Department Of Psychology. - University of Sheffield/file/PsyBrochure... · The Department of Psychology has over ... Overseas applicants will also need a recognised English Language

Department Of Psychology.

About the Department Our Department is one of the top psychology departments in

the UK with an excellent reputation for both teaching and

research. We received an “excellent” rating in the last review

of teaching by the QAA and in the recent Research Assessment

Exercise our department ranked 6th in the UK in terms of

research power.

World-leading research by our staff is helping to shape the

professional practice of psychology. This research impacts on

many areas of society, from lifestyle choices, robotics and the

understanding of Parkinson's disease to safe driving and

energy efficiency. As a student in our department you are at

the heart of groundbreaking discoveries in psychology. All of

these insights feed directly into your course, which means you

learn about the latest developments across the whole

spectrum of psychology.

The University of Sheffield, Department of Psychology, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TP UK

Telephone (Admissions): 0114 222 6531 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology

Buildings and Facilities Our main department is all under one roof in a five-floor building built specifically for psychology

teaching and research. Everything is here – lecture rooms, state-of-the-art teaching and research labs,

as well as a common room to catch up with friends. It makes life that bit easier. It also gives you the

chance to mingle with staff and other students from all years.

Research and teaching facilities include small laboratory rooms for individual and small group

practical work, visual perception and motor skills experimental laboratories, a room with a one-way

vision screen and closed-circuit television for social psychology and for developmental psychology.

The Department of Biomedical Sciences houses our state-of-the-art neuroscience facilities, including

provision for brain imaging research and neurophysiological recording from individual cells. There

are additional computer facilities for specialised project work, reading room facilities and a social

space where refreshments may be taken.

Staff and Teaching The Department of Psychology has over 30 full-time academic staff. In addition, staff from the

Department's Doctor of Clinical Psychology course and the Institute of Work Psychology contribute to

undergraduate teaching of modules in their subject . There are also several research staff who have

teaching responsibilities in the department. This all means that you will be taught by experts who are

known nationally and internationally for their work in psychology – some have written key books you

will use on your course. Senior departmental staff will introduce you to their cutting-edge research

from the very beginning of the course and during your Level 3 research project you will be able to

make your own contribution to the research going on in the Department.






Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Core Modules

• Discovering Psychology

• Psychology at Sheffield

• Methods and Reasoning for

Psychologists

• Memory, Skill and Everyday Life

• Neuroscience and Evolutionary

Psychology

• Essential Social Psychology

• Critical Skills for Psychologists

Optional Modules

• Synthetic Psychology

• In addition to the Core modules,

students can obtain 30 credits from

any other course. These courses can

be chosen to complement core

psychology modules, or you can

choose to study an unrelated topic

that has always interested you. It’s

your choice.

Core Modules

• Social and Health Psychology

• Developmental Psychology and

Individual Differences

• Neuroscience

• Research Methods

• Cognitive Psychology

• Psychological Concepts and Skills

• Our degree programme is BPS

accredited. The structure and content

of core Level 2 modules is designed

to make it as easy as possible for our

students to obtain GBC status

(Graduate Basis for Recognition as a

Chartered Psychologist) from the BPS,

which is the first step towards

becoming a chartered psychologist.

• The core Level 2 modules provide a

firm basis for your choices at Level 3,

where a wide range optional modules

in all areas of psychology are

available .

Core Modules

• Research Project (40credits)

•

Optional Modules

• Neural Bases of Learning and

Development

• Co-operative Models of Mind

• Visual Perception

• Occupational Psychology

• Cognitive Development

• Clinical Psychology

• Cognitive Neuroscience

• Advanced Topics in developmental

• Psychology

• The Science of Emotion

• Learning and Memory in Young

Children

• Neurons, Images and Chaos: Methods

for Cognitive Science

• The Social Psychology of the Self

• The Psychology of Goals and Goal

Striving

• Extended essay

BA and BSc Psychology course structure (Levels 1-3)

UndergraduateCoursesWe offer two degree courses (these have the same course structure and content: see FAQ)

• Single Honours BSc in Psychology - UCAS code C800

• Single Honours BA in Psychology - UCAS code C802

As well as leading to a career in psychology, these degrees provide a strong basis for a wide range of

professions, from market research, to advertising and teaching.

CourseStructure

Virtually all degree courses at the University of Sheffield are modular. To be awarded a psychology degree

you must obtain 360 credits - that is 120 credits-worth of modules at each of the three levels (years) of

study. A full module is worth 20 credits, while a half-module is 10 credits. A module consists of

approximately 15-25 hours contact hours of lectures, seminars and practical classes. Modules are either

"core" (compulsory), "approved" (recommended) or "unrestricted" (free choice). The table below lists the

courses we currently offer at each level.






AdmissionsInformationHowtoApplyAll applications for our courses should be made through the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) using the University code S18 for the University of Sheffield and one of the following course codes: • C800: BSc in • C800: BSc in Psychology

ContactingUsIf you have queries about the course or our admissions process they should initially be addressed to our admissions secretary, Liz Fotherby:

Telephone: 0114 222 6531 Email: [email protected]

If necessary, Liz will forward queries to the relevant admissions tutor or member of staff.



EntryRequirements

A-levelSubjects

Applicants for the Single Honours degrees who are in full-time education should normally offer three A

levels or equivalent. Note that we do not require A level Psychology but we do require that at least two

A levels are taken from our ‘acceptable’ list (see the website for details: http://www.shef.ac.uk/

undergraduate/policies/alevel). A GCSE or O level pass in Mathematics and English at grade C or above is

also required.

OtherQuali$ications

The Department will consider a range of other qualifications including Scottish Highers, Irish Leaving

Certificate, International Baccalaureate, BTEC National Diploma, and European Baccalaureate. For full

details of our entry requirements for these and other qualifications please contact us.

OverseasApplicants

Overseas applicants will also need a recognised English Language qualification such as IELTS (7), or

TOEFL which shows proficiency in both written and spoken English. For details of all recognised

certificates please see the University of Sheffield’s web pages as follows: www.sheffield.ac.uk/

undergraduate/policies/englang

MatureStudents

We welcome applications from mature students and consider each application on an individual basis, so

our offers may vary between applicants. We look for recent evidence of ability to study at university

level, e.g. completion of an Access course or A-levels within the last five years.







ActiveTouchLaboratory

The Active Touch Laboratory directed by Prof Tony Prescott

(module organiser for PSY105 Synthetic Psychology) uses methods

ranging from animal behaviour and neuroethology to

computational modelling and robotics to investigate tactile

sensing (e.g. touch or whisking) in animals, people and intelligent

machines. Current research is focussed on understanding, and

building robot analogues of whiskered mammals such as the rat

and shrew. The research has wide ranging implications for our

understanding of questions ranging from basic neuroscience to

the design of future robots.



WhatisPsychology?Standard textbook definitions go some way towards providing an answer:

• “Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental activity”

However, a more helpful way of revealing the sheer range of questions that are of interest to psychologists is

perhaps to list a just some of the research groups in the department and their current research questions.

Shef$ieldAutismResearchLab

The goal of the Autism Research Lab led by Dr Liz Milne (module

organiser for PSY323 Cognitive Neuroscience) is to investigate brain,

behaviour and cognition in individuals with autistic spectrum

disorders (ASD). By using techniques including psychometric

assessments, visual psychophysics, eye-tracking, and EEG, they aim

to further the understanding of the neural underpinnings of autism

and Asperger's syndrome. The long-term goal is to identify neural

signatures that will prove useful in aiding the diagnosis of ASD.

Social,HealthandEnvironmentalGroup

The SHEP group undertakes basic and applied research on issues

of social and public health significance, emphasising social

cognition, emotion regulation and behaviour change. Dr Thomas

Webb (Module Organiser for PSY330 Psychology of Goals and Goal

-Striving) is investigating the idea that people struggle to change

their behaviour because they fail to monitor the relation between

their current and desired behaviour. For example, few people

watch their weight, monitor their household energy

consumption, check their bank balances, and so on. This active

ignoring of information about one’s current standing relative to

one’s goals is termed ‘the ostrich problem’.










StatisticsfortheHealthSciences“Statistics for the Health Sciences is a highly readable and accessible textbook

on understanding statistics for the health sciences, both conceptually and via the

SPSS programme. The authors give clear explanations of the concepts underlying

statistical analyses and descriptions of how these analyses are applied in health

science research without complex maths formulae.”

Dr Richard Rowe is the module organiser for PSY239

Psychological Research Methods (note that the main text for this course is

‘Statistics without Maths for Psychology’, written by his co-authors on the

text above).



TextbooksbyourStaffAll our academic staff are research active, and we are proud of the way this research impacts positively on

our teaching. Our staff also have a strong commitment to teaching and many have written key textbooks you

will use on the course—here are some of them (all available on Amazon!).

EssentialSocialPsychology“Social psychology is an enormous discipline and it can be easy to get swamped

in that enormity. But does that mean you need an enormous textbook,

especially for your first course? Essential Social Psychology by Prof Richard

Crisp gives an accessible and thorough grounding in the key concepts, the

fundamentals - the essentials of social psychology, while providing a lively

introduction to the major theoretical debates, new approaches, and findings in

the discipline. “

Prof Richard Crisp is module organizer for PSY110 Essential Social

Psychology and PSY242 Social and Health Psychology, for which this is the

main text.

VisionandBrain“In this accessible and engaging introduction to modern vision science, Dr James

Stone uses visual illusions to explore how the brain sees the world.

Understanding vision, is not simply a question of knowing which neurons

respond to particular visual features, but also requires a computational theory of

vision. Stone constructs a coherent account of vision that explains not only how

the brain is fooled by particular visual illusions, but also why any biological or computer

vision system should also be fooled by these illusions.”

Dr James V. Stone is module organiser for PSY104 Methods and Reasoning

for Psychologists and PSY305 Visual Perception.













FrequentlyAskedQuestionsQ. What is the difference between the BA and BSc degree course? Is one course more science orientated than the other? A. The two courses are identical in content and structure (we have two titles to encourage applicants with both arts and science A-levels). Q. Can I change from the BSc course to the BA ? (or from the BA to the BSc) once I come to Sheffield? A. Yes. Although the courses are identical, it is possible to transfer between them if you would prefer one degree title or the other. Q. If I apply for both the BA and BSc courses will I increase my chance of being accepted for a place at Sheffield? A. Only one of the applications would be considered. Please only apply for one course. Q. Do you interview candidates and do you take personal statements on the UCAS forms into consideration? Will a good personal statement increase my chances of being accepted for a place? A. We do not interview applicants but we may take personal statements into account when considering applications. Q. What subjects do you accept? Do you accept Art/Drama/Photography, etc.? A. Art, Drama and Photography are examples of 'Acceptable in Combination' subjects. We can only consider A levels in these subjects if you are also studying at least two A levels from our 'Acceptable' subject list: http://www.shef.ac.uk/undergraduate/policies/alevel Q. What happens if I receive an AAB offer from you, make Sheffield first choice, but then only get ABB for the final results of my A levels? A. Psychology at Sheffield is a very popular degree course with very high quality applicants; the majority of our students do achieve AAB or better at A level. However, when the course is not completely full after accepting candidates meeting the standard offer, we do consider borderline candidates. Q. I´ve already done an undergraduate degree in another subject but now want to do a Psychology undergraduate degree course. Do you count the degree qualification as part of the entry requirements? A. We will take your degree into account along with your other previous qualifications. If you are a mature applicant (i.e. over 21 years of age) the admissions tutor will look for recent experience of further or higher education. Q. What is included in the tuition fee? A. In addition to your tuition, the annual fee for your course includes: • handouts (these may be electronic versions, not paper copies) • eligibility for professional accreditation of your degree, subject to you meeting the terms and

conditions of the British Psychological Society: http://www.bps.org.uk/ • laboratory equipment and materials required for compulsory research projects For any questions not covered here, please contact us using the details below.















PopularPsychologyisn’tallbad

You don’t have to stick to textbooks. Some popular psychology books are

excellent. Steven Pinker is an internationally famous psychologist and his

books, for example How the Mind Works, will give you an engaging and

useful introduction to courses such as PSY241 Cognitive Psychology.

Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and best-selling author, and his immensely

entertaining books such as An Anthropologist on Mars or The Man Who

Mistook His Wife for a Hat will provide you with a useful introduction to

neuroscience and abnormal psychology.



FurtherReadingIf you do choose to study psychology at degree level you may want read around the subject before you arrive.

If you don’t have A-level psychology this is a really good way to prepare for PSY101, if you do it will still help

smooth the transition to psychology at university level. Here are a few suggestions for further reading.

PopularPsychology

Some popular psychology, as presented in magazines such as Psychologies

or television series like Cracker, is certainly fun, but may have very little

resemblance to the scientific psychology you will study at university. You

don’t have to avoid this material completely, but read it critically!

RecommendedTextbooks

Psychology by Martin et al is our Level 1 textbook. Our website says this is

not a cover-to-cover read, but if you did read it through you would be

exceptionally well-prepared for the course! Skimming through this would be

especially useful for students arriving without A level psychology.

How to Think Straight About Psychology is the Level 2 textbook for PSY259

Psychological Concepts and Skills. It introduces key ideas about what

Psychology is and isn't, and how, as a science, it is carried out.

Finally:MindHacks

Mind Hacks is co-authored by Dr Tom Stafford who is module organiser for

PSY105 Synthetic Psychology and PSY241 Cognitive Psychology) It describes

100 do-it-yourself experiments that you can try at home to illustrate how

your mind works and it’s packed with discussions of real, relevant,

psychological phenomena. The associated website http://mindhacks.com

presents current psychological news and views (for example one entry

discusses ‘When Giving Reasons Leads to Worse Decisions’!).














Whoshouldtakethesecourses?

These courses are directed primarily at students who wish to pursue a research career in some aspect of cognitive or computational neuroscience. They are designed primarily (but not exclusively) for students with qualifications from:

• the life sciences, who wish to learn theoretical and computational techniques

• the physical sciences, mathematics or engineering, who wish to apply their technical knowledge in the brain sciences.


Telephone (PG Admissions): 0114 222 6564 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology

CognitiveNeuroscience,ComputationalNeuroscienceandHumanNeuroimaging

The final frontier in scientific research is not inter-planetary space, it is not particle physics, it is not genetics: it is

the human brain. The postgraduate courses described here provide a stepping stone towards that final frontier.

MSc in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience

Cognitive and computational neuroscience provide the foundation for

understanding the relationship between brain function and the cognitive,

perceptual and motor mechanisms which underpin behaviour.

Specifically, computational neuroscience utilises neuroscientific data to

construct rigorous computational models of brain function, whereas

cognitive neuroscience relates cognitive and behavioural function to its

underlying neural substrate. Together, these new and interdependent

disciplines provide the foundation for meeting one of the key scientific

`Grand Challenges U of the twenty-first century: elucidating the

relationship between brain and behaviour.

MSc(Res) in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging

Cognitive neuroscience and human neuroimaging provides a foundation

for the study of cognition in the context of state-of-the-art neuroimaging

technologies, such as fMRI. The taught portion of this course comprises

most of the MSc in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience which

provides the foundation for understanding the relationship between brain

function and the cognitive, perceptual and motor mechanisms which

underpin behaviour. The MRes is distinguished from the MSc by the length

and nature of the research project.


See details at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivepg/masters/ccn_masters













Reduced fees for those who did their undergraduate degree at Sheffield

Postgraduate Masters Alumni Rewards (for Home and EU

students) A discount of 10% will be applied for Full and Part

Time Masters courses.

• Postgraduate Alumni Awards (for Overseas students) - Rewards worth £1000 per year of study are available for all University of Sheffield graduates and siblings, spouses, sons and daughters of University of Sheffield graduates for all years of study. An additional £500 is available for University of Sheffield graduates who have received a first class honours undergraduate degree.


Telephone (PG Admissions): 0114 222 6564 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology

Studying Psychology at the Postgraduate Level:

MSc in Psychological Research Methods

Many students get a taste for conducting research as an undergraduate and choose to go on to complete a masters degree. The MSc at Sheffield is designed to allow students to conduct original research under the supervision of a leading expert in one of the following areas: clinical, social, health, cognitive and developmental psychology and neuroscience. As well as developing a high level of proficiency in their choice of method (e.g., eye-tracking, EEG), students learn about a broader range of other techniques and acquire the full range of skills used by professional researchers (e.g., literature reviewing, grant writing, giving presentations, running advanced statistical analyses of data sets). The course thus provides an excellent foundation for a PhD as well a valuable stand-alone qualification.

Course Structure

• Research methods in Psychology (30 credits)

• Reviewing Psychological Literature (30 credits)

• Advanced multivariate statistics for Psychology (15 credits)

• Current Issues in Psychological Research (15 credits)

• Professional skills for Psychologists (30 credits)

• Research Project in Psychology (60 credits)


See details at:

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/prospectivepg/masters/msc-psychological-research

Documents

Department Of Psychology. - University of Sheffield/file/PsyBrochure... · The Department of Psychology has over ... Overseas applicants will also need a recognised English Language