This course provides a broad-based understanding of classic and contemporary theory and research in the Physiological Psychology.

None

None

Students will produce one critical review essay.

This course aims to provide students with a broad-based knowledge of classic and contemporary theory, research and methodology in Physiological Psychology. By engaging with classic and contemporary research in areas such as neuroendocrinology, evolutionary psychology, neuropsychology and brain imaging, students will develop the skills to evaluate specialised research methods, and be able to critique research findings and interpretations. This course explores how biological and physiological processes can impact psychological and behavioural outcomes, and affect real-world situations. By engaging with this course students will be able to think critically about how physiological psychology research is portrayed in media, and will be able to evaluate how physiological psychology research can be applied to contemporary issues in society.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate critical understanding of biological/ physiological processes that can influence psychological outcomes, by being able to explain and/or compare these processes (such as; the action of neurotransmitters, the action of hormones, immunological processes, and the functional organization of the cortex etc.), and identify and discuss the ways in which they can affect psychological or behavioural outcomes.

■ Apply evidence from recent psychology and neuroscience research to demonstrate how techniques and methods (such as hormone sampling and analysis, mobile imagine techniques, task related fMRI, or a neurophysiological approach etc.), can be used to investigate physiological influences on psychological outcomes.

■ Critically evaluate methodologies used in physiological psychology research and discuss how this can affect our interpretation of results, reliability of findings or generalizability of studies.

■ Critically evaluate how physiological/ biological approaches, theories or models can help address real world problems and/ or aide our understanding of human psychology.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.