MSc in Psychological Research Methods

Full-time programme code: PSYT107.   Part-time programme code: PSYT24
Duration: One year Full-time or two years Part-time. Starting in September of each year.

Course Description

This course will allow you to develop a broad and comprehensive range of research skills and provide you with the opportunity to focus on selected methods in order to develop a high level of proficiency in their use. The course is suitable for the first stage of a 4 year PhD programme as supported by our ESRC Doctoral Training Centre, and as a stand-alone qualification. The career destinations of our 2011 graduates include:

• PhD training in neuro-imagaing, health psychology and social psychology
• Assistant clinical psychologist positions
• Postgraduate clinical courses

During your literature review and research project (which together make up 50% of course credit), you will work under the supervision of a researcher with an international reputation. The department has strengths in theoretical and applied aspects of clinical, social, health, cognitive and developmental psychology and neuroscience. Students have further opportunities to pursue their specialist interests in other taught modules including the professional skills module where a large component of the assessment involves writing a research proposal on a chosen topic.

• Academic staff research interests

The specific aims of the MSc are:

• To provide expertise in research methods currently used in psychology (e.g., an understanding of different methods of data collection and analysis in psychological research, practical experience conducting a piece of psychological research);
• To provide experience in conducting psychological research at a postgraduate level;
• To provide general research skills (e.g., bibliographic and computing skills, awareness of ethical and legal issues in research);
• To provide personal development and transferable professional skills (e.g., communication and dissemination skills, professional development).

Course Delivery:

• Teaching takes place in seminars, workshops and one-to-one supervision meetings.
• Seminars and workshops take place on Tuesdays and Fridays only.

Supervision meetings are timetabled by arrangement with supervisors.

Component Modules:

Research project (60 credits)

• Organiser: Dr Danielle Matthews
• Project supervisors: All members of the department

You will conduct a complete empirical project including design, analysis and write-up, under the guidance of a member of academic staff. Projects may be published in peer-reviewed journals and recent examples include:

• Brierley, S., Eiser, C., Johnson, B., Young, V., & Heller, S. (2012). Working with young adults with Type 1 diabetes: Views of a multidisciplinary care team and implications for service delivery. Diabetic Medicine, 29(5), 677-681.
• McAdams, T., Rowe, R., Rijsdijk, F., Maughan, B., & Eley, T. C. (2012). The Covariation of Antisocial Behavior and Substance Use in Adolescence: A Behavioral Genetic Perspective. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22(1), 100-112.
• Webb, T. L., Sheeran, P., & Pepper, J. (2012). Gaining control over responses to implicit attitude tests: Implementation intentions engender fast responses on attitude-incongruent trials. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51(1), 13-32.

Systematically Reviewing Psychological Research (30 credits)

• Organiser: Dr Danielle Mathews
• Other academic staff: Professor Peter Redgrave, Professor Paschal Sheeran
  
• Review supervisors: All members of the department

Seminars address searching on-line databases such as Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar, the process of conducting systematic and narrative literature reviews and meta-analysis. The application of Endnote software to manage reference libraries is also addressed. You will complete your own literature review on a topic of your choice under supervision of an academic member of staff.

Current Issues in Psychological Research (15 credits)

• Organiser: Dr Chris Jones
• Other academic staff: TBC

Seminars are presented by academics on contemporary controversies in their research areas. Particular attention is paid to the way different research methods are triangulated to advance the field.

Research Methods in Psychology (30 credits)

• Organiser: Dr Liat Levita
• Other academic staff: Professor Peter Totterdell, Dr Tom Stafford, Dr Richard Rowe, Dr Tom Webb, Dr Andrew Thompson, Dr Paul Norman, Dr Liz Milne.

Seminars on the methods currently being applied by psychologists  are presented by experts in their application. Methods covered include programming psychological experiments (E-Prime), behavioural genetics, eye-tracking, questionnaire design, experimental methods for working with infants and children, qualitative data collection and analysis, and neuroimaging (EEG, fMRI).

Professional Skills for Psychologists (30 Credits)

• Organiser: Dr Mark Blades
• Other academic staff: Dr Paul Norman, Dr Tom Stafford

Seminars address a range of skills that will important for psychologists in both academia and professional practice. Topics include ethical issues, presentation skills, grant proposal writing and managing conferences.

Advanced Multivariate Statistics for Psychology (15 Credits)

• Organiser: Dr Chris Stride
• Other academic staff: Dr Paul Norman, Dr Richard Rowe

The course address a range of commonly applied quantitative methods including multiple regression, analysis of covariance, factor analysis, path analysis and structural equation modelling. The emphasis is on conceptual understanding of when to apply these techniques and how to interpret the output rather than on the underlying mathematics. SPSS analysis software is covered as part of the course.

Assessment:

• Written coursework and research dissertation.

Part-time Study

You can take the course part-time over 2 years. In Year 1 you will study the Advanced Statistics, Reviewing Psychological Literature and Research Methods modules. In Year 2 you will study the Current Issues in Psychological Research and Professional Skills modules. You will complete the Research Project across both years distributing the work to suit your needs.

Entry requirements:

• Good Honours degree in Psychology or a related discipline.

English Language Requirements

A good command of the English language is essential for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your language ability. In all cases the English language test should have been taken within the preceding two years. Our standard English requirement is a minimum IELTS 7.0 (with no less than 7.0 in the writing component and no less than 6.0 in reading, speaking and listening) – or equivalent (please see the link below for alternative acceptable qualifications). Additional evidence may be requested and judged at the discretion of the Course Director.

Acceptable English Language Qualifications

How to apply

Postgraduate Open Days

Details of our Postgraduate Open Days can be found here.

Contact details:

Prospective applicants can request an application pack or make enquiries by contacting:

Angela Young
Postgraduate Admissions Secretary
Department of Psychology
University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield, S10 2TP
UK

Tel: 0114 2226564
Fax: 0114 2766515
Email: a.young@sheffield.ac.uk

Class of 2011-12