.

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Lesley Kyle [email protected] 1D19 Research Support Assistant

Works with Professor Peter Rogers.Ute Leonards [email protected] 3D2 Senior LecturerNeuronal mechanisms of visual perception and of higher vision-related cognitive processes, neuropsychology,fMRI, EEG, eye-movements.Casimir Ludwig [email protected] 4D8 Advanced Research

FellowVisual selection in general and saccade target selection in particular.Sven Mattys [email protected] 1D22 ReaderPsycholinguistics and speech perception, particularly the perceptual, cognitive, and physiological mechanisms underlying spoken word recognition.Marcus Munafò [email protected] 5D5 ReaderThe role of molecular genetic influences on addictive behaviour and the use of social drugs.Jan Noyes [email protected] 4D5 ProfessorCognitive ergonomics, particularly the design of input media, e g. speech recognition, and the application of cognitive psychology to system design, e.g. memory, decision-making.Justin Park [email protected] 5D4 LecturerSocial cognition and behaviour. Kin-recognition processes and their implication for altruism, cooperation, and attraction; parasite-avoidance processes; intergroup processes; functional approach to self-esteem; individual differences.Ian Penton-Voak [email protected] 5D20 ReaderSocial perception of facial characteristics; evolutionary psychology.Kit Pleydell-Pearce

[email protected] 5D28 Senior Lecturer

Neurophysiological and autonomic correlates of cognition (especially perception, attention and memory) slow cortical potentials, spectral and coherence analyses, mental workload, real time analysis of physiology and behaviour, cockpit technologies.Gillian Porter [email protected] 5D27A Post Doc. ResearcherWorks with Dr Andrea Tales.David Redmill [email protected] 3D27 Research Support

AssistantWorks with Dr Cas Ludwig.Peter Rogers [email protected] 1D21 Professor & Head of

SchoolMotivation, learning and cognition, especially appetite and weight control, addiction and caffeine psychopharmacology. Nutrition, health and behaviour.Angela Rowe [email protected] 5D7 Senior LecturerSocial cognition with specific regard to person perception and interpersonal relationships.Nick Scott-Samuel

[email protected] 4D9 Senior Lecturer

Visual perception of motion in humans.Andy Skinner [email protected] 4D4 Post Doc. ResearcherWorks with Dr Chris Benton.Jessica Smith [email protected] 1D19 Research AssistantWorks with Professor Peter Rogers.

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Brian Stollery [email protected] 3D9 Senior LecturerHealth-cognition relations: influence of industrial and environmental neurotoxins, recovery from anaesthesia, cognitive aging, glucose, stress, adaptation and risk perception.Andrea Tales [email protected] 5D29 Research FellowVision; visual attention; automatic visual processing; visual evoked potentials (visual mismatch negativity); neuropsychology; Alzheimer’s disease and other aetiologies of dementia; mild cognitive impairment.Tom Troscianko [email protected] 4D1 ProfessorVisual psychophysics and machine implementation of colour vision, movement and texture perception.

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THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SERVICE

The Arts and Social Sciences Library is one of 12 branch libraries that make up the University Library system, which is part of the broader University of Bristol Information Services. Most of the psychology material is housed in the Arts and Social Sciences Library, but you will find that other libraries, such as Education and Medical also contain material relevant to your studies. A printed guide to each library is available when you visit and will help you find your way around and identify the resources and library services available.

The Arts and Social Sciences LibraryUniversity of Bristol,Tyndall AvenueBristolBS8 1TJ

General Enquiries and Issue Desk Telephone: 0117-9288000Email: [email protected]: http://www.bris.ac.uk/is/locations/branches/assl/

The following details refer specifically to the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Sue Chubb, the Psychology Subject Librarian will be glad to help you with any enquiries you may have about the library’s collections or any questions you may have about any of the services outlined below.

Email: [email protected]: 0117-3316790 (Fridays only)

Information Services/Library web pages

The Information Services web pages are a useful source of information, as they provide direct online links to both University Library and Computing Services.

http://www.bris.ac.uk/is

Click on ‘Library’ for access to the Library Catalogue, MetaLib, information concerning each branch library, access to electronic journals and books, the subject resources and support pages, Internet searching and many other useful information pages.

The Library catalogue

The library’s online catalogue is available from any PC with an internet connection at:

http://www.lib.bris.ac.uk/ALEPH/

The catalogue covers the holdings of all 12 branch libraries. As well as searching the online catalogue, you can log into your individual library account, to do this you will need both your computing username and PIN number. (If you did not receive your PIN number on your Computing Registration sheet details, or if you have lost your details, ask at the Library Issue Desk). From within the online catalogue, click on ‘My account’ and enter your details. Once you are logged in, you may view your Library account. One

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option is to renew the library books you have borrowed for a further period. Most categories of items you have borrowed can be renewed, providing no other user has requested any of the items, they are not very overdue or belong in a short loan collection. From the library catalogue you may also make your own online reservations for items that are out on loan. You will be contacted once the material has been returned to the Library, reserved books will be kept at the Issue Desk for one week or if the item is normally only loaned for 1 or 3 days it will be kept at the Desk for a shorter period.Borrowing periods vary from 3 hours to 28 days, so please take careful note of the date stamped on the issue label, as fines soon mount up, bear in mind that an item may also be recalled before the due date stamped in the book.

Printing and photocopying

Printing credits may be purchased from the Issue Desk, enabling you to print out from the networked PCs on the ground floor, £1 will give you 20 printing credits. You can use the same printing credit on the networked photocopiers, which may be found on the ground and first floor. You can logon to a photocopier by using your UCard or by using the touchscreen on the photocopier and entering your UOB computing username and password. You will then be able to make your copies, providing you have credit in your printing account. One A4 black and white copy will cost 5p. Remember to ‘Logout’ when you have finished, by pressing the ID button on the photocopier to prevent other people making copies at your expense.

MetaLib

MetaLib is the Library’s online resource gateway that allows you to find and access information resources, such as databases, library catalogues, electronic journals, subject-based web gateways and selected internet resources. MetaLib also allows subject searching of online resources and there is an option to cross-search up to 10 separate resources, including many databases and subject gateways. MetaLib can also be used to locate online journals to which we have a subscription or which are freely available on the Internet. The full text journal articles can then be accessed online, as direct links are provided to many electronic journals and their full text contents.

To access MetaLib go to: http://metalib.bris.ac.uk/

For full access to all MetaLib resources and to use the ‘My space’ option you will need to login to MetaLib using your UOB computing username and password. The Login link appears at the top of the menu bar on the following screens: ‘Cross-search’, ‘Find database’, ‘Find eJournal’, and ‘My space’.

Electronic journals

In addition to the Library’s print collection of journals, over 13,000 full text journals are available online (approx 700 of these are psychology/psychiatry titles) and can be accessed via the Library’s electronic journals web page at:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/ejournals/

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You have access to these journals and their contents at any time and from any PC (with an Internet connection) on the University campus. You may also access the full text journals from a home computer using the University’s ‘Off-site Proxy’ service. Off-campus access information is available at:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/collections/electronicinformation/externalresources.html#off-site

Inter-library loans

Material that is not available anywhere in the University Library may be obtained using the Inter-library loans service. At present you may request up to 20 items at a time, but to use the service you must either hand in a voucher (for each item you request) or pay £8 for each item. Free Inter-library loan vouchers may be obtained from Reception in the Psychology Department, but it is best to check how many vouchers you may have, before you make your online Inter-library loan request/s via the Library catalogue.

Literature searching and online databases available

One of the most effective ways to carry out literature searching is to access and search the online databases that the University Library subscribes to. The most useful of these databases for psychology are: PsycINFO, PsycArticles, the Web of Science collection of databases on ISI Web of Knowledge and Biosis Previews. All of these databases are available online and you can access them both on and off campus.

Further details of individual databases that are relevant for psychology may be found on MetaLib.

For an alphabetical listing of all of the databases available on MetaLib, click on the ‘Find database’ option. Alternatively, to see a listing of databases available, that are of particular interest to psychology, from the MetaLib home page, look at the ‘cross-search resources by subject’ option and choose ‘Psychology, experimental’ from the drop down list of subjects given, then click on ‘Go’. A list of relevant databases and web resources will appear, details of each database’s subject content and coverage can be found by clicking on the information icon beside the database. Online links are also provided, enabling you to access quickly, each of the online resources provided.

Database information

PsycINFO - a psychology database containing over 2.7 million records, with details of articles from over 2,400 journals published since 1887, (however coverage is only really widespread in more recent years) and of books and chapters within books, published since 1987. The database is international in coverage and is updated weekly. A successful search should yield many useful references, complete with abstracts, but please note, not all of the journal articles cited will be held in the University Library, either in print or online.

PsycARTICLES (APA) may be regarded as a sub-set of the main PsycINFO database, both are produced by the American Psychological Association. PsycARTICLES covers

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approximately 70 journals and contains over 140,000 full text journal articles. The same journals are also covered by PsycINFO but one advantage of searching the smaller PsycARTICLES database is that any articles you find will be immediately available online in full text format.

The Web of Science on ISI Web of Knowledge database service includes the Science, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities Citation Indexes and therefore psychology is only one of many subjects covered. The databases can be searched individually or in any combination. Various searches, including subject and author searches can be performed, but a unique feature of these databases is the option to do a ‘Cited Reference Search’. Citation searching enables you to search for an author of an important work, that you have previously identified, and find out who has cited that work since it was originally published. It’s a way of coming forward in time, to see how work in the field has progressed and developed since. Again, not all of the journals cited will be in the University Library.

Other database services relevant for psychology include BIOSIS Previews. Further useful databases include Medline and Embase.

Psychology subject resources and support web pages

http://www.bris.ac.uk/is/library/subjects/psychology/

These support pages include information on finding psychology material in the Arts and Social Sciences Library and in other branch libraries. The ‘Psychology Resources and support’ pages also give further information on how to research a topic, evaluate information found and advice on writing and citing information for your subject. There are also links to useful online psychology databases and academic psychology websites.

Additional Library Support Service

The University Library recognises the difficulties part-time students, distance learners, those with disabilities or those who have caring responsibilities encounter in visiting Library branches and in being able to study and use library facilities. Additional services are therefore provided for these students, such as photocopying and the posting out of journal articles and book chapters, through the ‘AddLibS’ –Additional Library Support service. Further details may be found at:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/is/library/addlibs/

Using other UK Higher Education Libraries, the SCONUL Access Scheme

The University Library is a member of the SCONUL Access Scheme, a co-operative venture between a large number of higher education libraries making it easier for students to use libraries conveniently near to home or work, throughout the year. It enables research postgraduate students to borrow material from other member libraries and many of these now also allow taught postgraduates to borrow.

Further information about the scheme is available from:

http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/index_html

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Further information about the scheme in relation to the University of Bristol Library and how to join is available at:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/lending/sconulaccess.html

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CODE OF PRACTICE FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS AND THEIR SUPERVISORS

The statement of good practice can be found at the following web address. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/secretary/studentrulesregs/

The link relevant to this course is entitled ‘Statement of good practice – taught postgraduate programmes.’

The statement provides a host of useful information, including the following areas: Information for and responsibilities of students; Information for and responsibilities of programme directors; Information for and responsibilities of Boards of Examiners; Information for and responsibilities of the School; Information for and responsibilities of the Faculty; Information for and responsibilities of the Support Services.

It is very important that you read, and understand it.

You can now access the Code of Practice on the web at: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/pg/pgtcodeonline.html

A paper version will be circulated over the summer to all pgt programme directors and pgt students. In the meantime, I'd be grateful if you could highlight this new Code of Practice to your academic and administrative colleagues, where appropriate.

You may also wish to highlight the new Code of Practice in your student handbooks and web pages.

The new Code has a number of new features, in particular it:- allows faculties to limit re-submission of taught units to 60 cps, as required (section 7.9) and sets new re-assessment deadlines (7.9).- requires informal monitoring of postgraduate student progress (section 6.1).- has specific rules for the awarding of credit for marginally failed units (section 7.10).- has a new unsatisfactory student progress procedure (section 6.2) and fitness to practice procedure (section 6.3).- has a new section defining academic integrity and academic misconduct including plagiarism, cheating and collusion (section 8).- includes the new Admissions Principles and Procedures for Taught Postgraduate Programmes (section 4 and annex 8).- makes it clear that all pgt programmes must be in line with the QAA's Master's qualification descriptor (annex 2).- includes new standard forms including suspension, extension, change of circumstance, APL, withdrawal.- includes reference to the new UK Border Agency arrangements which require close monitoring of visa-holding students.

STUDENT INPUT

You should have a realistic expectation about the level of commitment needed to complete this programme in order to fulfill your academic potential. University guidelines state that one credit point is broadly equivalent of 10 hours of total student input. This includes teaching, private study, revision, and assessments. The University wishes to ensure paid work does not adversely affect the academic progress of its students, while understanding the need to work in order to earn money. It therefore advises that, for full-time students, up to fifteen hours a week paid work would be reasonable over the course of the academic year.

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PLAGIARISM AND CHEATINGhttp://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/studentlearning/plagiarism/

It is not expected that all of a student's written work will consist of her or his original thoughts. Rather, it is expected that the theories of others will inform most of his or her work. BUT any use of ideas or findings of others might be appropriately acknowledged. Not to do so is Plagiarism, i.e. any copying from any text other than your own unless you are quoting someone, in which case this must be made explicit (as described below). Plagiarism in essays, practical reports, or examination answers is a serious academic offence as it is stealing the intellectual property of others and using it for personal advantage through deception.

You can easily avoid plagiarism by putting the original or source material into your own words. This can be done by reading a paragraph of the text then closing the book and writing out the meaning of the paragraph in you own words as if explaining it to someone else. You can refer to someone's theories within your text in various ways such as:

Festinger (1957) proposed that.... This is known as the theory of Cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957)…..

Whenever this is done you must cite the source, as above, and it must be referenced at the end of your essay or report using the standard format.

If you are unable to paraphrase a section of a text, it is acceptable to quote directly, but this should only be done occasionally. Quotes should be enclosed in quotation marks and cited, such as:

"In the simplest terms, the reliability of an assessment technique refers to the precision of its measurement." (Kelly, 1969, p.35)

Also, the full source reference of the quote must be given in the Reference Section.

Cheating by Copying

Students are strongly encouraged to help each other and share ideas, so it is fine to work with someone else on the preparation of an assignment - sharing the literature, discussing issues, BUT the written work you hand in should be in your own words entirely, not a copy of someone else's work. Where several items of similar work are assessed it is not always possible to tell who did the cheating.

Cheating means copying and submitting as your own the written work or calculations originally done by another student, even with their permission.

Where copying of any assessed coursework is found, both parties will be penalised.

The following section deals with misconduct issues in research, which is relevant for your dissertation. It is taken from the Statement of good practice for taught postgraduate programmes. http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Registrar/Exams/higher.htmlFrom time to time this is updated, so please ensure that you are familiar with the most recent versions available.

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UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOLRegulations on Research Misconduct

GeneralThese regulations apply to all members of the University involved in research. This will include staff and undergraduate and postgraduate students. It also applies to those who are not members of the University, but who are conducting research on the University’s premises, under the University’s auspices or using the University’s research facilities.For the purpose of these regulations, the Vice-Chancellor and other officers may act through their properly appointed nominees.Definition of research misconductResearch misconduct includes the following, whether deliberate, reckless or negligent: failure to obtain appropriate permission to conduct research deception in relation to research proposals unethical behaviour in the conduct of research, for example in relation to

research subjects unauthorised use of information which was acquired confidentially deviation from good research practice, where this results in unreasonable risk of

harm to humans, other animals or the environment fabrication, falsification or corruption of research data distortion of research outcomes, by distortion or omission of data that do not fit

expected results dishonest misinterpretation of results publication of data known or believed to be false or misleading plagiarism, or dishonest use of unacknowledged sources misquotation or misrepresentation of other authors inappropriate attribution of authorship fraud or other misuse of research funds or research equipment attempting, planning or conspiring to be involved in research misconduct inciting others to be involved in research misconduct collusion in or concealment of research misconduct by others

Fraud or other misuse of research funds or research equipment may be dealt with under the University’s financial regulations.

Procedure in the case of suspected research misconduct The University has a responsibility to investigate allegations of research misconduct fully and expeditiously. It also has a responsibility to protect researchers from malicious, mischievous, or frivolous allegations.

All those to whom these regulations apply should report any incident of misconduct, whether witnessed or suspected. Members of staff and students are encouraged to raise concerns about suspected research misconduct in confidence under the University’s Policy on Public Interest Disclosure.

In the event that serious allegations are made, they will be referred to the Vice-Chancellor under the appropriate disciplinary regulations. The Vice-Chancellor may take immediate action under the disciplinary regulations, or, if the Vice-Chancellor considers it appropriate to do so, he or she may first appoint a panel to investigate the allegations.

If a panel is appointed, it shall normally consist of three members: someone unconnected with the allegation who is a member of the School or faculty, a member of the University from outside the faculty and a lay member of Council, who shall

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chair the panel. Members of the panel must be impartial and unbiased. At least one member should have expert knowledge of the area of research involved. The individual or individuals against whom the allegation is made shall be informed of the decision to appoint a panel and shall be given the opportunity to comment on the proposed membership of the panel.The panel shall take all reasonable steps to preserve the anonymity of the person or persons accused and the person or persons making the allegation, unless this would compromise the investigation. All reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that the investigation is undertaken as expeditiously as possible. The panel may seek legal advice.

The panel shall require the production of such records as are necessary to enable the investigation to proceed and shall secure their safekeeping. The panel may interview the person or persons accused and the person or persons making the allegation, together with anyone else who may have relevant information. Anyone attending for interview may be accompanied by a friend or representative.

The panel shall prepare a report setting out the evidence received, accounts of any interviews conducted and the panel's conclusions. The person or persons accused of research misconduct shall have an opportunity to comment on the report. Thereport and any comments received from the person or persons accused shall be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor. The panel may also make recommendations to promote best practice in the conduct of research and any such recommendations shall be brought to the attention of Senate and Council.

On receipt of the report, the Vice-Chancellor shall proceed as follows: In the event that the panel has found no evidence of misconduct, the

complaint shall be dismissed. In the event that a complaint is upheld, but the offence found to be

insufficiently serious to warrant formal disciplinary proceedings, the matter may be referred to the Head of School or other appropriate individual for resolution.

If the investigation has uncovered prima facie evidence of serious misconduct, then the matter shall be dealt with under the appropriate disciplinary procedures. Action may be taken in respect of members of staff under the Disciplinary Rules for Members of Staff and Disciplinary Procedure for Members of Staff. Action may be taken in respect of students suspected of research misconduct under the Student Disciplinary Regulations or Examination Regulations.

In cases where the outcome implicates someone who is not subject to the University's disciplinary procedures, the Vice-Chancellor shall bring the report to the attention of any appropriate disciplinary or other body.

If the panel finds the allegation to have been malicious or mischievous in nature, the matter may be referred to the Vice-Chancellor to consider whether disciplinary action should be taken against those making the allegation.

Where the research is funded in whole or part by an outside grant, the Vice-Chancellor shall have regard to the guidance issued by the relevant funding body. The Vice-Chancellor shall ensure that any such body is given appropriate and timely information as to the instigation and progress of an investigation and any referral under disciplinary regulations.

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In the event of a finding of misconduct, where the person responsible is subject to the regulation of a professional body such as the General Medical Council, the Vice-Chancellor shall consider whether it is appropriate to inform the professional body of any finding.

Where the person responsible has published research, especially research to which the misconduct relates, the Vice-Chancellor shall consider whether it is appropriate to inform journal editors or others of any finding.

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2011-2012: Marking Scheme for Coursework (excluding Statistics)

The maximum length for coursework is 2,000 words, not including references and any appendices. In general, the presentation of coursework should follow APA guidelines. However, given variation in the forms of assessment, there may sometimes be difficulties in formatting the coursework according to these guidelines. In such cases, the student and Unit Coordinator should discuss the problem before the coursework is submitted.

All coursework is marked on a 0-100% scale. There are two important thresholds to note on the scale: Below 50% is a fail, whilst 70% and above falls in the commendation range, when it comes to conflating written coursework and examination performance.

The following scale describes what is expected for work to be awarded marks in particular deciles, with the exception of the Statistics courses.

90-100% Shows remarkable and novel insight, and is of publishable quality. There should be no errors, either of a conceptual nature or of surface details (eg., typos). Marks in this decile are only given in exceptional circumstances. All positive attributes listed below should be apparent.

80-89% Shows novel insight and addresses the coursework in a professional manner. There should be no errors, either of a conceptual nature or of surface details. The coursework should show good understanding, depth of knowledge and integrative research.

70-79% Shows detailed knowledge of the area, and describes it in a well-organised and fluent manner. The coursework should integrate relevant methods and methodology with the subject matter. There should be no conceptual errors.

60-69% Shows detailed knowledge of the area, and is well thought out, integrating the relevant areas. There should be no conceptual errors, and the work should be clear and insightful.

50-59% Shows detailed knowledge of the area and is coherent and cogent. Coursework given marks in this decile is usually competent, but not outstanding or thought provoking. There should be no conceptual errors and there should be adequate coverage.

*40-49% Typically shows basic knowledge of the area, but does not demonstrate any deep understanding of it or the associated task demands.

*20-39% Shows little knowledge of the area or contains major conceptual errors, poorly presented and/or organised, as well as being incomplete.

*0-19% Shows very little, if any, knowledge of the area. Work given marks in this range will tend to have very grave misconceptions and be very presented poorly.

* People receiving marks in these deciles should arrange a meeting with the Unit Coordinator to discuss the coursework and should also arrange a meeting with the MSc programme Co-ordinator.

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MSC PRESENTATIONS SCORING SHEET

FEEDBACK PROVIDES A GUIDE ASSESSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO WEIGHT THE FINAL MARK AS THEY SEE FIT

Marker: Seminar Presentation Date:

PRESENTERS:

STRUCTURE OF TALK SCORE1. Opening Poor introduction. No

outline0 1 2 3 4 Good introduction and outline

of presentation2. Sequencing of material Poor sequencing and

linkage0 1 2 3 4 Good sequencing, well linked

3. Coverage of material Poor coverage of the subject area. Main points not clearly signposted

0 1 2 3 4 Subject area well covered. Clear ‘signposting’ of main points

4. Closing Poor summary of content 0 1 2 3 4 Good summary of content

DELIVERY5. How was the presentation delivered?

Poorly/inappropriately 0 1 2 3 4 Effectively/appropriately

6. Timing Too long/short 0 1 2 3 4 Well timed to meet time limit

VISUAL AIDS7. Quality Poorly prepared, hard to

read0 1 2 3 4 Well prepared, easy to read

8. Suitability Do not fit in well with talk 0 1 2 3 4 Fitted well with talk

QUESTION HANDLING9. Knowledge of subject Poor knowledge of the

subject0 1 2 3 4 Good knowledge of subject

10. Clarity and relevance of answers

Questions poorly answered

0 1 2 3 4 Questions well answered

GENERAL COMMENTS:

Comments in the margins and text also constitute feedback

Marker’s signature: Overall Mark (Approximate: sum up all scores, divide by twoAdjust the mark using the 20-point scheme, p.39 of the Handbook.)

Notes for assessors: please Circle the number corresponding to your mark for each of the assessment criteria Check that you have entered a mark for all of the assessment scales Use the full range of marks in the rating scales, basing your judgments on the verbal descriptors

provided. Under ‘general comments’ note if the presenters heavily relied upon a prepared script (eg read

verbatim from script, etc.) Take down your questions/comments/opinion about the presentations on the HANDOUT

MSc Research Methods in Psychology - University of Bristol · Functional Neuroanatomy and...

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