BSc (Hons)Sport and Exercise Psychology

Core modules

Thinking and Writing Psychologically

Why do people, think, act, and feel the way they do? In this era of unreliable news and abundance of untested theories, any serious attempt to answer this question would have to take a careful and measured approach. Often described as the scientific study of mind and behaviour, Psychology is an attempt to do just that. This module will begin to get to grips with what is meant by the ‘mind’ and ‘behaviour’, and – crucially – the reasons why Psychology adopts a scientific approach in trying to answer the big questions about the mental processes and behaviours of our own species and others. Ultimately, the emphasis of this module is on getting you to think and communicate like a Psychologist.

Beginning as a Researcher

In our day-to-day lives we tend to make judgements about human behaviour in a subjective manner using anecdotal evidence. You will be introduced to qualitative and quantitative research approaches used in psychology to study human behaviour in an objective and systematic way. This will enable you to make informed decisions as to people’s actions and motivations.

Sport and Exercise Psychology

During this module, you will cover topics relating to both sport and exercise psychology. You will explore how different psychological constructs e.g., confidence and motivation, impact sporting performance. You will also learn about how psychological principles can explain how individuals adopt and maintain more healthy and physically active lifestyles.

Developing as a Researcher

By knowing more about the research process that is used to study psychology and the basic steps that are used, you can better understand the process researchers go through to arrive at conclusions about human behaviour. This module will develop and enhance your skills in conducting data analysis from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective.

Skill Acquisition and Motor Learning

In this module you will learn how our body and mind take in information from the environment to execute sporting skills. Examples of this include how our eyes pass information from the environment to the brain or how our memory systems work.

Perspectives within Psychology

You will be introduced to major perspectives which exist within psychology, for example psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and biological perspectives. This will enable you to establish an understanding of the origins and history of research within psychology and have awareness of the fundamental assumptions that each perspective holds. You will be able to see the continuity and development of psychology as a scientific disciple over time and understand the places of differing perspectives in psychology today.

Core modules

Brain and Behaviour

On this module, you will gain an overview of brain anatomy and how processes are localised to different areas or structures - learning about the way our nervous system is structured to help us interact with the outside world or respond to internal sensations such as pain.

Individual Differences and Social Psychology

You will navigate the different ways in which social psychologists make sense of the human mind and behaviour and how psychological research can help us addresses real-life issues. How much influence does personality have on the actions we take and the ambitions we hold? How do other people's actions impact our behaviour? Social psychologists seek to understand human behaviour and how others influence our thoughts feelings and behaviour, and applicability to our daily social interactions and decision making.

Psychological Research Training

This module further develops your understanding of theoretical and practical issues concerned with psychological research and will enable you to advance the skills required for the conduct of investigations and the presentation of findings. You will acquire knowledge of investigation design and methodology with associated essential techniques (such as a variety of statistical and/or qualitative techniques) that are applied in empirical research.

Psychological Research in Action

In this module you will cover some more research techniques and you will be given a little more freedom to select and design your own mini-project. By the end of this module you will have all the skills necessary to begin designing your dissertation next year. You will also have had experience at designing your own study and how to overcome issues associated with taking a project from the idea stage to successful completion.

Wellbeing Across the Lifespan

With more awareness of mental health issues, there is an increasing focus on how to support wellbeing. Positive psychology focuses on optimal human functioning and what makes life fulfilling. Although the positive side of human functioning is often neglected within psychology, this is not so for developmental psychologists who typically focus on adaptability and positive functioning. This module explores how taking a developmental perspective can aid our understanding of how to live well at every stage of life. The aim of the module is to develop your psychological literacy, the ability to apply what you know from studying developmental psychology in your first year, to understanding how positive psychology can improve wellbeing. You will explore how positive psychology techniques can help people flourish throughout the lifespan, and how you too can lead a flourishing life.

Mind-Body Connections

In this module you will learn about the interconnection between psychology and physiology within the sport and exercise domain and how these mind-body connections may influence how we think and behave.

Core modules

Applying Psychology to Professional Practice

This module will help you to continue your development as a reflective practitioner by identifying and reflecting on your skill development over the course of your degree and in a short work placement. This will give enable you to further develop your professional skills such as: ethical competence; cultural competence; and evidence-based practice. You will gain knowledge of the work of a Practitioner Psychologist and related roles and will explore some examples of the type of work a practitioner psychologist would do. You will reflect on your work experience, skills, and areas for development which will contribute to a development plan for when you graduate.

Applied Health and Exercise Psychology

In this module you'll learn about the methodology of health behaviour. You'll learn about the main approaches to study design and data collection; such as, the use of questionnaire and surveys to measure variables within correlational designs.

Sport Psychology in the Real World

There are many different settings and populations sport and exercise psychologists can work in. In this module you will further explore the use of applied sport psychology and exercise within a wider range of real-world settings. This module will build upon what you have learnt throughout your degree and help develop your self-awareness as a potential practitioner in sport and exercise psychology. You will learn about ethical and practical considerations for working with different populations, such as youth populations, disabled populations, elderly populations, vulnerable populations and unique sports or environments. You will further develop your awareness of different philosophies, approaches, and techniques within sport and exercise psychology. This will help you refine your identity as a potential practitioner in sport and exercise psychology.

Applied Psychology Research Project

Is there an area of psychology that really interests you? Is there a psychological study that you’d like to replicate? Is there a psychological topic that you think is under researched that you’d like to investigate? If so, then this is the module for you! This module allows you to independently research an area of psychology that really interests you and gives you the opportunity to enhance and showcase the psychological knowledge you’ve acquired and the research skills and ethical understanding you’ve developed throughout your degree course. This module allows you to independently conduct and write up a piece of psychological research. This will require you to research an area of psychology of your own choosing.

Optional modules

Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Behaviour Change

Changing behaviour is central to many of the key problems our societies face. This module looks at behaviour change theory and research and applies these to real world issues. This module aims to equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge required to enable students to effectively identify, analyse and apply the principles of behaviour change in practice. The focus will be on understanding and implementing behaviour changes in applied settings, and students will be encouraged to apply their skills and knowledge to their own areas of interest.

Cyberpsychology

As technology becomes ever more sophisticated, our lives become more entwined and shaped by the technology which we build. The online world is seen by many as a separate yet wholly real world to live in and mange. Despite this, our understanding of the impact technology is having on psychological functions is lacking. Media focus on the role of technology is usually negative, discussing issues such as the online addiction, Instagram promoting self-harm, and video games increasing aggression and explicit violent behaviour. Research has shown technology has positive impacts as well such as being able to remain connected to loved ones and family members, access essential health interventions such as e-therapy, and evidence that video games can improve rather than hinder cognitive function.

Animal Behaviour

You will gain an overview of the psychology behind animal behaviour and explore the fundamentals of human-animal interactions. Theories and models of animal behaviour will be introduced, and the impact of animals on peoples’ psychological states, behaviour and mood will be explored. You will explore animal behaviour from an evolutionary perspective to understand the proximate and ultimate causes of a variety of animal behaviours, such as mating behaviours, communication, and social behaviours. You will then be challenged to consider animal cognition and how animals and humans can have successful and mutually beneficial interactions.

Mindfulness-Based Practice and Approaches

Mindful living has been linked to good mental health, good physical health, and improved wellbeing. Mindfulness now underpins several therapeutic-approaches. Having an embodied personal practice enables you to develop your own understanding of mindfulness and to authentically teach mindfulness to clients and service users. This personal understanding will change the way in which you engage with the evidence-base for mindfulness-based approaches.

Issues in Educational Psychology

You will learn about the impact of psychological research on education. We will explore psychological research within the classroom, at school level and outside of the school environment. Topics may include SEND, managing behaviour, Autism Spectrum Disorders, bullying, inclusive education and enhancing school readiness in pre-schoolers. We will consider a wide range of educational environments from pre-school to University. The aims of this module is to provide a strong foundation on how key cognitive, social and developmental theories have influenced the field of educational psychology over the years, and how such theories can be applied to educational settings to enhance learning and teaching. There will be a strong focus on critically evaluating relevant empirical research and its applications to educational environments.

Critical Psychology

Critical Psychology is a loose term that encompasses a variety of approaches that question the extent to which psychology can be objective. Such approaches aim to expose the distinction drawn between qualitative and quantitative research as a false dichotomy. In doing so, it offers a critique of mainstream, positivist psychology. An important aspect of the critical approach is that it seeks to identify the ways in which psychological practises help to perpetuate unjust power relations inherent in industrialised, post-colonial practises. Of course, critical psychology is itself part of psychology, and we will focus on the topic of reflexivity of the researcher in trying to establish psychological truths.

Issues in Forensic Psychology

Crime and punishment is an expansive topic, relevant to all of us in different ways. The reach of psychology in this field is extensive, encompassing the study of both criminals and those involved in the criminal justice system, as well as broader issues in society. This module will explore various areas of theory and research in psychology in the forensic field, with an emphasis on understanding the different sides of the debates triggered by such research. We will take an in depth look at some of the controversies in the forensic field since psychologists began taking an interest in it and develop a ‘critical’ understanding of the role psychology in today’s criminal justice systems and in wider society.