Behavioural Science

How can research methods and statistics answer advanced research questions in psychology? As a postgraduate student, this module will deepen your ability to answer research questions such as how children improve in their skills year on year, whether a given training module improves the ability to correctly identify faces, or what factors predict prejudice in the workplace. You will learn about the logic of qualitative analysis and the many different forms it takes, and gain a firmer understanding of quantitative analysis, sampling, and statistical inference. In preparation for understanding and conducting research, you will learn advanced insights about correlational and experimental methods to understand relationships, causes and effects among variables. Building on this understanding, you will learn in-depth how simple correlations underlie understanding of multiple regression and its assumptions, and how regression in turn supports the general linear model, which is key to the other advanced topics taught in the module. The teaching will keep up-to-date with the latest advances in open science and transparent reporting of evidence. We will also use open-source software to support practical lessons and assessments in data analysis, so that you can produce as well as understand the techniques being taught. Reporting your results through writing in APA style and appropriate data visualisation is an important skill that you will learn for a variety of analyses. There is also a special focus upon learning how to identify which analysis technique is right for any given statistical problem.

Have you ever wondered how psychology can be used to improve the environment, communities and societies that we live in? Or how psychology can be used to make organisations more effective or to create new business opportunities? This module introduces you to frameworks for applying social psychology theories to understanding and solving a range of social, organisational and business issues. Using expertise within the school of Psychology at Kent and speakers from external organisations, it showcases applications of theory to solving problems in range of contexts.  It will develop your ability to design, implement and evaluate evidenced-based interventions that create a positive change for either individuals, organisations, communities or society.  

Working with case study problems provided by real organisations, you will have the opportunity put these skills into practice, and develop consultancy skills.

Societies around the globe are increasingly divided by key social challenges relating to climate, war and conflict, political extremism, and prejudice and discrimination. How can we leverage psychology to understand and effectively overcome these challenges? We will discuss the key problems facing society today and outline the psychological findings that are most relevant for addressing them. You will learn about the forces that heighten tension and conflict between social groups; how to change people’s political preferences; what leads someone down a conspiracy “rabbit hole”; and why some people are more concerned about the environment than others. We will discuss how psychological theories can foster social change, such as encouraging people to engage in more sustainable behaviour and reducing social conflicts. You will also gain the ability to interpret and critically evaluate scientific research. These experiences will develop your ability to understand abstract theories and apply them to solve real-world problems, preparing you to meet the growing challenges of the world head on.

Research forms the cornerstone of how we solve psychological problems. You will identify a burning question from a range of psychological sub-disciplines and design a research study that addresses the question using appropriate methodologies. This module will give you the skills to conduct research and communicate research in various forms. You will have the unique opportunity to conduct your research project under the supervision of experts across a range of psychological sub-disciplines. The skills learned in this module will prepare you for the completion of your dissertation and future as psychologists.

The Behavioural Science Research Project is the capstone of your degree, where you will bring together what you have learned in the first two years of your studies to produce a thorough, professional research report. You'll evaluate existing evidence in your chosen area, develop your hypotheses and research questions, and select and run appropriate statistical tests to answer these questions. Present your findings in an accessible and professional style, and discuss how they fit within and build on psychological knowledge. Research reports are the fundamental tool of communication in the sciences, and producing your own is an exciting opportunity to join the scientific community in making valuable contributions to key discussions in the field of psychology.

TBC

What makes a great leader? How can leaders inspire change, motivate others and create thriving communities, societies, teams and workplaces? And when can it go wrong? This module examines the psychological basis of how members of teams and groups behave and interact, and their relationships with leaders. It also examines how leaders themselves may affect the behaviour of groups and teams. It considers how organisations and other types of large and small groups are affected by these phenomena and uses a combination of evidence, group discussion and debate to address these questions and highlight new areas for research development. You will analyse and discuss how these areas can be studied, what we can learn from the evidence, identify gaps in the literature and propose and develop exciting new research ideas. You will present your ideas to other students on the module and also develop a research proposal to explore questions that interest you in the areas of leadership, groups and organisations.

Understanding what works, why, where and for whom remains a fundamental inquiry across diverse organizations and financial sectors, especially in the realm of designing and implementing policies with far-reaching impacts across populations, locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. This module equips you with a comprehensive grasp of qualitative and quantitative tools, and other research methodologies crucial for executing evidence-based evaluations. Thereby it equips you with critical employability skills for anyone working with policies and evaluations across sectors. You will gain invaluable skills in applying evaluation methods, understanding the process of a policy and assessing it.

Organisations are operating in an environment of constant change. With this increased need to adapt and navigate new challenges, there is a need to develop and retain their talent. Furthermore, organisations have seen an increase in workplace stress leading to increased employee health problems, increased absences, and higher employee turnover. In this module you will explore key theories and approaches to understand wellbeing and talent development in organisations. You will also analyse current psychological research in these areas and evaluate interventions designed to enhance employee skills, engagement and wellbeing in organisations. Teaching will take the form of lectures, introducing you to key theories and tools; and workshops/seminars, where you will be able to reflect on and assess the application of these principles in the workplace. This module will give you the opportunity to think critically and evaluate the theory and practice of wellbeing and talent development initiatives in the workplace. There will be a large focus on the practical application of theory and interpreting different perspectives on the application of development and wellbeing in organisations to fully understand the effectiveness of these strategies.

Globally we are seeing a wide range of pressures and challenges to national, regional, and international public policies, including rising social and economic inequalities and climate change. This course delves into the critical challenges faced in International Public Policy by systematically examining and differentiating key areas and issues. It does so by taking a deep dive into key policy areas of contemporary international public policy through critical discussions of empirical examples. The module engages empirically and theoretically with contemporary international public policies, equipping students with skills the enable them to apply their knowledge on ‘real life’ public policy issues. You will get a structured overview and critical discussion of the primary domains where international and national public policy agendas intersect and evolve and critically analysis variations in international policy responses. Specific areas of public policy covered include climate change and environmental issues, demographic changes including ageing societies, health, social security, migration policy, social and political exclusion and urban versus rural policies.

Accurately measuring people's psychological attributes, for example, their personality, abilities and performance is a key goal in quantitative research, educational testing, and organisational selection. In this module, you will gain a postgraduate-level foundation in the theory of psychological tests, measurements, and modelling. You will learn the concepts, methods, and computational techniques needed to effectively evaluate and apply standardized measures in clinical, organisational, educational and research settings. You will be introduced to the fundamental principles of Classical Test Theory such as 'true score’ and ‘error of measurement’, and key techniques needed for evaluating reliability and validity of test scores. The module covers factor analysis in depth, as a core method to evaluate what the test measures. It also introduces ‘measurement by modelling’ using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) framework. Within this framework, you will learn techniques for multivariate data analysis such as path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, basic longitudinal analysis and multiple-group analysis. You will explore data analysis applications from various fields of behavioural studies and learn how to model/test statistically complex phenomena such as spurious and indirect effects, growth and change, measurement invariance, and others.

TBC

How does Developmental and Educational Psychology inform the work of professionals who work directly with children? In this module, you will learn how developmental and educational psychology can be applied in professional settings (e.g., clinical, education, healthcare, etc.) involving children and young people. You will receive lectures from educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists, and other professionals who will discuss the role developmental and educational psychology plays in their professional settings. These lectures will outline major theories that inform practice and critically evaluate the role of developmental psychology in their work. Through case studies, you will have the opportunity to hear about specific instances where theories and methods from developmental and educational psychology can be applied to a particular problem or issue in a professional setting with children and young people.