PS20168: Social psychology, personality and individual differences
[Page last updated: 02 August 2022]
| Academic Year: | 2022/23 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Psychology |
| Credits: | 12 [equivalent to 24 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 240 |
| Level: | Intermediate (FHEQ level 5) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | ES 50%, EX 50% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | Before taking this module you are advised to take PS10086 |
| Learning Outcomes: | On completion of this unit the students will:
* Be aware of key studies in social psychology. * Be familiar with how psychologists approach the student of communication and the social construction of meaning. * Understand the main theoretical debates about the relationship between the individual and the social and cultural context. * Be familiar with six perspectives on personality and individual differences, i.e., the dispositional, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive/experimental, social and cultural, and adjustment domains, respectively. * Be familiar with research methods and paradigms in the domain of personality and individual differences. * Have awareness of some important discussions and controversies in personality and individual differences. |
| Aims: | The aims of the unit are as follows
* To enable students to understand the relationship between individual, social and cultural psychological processes. * To familiarise students with research on the individual in the social context. * To provide understanding of the major theoretical debates and recent developments in social psychology. * To introduce students to the area of personality and individual differences. * To provide knowledge and understanding of different perspectives on personality and individual differences. * Classic as well as contemporary approaches will be highlighted. |
| Skills: | * The student can demonstrate understanding of three levels at which personality can be studied, i.e., human nature in general, individual and group differences, and the unique individual. (T/F A) * The student can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of six perspectives on personality and individual differences, i.e., the dispositional, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive/experiental, social and cultural, and adjustment domains, respectively. (T/F A) * The student can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research methods and paradigms used in personality psychology. (T/F A) * The student can adopt multiple perspectives (e.g., cognitive processes versus cultural influences) and systematically analyse the relationships between them. (T/F A) * The student can reason scientifically and take a critical view on arguments and research outcomes. (T/F A) * The student can solve problems by clarifying questions, considering alternative solutions and evaluating outcomes. (T/F A) * The student is able to plan and organise the study activities that are required in this unit, take charge of his or her own learning, and can reflect and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses for the purpose of future learning. (T/F A) |
| Content: | The following is a brief outline of the topics that will be covered:
* Language as dialogue and social negotiation. * Rhetoric and discourse: how we persuade, argue, negotiate and interpret. * Construction of meaning. * The role of metaphor and narrative. * Communication processes. * Effective and ineffective communication. * The relationships between individual schemas, representations and lay theories, and social and cultural repertoires. * Personality assessment and research methods. * Six perspectives on personality and individual differences, i.e., the dispositional, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive/experiential, social and cultural, and adjustment respectively * Intelligence and intelligence testing * Mood and Motivation. |
| Programme availability: |
PS20168 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Psychology
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Notes:
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