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About the Course
Psychology at Oxford is a scientific discipline involving the rigorous formulation and testing of ideas.
Psychology has been defined as the science of human behaviour and it seeks to understand the mind and behaviour through experimentation, observation and measurement. Insight and intuition are certainly important, but they are not sufficient. The scope of the subject is very wide. It addresses questions such as: What are emotions? How do we perceive colours? How do children acquire language? What predisposes two people to get along with each other? What might be the causes schizophrenia? What is unique about the human brain? What causes prejudice?
Undergraduates’ activities in Oxford are divided between University and college. In this respect Psychology is like other subjects. Lectures and practical classes are arranged by the University and students from all the colleges attend them. Similarly, examinations are set by the University. Tutorial teaching is organized by the college. For each tutorial, undergraduates are expected to write critical essays on a set of recommended readings. These essays are discussed, in groups of two or three students, with the tutor. Because Oxford terms are short, undergraduates are expected to do a good deal of vacation reading.
You can read Psychology at Jesus College in two ways: either in a Joint Honour School with Philosophy and/or Linguistics, or else as a subject on its own in the Honour School of Experimental Psychology. In either case, you choose from the same list of topics and attend the same lectures and tutorials.
Prelims
You will spend the first three terms doing three introductory courses, on which you will be examined at the end of your third term in Oxford (an Examination called “Prelims”). You will, of course, have to pass this examination before commencing work for finals (called “Schools”). If you intend to read Experimental Psychology, you will offer three Prelims papers. The Psychology paper in the Prelims course attempts to introduce people who have had little opportunity to study the biological bases of the subject to some of the larger questions about perception, cognition, human development, individual differences, and social interaction, which experimental psychologists investigate.
It will also be advisable for you to take the Statistics paper during the Prelims course. Some knowledge of elementary probability theory and of statistics is needed if the arguments and models used in Psychology are to be understood. A basic understanding of mathematics, e.g. GCSE level, is assumed for the statistics course, but we take into account the fact that you may not have carried out formal work in mathematics for some time. If you do not take the Statistics at Prelims you will, in any case, have to take a similar exam (the qualifying exam in Statistics) before you can take Schools (your final examination).
It is usually advisable to take Neurophysiology as the third option. The Neurophysiology paper is an introductory one, intended for students without Biology A-level.
The Final Honour School
During terms 4-6, you will study a number of “core” topics in Psychology. Each core topic consists of a number of lectures, tutorials and classes. These will be followed by a second year examination, which counts towards your final degree class.
Core Topics
Biological Foundations
- Brain and Behaviour
- Biology of Learning and Memory
- Psychological Disorders
Human Experimental
- Perception
- Memory, Attention and Information Processing
- Language and Cognition
Social, Developmental and Individual Differences
- Social Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Individual Differences
A course in Statistics and Experimental Design is taken alongside these core topics.
Advanced Topics
During the third year of the course you will be able to select from a number of advanced topics, covering the range of psychology, e.g. Aphasia and Language Disorder; Brain Mechanisms in Voluntary Action; Development of the Imagination; Neural Networks and Brain Function. The specific topics on offer vary each year, to take into account recent developments in psychology. You can also choose to write a library dissertation instead of taking the third Advanced Option.
During the final year of the course, you will conduct an MSc research project in one of the research groups in the Department. You will be able to choose a research topic from a variety of topics and disciplines within psychology.
Practical Work
As this is a department of experimental psychology, you will not learn all your psychology through tutorials and lectures. You will be required to perform experiments in psychology throughout your course. These practical classes prepare you to perform your own piece of research in your final year (compulsory for Experimental Psychology students).
Students work on a wide range of topics, for example: reading problems in children; the personality of heavy smokers; brain imaging; improving one’s sporting skills; and so on. Your final year research project could well form the basis for original research which you may pursue after graduating.
While previous experience of computers is not necessary, computer-based material plays an important part in many of the practicals. There is also the opportunity to learn about the role of computers in psychology in more depth by taking optional courses, and the University offers a full range of short general computing and Information Technology courses. The Department has a well-equipped computing room providing general computer facilities for word processing, data analysis, etc.
The British Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the professional body in the UK representing psychology and professional psychologists. The BPS also publishes a wide range of material, from career guidance to research journals.
The undergraduate courses in Oxford have been structured to ensure recognition by the BPS as conferring the Graduate Basis for Registration. Such recognition is necessary for entry to most postgraduate professional courses in Psychology which are practice- rather than research-based in their training mode. Students on a first degree course in Psychology are entitled to become Student Members of the BPS, which can have advantages for students who wish to go on to professional training in Psychology. For further information, please see the BPS website.
Suggested Reading: General
- Hayes, N. (1998) Foundations of Psychology: an Introductory Text. (Nelson)
- Eysenck, H.J. & Eysenck, M.E. (1995) Mind Watching (Prion)
- Atkinson, R. et al (1999) Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology (Thomson Learning)
- Gross, R.D. (2002) Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour (Hodder and Stoughton)
- Gleitman, H. et al (1999) Psychology (Norton)
- Pinker, S. (1997) How the Mind Works (Allen Lane)
- Gerrig, R. J., Zimbardo, P. G., Campbell, A. J., Cunning, S. R., & Wilkes, F. J. (2015) Psychology and life. Pearson Higher Education AU
Suggested reading: Introduction to Specific Subjects
- Hubel, D. (1988) Eye, Brain and Vision (W.H. Freeman)
- Gregory, R. (1998) Eye and Brain (paperback)
- Baddeley, A. (1993) Memory: a User’s Guide (Penguin)
- Donaldson (1978) Children’s Minds (Fontana)
- Greenfield, S. (1997) The Human Brain: a Guided Tour (Science Masters)
- Hewstone, M. (2016) An introduction to Social Psychology (John Wiley & Sons)
Suggested reading: Statistics
If you have little or no statistical background, the following are recommended:
- Field, A. (2009) Discovering statistics using SPSS. (Sage publications)
- Agresti, A., & Finlay, B. (2009) Statistical methods for the social sciences
