Honours Psychology Thesis B

Aims and objectives

The aim of this subject is to assist students to complete an individual research project. When completed students will:

• Be able to independently conduct psychological research
• Be competent in scientific report writing
• Be competent in the scientific method
• Understand the ethical issues involved with research using humans
• Be able to collect empirical data, analyses these data and write up the findings as an empirical study
• Develop advanced logical and critical thinking skills
• Be competent in the use of advanced library skills

Teaching methods

Individual consultation with supervisor throughout the semester. Feedback is regularly provided to students via these consultations.

Assessment

Generic skills outcomes

Graduates are adaptable and manage change 

Graduates are entrepreneurial

Content

Each student is required to formulate individually an empirical research question, design an appropriate study, collect and analyse data, interpret these data in relation to the original research question, and submit a report on the investigation in the form of a thesis.

The research project may take any one of a number of forms: controlled observations, case studies, field surveys, laboratory experiments, field experiments, secondary analysis of data sets, archival research. The individual student must plan and carry out every phase of the project from initial planning to final analysis, interpretation and reporting of the data. While flexibility in methodology is clearly required, given the diversity of potential topics for investigation, the methodology and data analysis procedures used must be:

1. Generally recognised within the field of psychological research as sound and appropriate for the particular question.
2. Correctly implemented in a systematic manner.

A member of the Psychology Discipline, or an affiliate of the Psychology Discipline will be assigned to supervise the research. Supervisor and student will be expected to meet regularly for consultation according to a mutually agreed timetable.

The conduct of the research overall must conform in all respects to the principles of research ethics stated in the Faculty of Life and Social Sciences' Statement of Research Ethics.