1. Master of Science in Psychology (Conversion), Sunderland
University, Sunderland (United Kingdom) - EQF level 7
(2014-2015)
Modules
Stability & Change
Developmental Psychology
 Life Span Developmental Dynamics.
 Lifespan Change (Sensitive Periods, Brain Plasticity, Gene-Environment
Effects).
 Temperament, Self-Concept & Identity.
 Self & Identity (Language, Cognition, Emotions, Social Interaction).
 Language Development (Semantics, Syntax, Pragmatics, Play).
 Use of Language (Functional, Symbolic, Pretend, Sequence of Pretended
Dialogue).
 Self-Development (Ecological, Interpersonal, Conceptual, Temporarily
Extended, Private).
 Intersubjectivity (Initial, Metaphors, Measurements).
 Principles (Biological Growth – Developmental Change – Environmental
Influences).
 Dimensions of Change (Motor, Cognitive, Social, Emotional).
 Mechanisms of Change (Continuity & Discontinuity – Stability vs Instability -
Nature (Maturation – Plato) vs Nurture (Learning – Aristotle)).
 Constructivist Approaches (Piaget- FormalOperationalReasoning,Vygotsky).
Individual Differences
 Idiographic& NomotheticApproaches (Clinical,Correlational,Experimental).
 Personality (Big Five - OCEAN, Big Two – Stability & Plasticity, Big One –
General Personality Factor)
 Intelligence (g - General Ability, The Flynn Effect, Emotional, Gardner's
Multiple Intelligence, Naturalistic, Spiritual, Existential).
 ProblemPersonality Types (Authoritarian, Narcissistic,Mach,The Dark Triad,
Personality Disorder).
 Types of Stability (Differential, Absolute, Individual, Ipsative).
 Theorists (Freud, Erikson, Cattell, Guilford, Jung, Rogers, Bandura, Kelly,
Alport, Eysenck, Mischel).
 Theories (Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioural, Humanistic, Personal
Construct).

2. Social Psychology
 Self-Concept & Identity.
 Social Perception, Attribution, Cognition & Influence.
 Aggression & Prosocial Behaviour.
 Prejudice & Intergroup Relations.
 Schemas (Person, Role, Event, Self).
 Group Dynamics, Performance & Leadership.
 Collective Behaviour (Deindividuation, Emergent Norms, Social Identity
Theory (SIT).
 Change Attitude-Behaviour (Attitude-Behaviour Theories/Models, Cognitive
Consistency Theories, Persuasive Communication).
 Persuasive Communication (TheCommunicator - The Natureof the Message
- The Audience).
 Cognitive Dissonance Theory.
 Attitudes (Cognition, Affect, Behaviour) & Attitude Formation Approaches
(Biological, Behavioural, Cognitive).
 Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) & Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).
Module Knowledge
 Advanced knowledge and critical understanding of selected concepts,
principles and theories of: a) Social, emotional and cognitive development
over the lifespan,b) Socialcognition and socialinfluence, c) Personalityand
intelligence.
 Critical evaluation of topics integrating the three sub-disciplines such as
attachment, social attitudes or the nature of intelligence.
Module Skills
 Ability to interpret and integrate evidence from developmental and social
psychology and individual differences resulting in competent scientific
argumentation for academic and applied contexts.
 Application of a reflective,critical, ethicaland scholarly approach to his/her
work.

3. Human Capacities - Biological and Cognitive Psychology
 Attention (Visuospatial, Covert, Endogenous & Exogenous, Inattentional
Blindness, The Attentional Blink).
 Nervous System (Central, Peripheral, Autonomic, Dopaminergic).
 Brain (CerebralContext, CorticalHomunculus,Basal Ganglia,LimbicSystem,
Brainstem, Spinal Cord).
 Neuroimaging (Structural, Functional).
 Structural Imaging (Contrast X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI)).
 Functional Imaging (Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Functional
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)).
 Neurolistening (Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Electroencephalography
(EEG)).
 Neurostimulation (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial
Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)).
 Schema-Based Theories.
 Visual Perception (Pop-Out Effect, Face Recognition Model, Interactive
Activation & Competition (IAC) Model, Structural Encoding, Configural
Processing).
 Human Memory (Sensory, Short-term, Long-term)
 Long Term Memory (Explicit (Declarative: Episodic, Semantic) - Implicit
(Procedural) - Autobiographical).
 Working Memory (Phonological Loop, Visuospatial Sketchpad, Central
Executive).
 Conscientiousness(Epiphenominalism,Functionalism,Dualism,Materialism).
 Free Will (Moral Responsibility, Apparent Mental Causation).
 Problem Based Learning (PBL).
Module Knowledge
 Advanced knowledge and critical understanding of selected concepts,
principles and theories of biological and cognitive psychology.
 Contextualization of selected concepts with respect to aspects of history,
philosophy and application in contemporary society.
Module Skills
 Critically evaluatetopics integrating the sub-disciplines of psychology such as
memory, language and consciousness.
 Interpret and integrate evidence from cognitive and biological psychology
resulting in competent scientific argumentation for academic and applied
contexts.
 Apply a reflective, critical and scholarly approach to his/her work and
communicate in an appropriate academic fashion.

4. Psychological Research - Basic & Advanced Statistics
Quantitative data analysis
 The concepts of null hypothesis significance testing and alternative
approaches.
 Type 1 & 2 errors.
 Assumptions of parametric tests.
 Exploring a data set including evaluation of normality and homogeneity of
variance.
 Graphs and plots.
 Statistical power and effect size calculation.
 Analysis of basicexperimentaldesigns including t-tests, correlation (Pearson)
and their non-parametric equivalents (Spearman rho).
 Analysis of categorical data including the chi-square test.
 One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) – independent groups and repeated
measures.
 Two-way ANOVA – independent groups, repeated measures and mixed
designs, including analysis of main effects, interactions and their graphical
representation.
 Simple effects analysis.
 Non-parametric alternatives to ANOVA.
 Linearandmultipleregressionincludingassessmentofmodelfit,assessments
of coefficients and use of regression equation to make predictions.
 Reliability analysis, including Cronbach's alpha and item analysis.
 Advancedstatisticaltechniques,forexampleanalysisofcovariance(ANCOVA),
multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), exploratory factor analysis,
meta-analysis.
 Descriptiveandinferentialstatisticsinpracticalworktointerpretexperimental
results and lead to appropriate conclusions.
 Analysis of data using SPSS and/or Interpretation of statistical output from
SPSS in order to communicate research findings according to BPS/APA
conventions.
 Completion of laboratory exercises and writtenreports similar to manuscripts
to be submitted for publication.
Qualitative techniques:
 An introduction to the theoretical bases of qualitative methodology.
 Qualitative data collection techniques including focus groups, interviews,
qualitative questionnaires and the analysis of archival data.
 Transcription methods.
 An introduction to qualitative analysis including thematic analysis and
interpretative phenomenological analysis with practicals involving group
analysis of transcripts.

5. Module Knowledge
 Systematic knowledge and a critical understanding of the concepts and
principles of a range of research methods and statistical techniques in
Psychology and how they underpin theory development.
 Critical understanding of inherent variability and diversity of, and the rangeof
influences on psychologicalfunctioning and how this influences psychological
research.
 A systematic understanding and knowledge and critical awareness of the
scientificdebate within their chosen topic strand, which is at, or informed by
the forefront of their field of study.
Module Skills
 Engage with empirical studies across a range of methods.
 Critically evaluate,analyse, interpret and report (according to the appropriate
conventions) qualitative and quantitative psychological data including the
independent selection and performance of appropriatestatisticaltests using
specialist statistics software.
 Synthesise and critically evaluatepublished research sources to identifyand
evaluate research questions and hypotheses, formulate research rationales
and design appropriate empiricalstudies considering the relevant practical,
theoretical and ethical issues.
 Present the outcomes of literature review and research effectively and
according to appropriate conventions.
Course Knowledge & Understanding
 Systematic knowledgeand a criticalawareness of psychology across the core
domains.
 A criticalunderstanding ofthe some of themost important currentissues and
debates within Psychology.
 A conceptualunderstanding of research methodology that enables students
to evaluate critically written sources in Psychology.
 A sophisticated understanding of a range of research paradigms,
methodologicalapproachesandintermediatetoadvancedmeasurementand
analytical techniques.
 The ability to identify and evaluate research in an area of significant
psychological inquiry.
 The ability to identify an area of psychological inquiry and engage in a
substantial independent psychological research project.
 Comprehensivecriticalawareness ofa specialist field ofPsychology informed
by the forefront of the discipline.

6. Course Skills
 Transferable lifetime skills in written and oral communication and in both
independent and collaborative working.
 The ability to participate constructively in debate and criticism.
 Skills in effective time management.
 Familiarity with a variety of IT skills encompassing a range of computer
programmes and their application, and electronic sources for research
 Evaluate research findings.
 Use a variety of psychologicaltools, including specialist software,laboratory
equipment and psychometric instruments.
 Employ evidence-based reasoning to examine practical, theoretical and
ethical issues associated with the use of different methodologies, paradigms
and methods of analysis in Psychology.
 The skilland competenceto design asubstantialresearch project, togenerate
and analyse relevant data and to interpret the results, and to present the
findings in a publishable form.
 The skills needed to pursue further study in an applied professional field.