Lancaster University

To offer students a thorough grounding in key areas of contemporary psychology

To provide students with the opportunity to study in depth selected areas of psychology that are taught by staff who are research active in those areas

To offer students a range of different learning environments and forms of assessment

To enable students to formulate, investigate, analyse and evaluate psycholoigical questions

To give students the opportunity to acquire the intellectual and practical skills required for postgraduate study in psychology

To provide students with opportunities to develop the literary, numeracy and analytic skills that can contribute to success in a range of future careers

Subject specific
On graduating with an honours degree in Psychology, graduates should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of key theories, findings and methods in central areas of psychology including cognitive psychology, physiological psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, and appropriate forms of data analysis
2. Recognise the diversity of psychological methods, theories, evidence and applications
3. Generate and explore hypotheses and research questions
4. Carry out empirical studies drawing on a variety of psychological methods
5. Use quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse data from psychological investigations
6. Use primary sources, such as journal articles, and critically evaluate them
7. Plan, conduct and report a substantial piece of independent empirical research including: defining a research problem, formulating testable predictions, choosing appropriate methods, planning and conducting data gathering, demonstrating an awareness of the ethical issues and codes of ethics, demonstrate evaluation of data, producing a professional report
8. Employ evidence-based reasoning when presenting, interpreting and evaluating psychological research
9. Use some psychological tools such as experimental software and psychometric instruments

Generic
On graduating with an honours degree in Psychology, graduates should be able to:

1. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
2. Interpret and use both quantitative and qualitative data effectively
3. Critically interrogate data, ideas, and the relationships between them
4. Use standard computer packages including at least one statistical package
5. Demonstrate the ability to plan their work, meet deadlines and manage their time effectively
6. Problem-solve including identifying and posing problems, considering alternative solutions and evaluating outcomes
7. Learn independently including the ability to seek out, retrieve, analyse and synthesise information
8. Engage in effective teamwork showing sensitivity to contextual and interpersonal factors