Psychology of Sport

This module introduces the methods which are used in psychology and related fields. Statistical concepts and the quantitative methods which they underpin are taught alongside qualitative methods.  The module builds knowledge which is important in interpreting the research papers you will read over the course of your degree as well as providing the foundation for skills which you will need in order to conduct your own research projects.

You will be introduced to key factors in human development including social, emotional, cognitive and biological foundation, as well as how children learn to talk. Within social psychology you will look at how individuals perceive, influence and interact with others, including through verbal and non-verbal communication.

In Introduction to Sport Psychology, you will be introduced to psychological factors pertinent to sport at an individual and team level. You will explore relationships between psychological factors and develop an understanding of how they influence sporting performance.

This module introduces the study of personality, intelligence, gender and mental health. Understanding these differences can be applied later in your studies to understand, for example, why some children learn language faster than others, or why men’s and women’s language use is sometimes so different.

You will be introduced to the basic biological processes and cognitive principles necessary for understanding human psychology. Language is a key cognitive skill, and this module covers topics such as reading and listening, automatic word identification, resolving linguistic ambiguities, and aphasia.

In this module students will examine health, lifestyle and exercise-related behavioural conditions (such as obesity, addictive behaviour, sedentary behaviour, eating disorders) and their relation to widely used behaviour change models, and the biopsychosocial perspective. Students are encouraged to think of those issues most relevant to sports and exercise populations, as well as the general public. The module is delivered for 3hours per week in trimester 2. At the end of the module, students will write an essay (2000 words) on the biopsychosocial view of a chosen behavioural condition, and potential treatments.

This module extends quantitative and qualitative research methods training to more complex designs and forms of analysis. You will build on the skills developed in year one; designing, carrying out research, and analysing your results. You will also spend time looking at discourse and discursive analysis for analysing speech.

You will explore the links between biological and cognitive processes and examine how this relationship influences performance in real-world contexts.

You will develop a critical understanding of health behaviour, exploring the barriers to exercise, and considering motivation, confidence, competence and self-efficacy.

This module covers the influences of nature and nurture on human development, including exploring how these influence children’s communicative and language development. You will gain practical experience of conducting social psychological research, and examine the implications of research for education, policy, and clinical practice.

Building on study of this area in the first year, the module invites you to explore the latest theories and research into personality and intelligence, gender differences and mental health. Understanding individual differences will enable you to think about differences in language use and language acquisition.

Explores the practical application of psychological skills and group-based interventions for psychology and performance. This module introduces you to the importance of evidence-based practice when working with athletes and teams in a consultancy role. You will examine different methods of needs analysis, measurement, intervention, and evaluation when applying sport psychology principles in practice.

You will carry out a research project on a topic of your interest, which may include aspects of English language as well as psychology. Recent dissertation topics have included the influence of parent-child interaction on child language acquisition, and the relationship between bilingualism and social anxiety. The range of skills you develop as you navigate the process of research design, completing an ethics form, recruiting participants and carrying out your research, performing appropriate analysis and writing up your work, will be invaluable in all workplaces.

Explores advanced psychological topics that are considered as current or emerging themes within sport. This module focuses on critical thinking in relation to psychological themes, theories, research, and interventions. You will critically appraise the current state of sport psychology to suggest applied and theoretical implications and avenues for future research that would advance the discipline of sport psychology.

This module focuses on advanced sport psychology practice. Specifically, this module focuses on philosophies of sport psychology practice, counselling and practitioner skills. 

This module explores what it’s like for children growing up with various conditions like autism spectrum disorder, Down’s syndrome, deafness, and developmental language disorder, and well as the impact on development of growing up in adverse environments such as poverty.

This module will develop your knowledge of how children learn language, from sounds, words and grammar, to the complexities of human communication. You will explore data from real children to increase your understanding and test out the theories discussed in class.

Explores the principles and theories of knowledge, attitude and behaviour change, behaviour change in context (health, education, and community), planning, delivering and evaluating interventions, policy and guidance in UK/international context.

This module examines in detail the relationships between behaviour and the nervous system. You will explore these relationships through the consideration of key topics in the field of neuroscience including learning, psychopharmacology, brain damage, aphasia/alexia, organic brain disorder, and mental health.

Develops your understanding of the relevance of psychology to education and provides opportunities to apply psychological theory and principles in the field of education and professional practice.

During this module, you will learn to apply theories and methodologies from cognitive psychology to real-world behaviour. You will explore the influence of emotional processing on human cognition and performance and reflect on the optimal conditions for thinking and decision-making.

An applied module which will introduce you to offender profiling, lie detection techniques and psychological theories of criminal behaviour; guest speakers have included a serving chief investigating officer, a forensic psychologist and a probation officer.

This module explores the effects that exposure to media has on people, as well as how people process information from media. It looks at advertisement, persuasion, news journalism, social media and internet use, including the use of metaphors in the media. It also covers conversation analysis and discursive psychology.

A practitioner based module which will provide you with a tour of relevant theories and topics (including stress, selection techniques and change at work), as well as an assessment opportunity to apply these in real-world settings, including your own experience in the workplace.

Explore positive models of ageing and lifespan development in the 21st Century including: identity, physical and mental health, and the psycho-social implications of ageing.

This module aims to introduce you to the concepts, theory, methods and applications of health psychology. It is concerned with the psychological aspects of physical illness, their treatment and management as well as what it is that keeps people healthy and well.

Explore conceptualisations of mental health, explanations of mental health., the legal and social ramifications of mental ill health, the range of conditions treated within psychiatry and different therapeutic modalities and agencies.

The psychology of serial homicide, mass shooting, and terrorism. The module also explores the neurodevelopmental and psychosocial risk factors in serial killers and mass shooters, the pathway to intended violence in such extreme cases of violence and the neuropsychodynamics of individuals who commit serial homicide and single homicide.

You have the opportunity to undertake a work placement where you will be able to put what you've learnt into practice.

This module will introduce you to the field of Environmental Psychology, exploring current and seiminal research in key areas of human-environment interrelationships. Topics may include: 

The psychological significance of place; climate change denial and activism; psychologically informed architecture; media, politics and the environment.