BSc (Hons) Psychology course preparation
To help you feel prepared for your BSc (Hons) Psychology studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Read on to find out more:
Suggested reading and listening
You’ll be given lots of information about which textbooks to read and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many ebooks we have for you to access, when you begin your studies in September.
In the meantime, here are some suggested books and articles you may like to read, and Ted Talks you may want to listen to, before starting your degree. We don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But, if you can pick some up second hand, borrow from a library, or access online, we have a few suggestions.
Other things to try over summer
Over the summer months you can prepare for your studies by familiarising yourself with online resources such as:
- Discovering statistics This is a resource by Andy Field, author of Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics which is our recommended text for studying research methods and statistics in psychology. ‘Postverta’ is the first section of this guide and provides some of the foundations to statistics ‘Demystifying statistics’ and ‘The SPINE of statistics’ would both be really beneficial for those about to start a degree in psychology. His guides are accompanied by videos and tutorials too.
- Go Cognitive This is an online resource that provides resources relevant to cognitive psychology, one of the core areas of psychology. There are a number of fun demonstrations of classic psychological phenomena such as ‘change blindness’ that you can take part in. There are also a number of interviews with noted psychologists (such as Professor Alan Baddeley) that cover key areas of cognitive psychology that are studied at undergraduate level such as language, attention and decision making. These are also topics linked to the research interests of many members of our department.
Podcasts
- Listen to the PsychCrunch podcasts In each episode of this podcast from the British Psychological Society’s research digest they ‘explore whether the findings from psychological science can make a difference in real life. Just how should we live, according to psychology?’
Other useful resources
- Introduction to Psychology Mastery by gWhiz. This is an app that can be downloaded via Google Play or from the App Store. The free version will give you access to practise questions and give some basic metrics on your progress.
- Watch these animations of some of Dr Linda Kaye’s recent studies