Encountering psychology in context
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This module offers an accessible and engaging introduction to classic and contemporary psychological theory and research applied to a broad range of contexts. You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll encounter core areas of psychology as set out by the British Psychological Society (e.g. social, cognitive, developmental, biological) and applied aspects of professional practice (e.g. forensic, counselling). You will learn how psychologists have studied topics that directly affect people&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;s lives in areas such as criminal justice, family life, ageing, and brain injury. You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll also explore how psychology can inform our understanding of magic and misdirection, performance, and how people develop across the lifespan.
What you will study
This module introduces core areas of psychology, including biological, cognitive, developmental and social psychology and considers how these can be applied to understand real-world issues. The relationship between psychological theory and application is also explored in topics linked to forensic psychology and counselling. The module introduces a range of research methods that are used to answer questions in psychology and provides students with practical experience analysing data using qualitative and quantitative methods, and taking part in psychological research studies.
The first block introduces the psychology of relating in different contexts. This includes a focus on intimate relationships, family lives, work and relating positively (altruism and cooperation) in the social world.
Block 2 picks up the key ideas from Block 1 that tap into notions of emotional states (e.g. love, positive feeling) and ground them in the psychology of emotion and feelings. You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll explore a range of emotional states, including those associated with negative affect (stress, fear). Across this block, links will be made between emotion and mental health, including how psychology informs mental health interventions.
Block 3 explores a number of different settings in which psychological research has been applied to the criminal justice system. This includes examining how psychological research has informed our understanding of why people commit crimes, how police gain information from suspects, how people make decisions about criminal actions, and how mental states influence legal outcomes.
Block 4 explores the relationship between the brain and behaviour and considers how biological evidence can inform psychological theories. You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll be introduced to the relationship between biological and psychological processes and examine how studies of brain damage, neurodiversity and ageing can be used to advance theoretical knowledge and challenge taken-for-granted concepts of biological universality.
In Block 5, you&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll re-encounter topics and concepts from earlier in the module in exciting new contexts. This will help you build on the knowledge gained throughout the module, combining this with new topics, insights and perspectives that show how psychology can contribute to an understanding of performance, development across the lifespan, and magic.
The module materials include a two-volume textbook and an extensive module website built around an online study guide. The website contains further teaching to support the chapters in the textbook. The teaching on the website includes video and audio interviews with key psychologists featured in the material and a variety of interactive activities to help develop and consolidate your knowledge. You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll also spend some of your study time using online resources from 快猫视频 library.
Professional recognition
This is one of the core modules in our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degrees in psychology.
Entry requirements
This is an introductory OU level 1 module. OU level 1 modules provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning to help you progress to OU level 2 study.
Although this module builds on concepts first introduced in Exploring psychological worlds: thinking, feeling, doing (D110), if you have taken other OU level 1 introductory modules or are taking it on a standalone basis, you will be able to/be supported to engage with the materials equally well.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an .
What's included
You&/courses/qualifications/details/d120/39;ll be provided with two textbooks, statistical analysis software (SPSS) and have access to a module website which includes:
- a week-by-week study planner
- module materials
- audio-visual content
- assessment guide
- online tutorials and forums
- links for further study.
Computing requirements
- Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer with 3GB of free hard drive space and 4GB of RAM. The screen must have a resolution of at least 1024 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically. It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they may not be suitable as your primary device.
- Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
- Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
- Operating systems – 64-bit version of Windows 10 or 11 or macOS Ventura (or higher) to install and run the software.
- Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
- Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended; Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.
- Software – You will be provided with the SPSS statistics program.