| Unit name | Lifespan Psychology (Conversion) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PSYCM0087 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Dobrescu |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Psychological Science |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why this unit is important?
This unit provides the core knowledge for lifespan psychology as required by the BPS standards. The unit covers developmental psychology from birth to death. The unit covers historical and contemporary theories of development and critically discusses methodologies used and the current state of the field. The unit will cover the major milestones in childhood and changes across the lifespan, including real-world implications and applications of developmental theory and research.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Alongside the other core topic areas (Cognitive Psychology, Biological Psychology, Self & Society) this unit delivers the core subject knowledge for psychology required by the BPS standards. The unit interlinks closely with these areas as development and lifelong changes are seen through the lenses of cognition, biology, society, and individual differences. Research methods will further help you develop the tools to critically evaluate the evidence and theories in lifespan psychology.
An overview of content
This unit will cover psychological development throughout life, covering typical and atypical development, and decline. There is a focus on critically evaluating evidence and the methods used to generate this evidence. Theories of development will be evaluated. How development is impacted by biological, social, and environmental factors will be considered, with focus on cognitive development. Example topics that may be covered include developmental disorders and conditions, social cognition, self-regulation, attachment, and cognitive decline and disorders of ageing.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will know about the historical roots and contemporary theories in lifespan psychology. They will understand factors that influence cognitive development from a biological, social, and environmental perspective. Students will be able to think about designing and conducting experiments in lifespan psychology, as well as being able to critically evaluate theories and evidence in lifespan psychology.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
Lectures will be used to deliver guidance on the core material, which will be supplemented with self-directed learning (guided by reading lists). These are effective ways of conveying core knowledge and will allow you to understand the scope of the material, while then working at your own pace through key readings and resources to deepen and consolidate the content. Seminars will help you engage and think more deeply about current topics. Learning will also take place in small groups, promoting team working. Feedback from peers and instructor will help guide your further development. Teamwork, reflection activities and proposal writing will help you develop key skills for the programme and for future careers. Critically reviewing developmental literature and developing your own research idea will help scaffold key skills around critical analysis, a highly sought after employability skill, and one necessary for being a successful psychologist.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks
In the weekly seminars you will engage with a range of activities in small groups such as reading and reviewing key papers in lifespan psychology, identifying future directions of research, and brainstorming ideas for a novel research study. You will individually submit brief reflections of these activities and also respond to contributions from your peers. In the seminars you will receive feedback from other cohort members and from course leads, and this feedback will help you develop your research skills and writing ability further.
These tasks will provide you with the skills needed throughout the programme to read and evaluate scientific articles and plan research, but will also be directly relevant for the summative assessment.
Peer feedback will be key, and you will be expected to provide feedback to other students on their work. these activities will be completed in the first half of the unit.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark
Based on the reflections submitted and the feedback received from peers and course leads, you will develop a research proposal for a study in lifespan psychology. This proposal will encourage you to think critically about designing studies in lifespan psychology, the challenges involved (including ethical, methodological, and logistical challenges), and how evidence can be used to evaluate theories. The unit will finish with an exam comprising a combination of short and long answer questions testing your breadth of knowledge as required by the BPS standards. This will ensure you have a good overall grounding in the historic and contemporary theories of lifespan development, the evidence for and against these theories, as well as key findings in the field and the pros and cons of the methods used to discover this knowledge. The proposal will be submitted towards the end of the unit and contributes 40% of the unit mark, and the exam will take place in the first assessment period and contributes 60% of the unit mark.
When assessment does not go to plan
Reassessments will usually take a similar form as the original assessment (a proposal and an examination).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PSYCM0087).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
