Module code: PSY4005-B
The aim of this module is to introduce the critical issues inherent to psychology and its philosophical underpinnings as a discipline. You will be introduced to a variety of paradigms within psychology and consider the implications of different stances and research approaches within its development. The module will also develop your awareness of how different conceptualisations of, and assumptions about, the social world and human behaviour have an impact on what psychology is and what it can achieve.
From philosophy to psychology: precursors to and roots of psychology as a discipline - historical perspectives and critical issues.
Categories of analysis: theories, models, paradigms and traditions.
Forms of measurement: quantitative and qualitative research approaches in psychological science.
The development of psychology and dominant systems: the behaviourist legacy, the gestalt tradition, the cognitive turn, beyond classical cognitivism, the turn to language.
Psychology and ethics.
Considering the future of psychology.