Bachelor's Thesis - General Psychology

ECTS Credits

15

Level of Study

Bachelor

Teaching semester

Spring

Objectives and Content

Through the work on the bachelor thesis, students will develop a scientific way of thinking and working. They will learn what kind of requirements have been set for a larger written product and what can be an appropriate way of working. Through the collection and discussion of relevant empirical and/or theoretical material, students will learn to shed light on an issue. The project assignment must lay a methodical basis for future work on a master's thesis, and can also thematically form the prelude to such a continuation within the theme area chosen. The assignment may be purely theoretical, or it may be a minor empirical investigation.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

Upon completion of the course, the candidate should be able to:

• Have an understanding of current requirements for scientific work
• Explain the basic characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research methods, more specifically research design, collection and processing of different types of data (qualitative and quantitative)
• Explain the different phases that are part of a research project
• Have knowledge of the different phases of a research project

Skills

Upon completion of the course, the candidate should be able to:

• Plan and carry out a research project
• Ask research questions that can be answered using scientific methods
• Acquire relevant research information (between data searches)
• Develop and use adequate research instruments (for example interview guides and questionnaires)
• Demonstrate skills in the correct structure of a scientific work according to the APA standard, correct use of sources, correct presentation of references and use of relevant literature databases
• Analyse data or present and discuss theory
• Disseminate theory and results in writing and orally

General competence

After completion of the subject the student shall be able to:

• Reflect on conducting research in theory and empirical evidence
• Reflect on ethical issues in relation to the use and interpretation of own data, sources and citation

Required Previous Knowledge

The student must have passed the following courses before registering for PSYK250

Introductory courses:

• PSYK111 Introduction to psychology and the history of psychology
• PSYK113 Introduction to methodology

Specialisation courses:

• PSYK112 Social and personality psychology
• PSYK114 Developmental, cognitive and biological psychology
• PSYK207 Learning and behavioural psychology
• PSYK208 Emotion and cognition
• PSYK202 Method

The student must have passed PSYK206 at the latest during the same semester as taking PSYK250.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

None

Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap

None

Access to the Course

The course requires admission to the bachelor¿s programme in general psychology.

Teaching and learning methods

The course is based on both individual guidance and guidance in groups. The guidance will take place through personal contact and via the internet.

As a general rule, the project assignment must be written in groups of two or three students, depending on available projects and supervisory staff in the academic environments at the departments. At the compulsory information meeting, the students will be presented with possible projects, and these should preferably be distributed to the students in line with the students' priority wishes. If the student does not want to write in groups within the offered projects, the student must themselves take responsibility for finding a project and a supervisor at the faculty.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

The following activities are compulsory for PSYK250 Bachelor thesis in general psychology:

• Information meeting at the beginning of the semester.
• Written supervision contract to be entered into between a student and a scientific employee at the Faculty of Psychology before 30 January. Supervision of the bachelor thesis is mandatory and the topic for the thesis must be approved by the course coordinator.
• An oral presentation of the bachelor thesis and participation in the entire presentation day. The course coordinator for PSYK250 participates in the oral presentation of the bachelor thesis and is responsible for approving the presentation.
• The course in APA standard.

Forms of Assessment

Bachelor project (max. 7000 words excluding abstract, foreword, references, appendix, figure/table text and tables).

Examination Support Material

None

Grading Scale

A-F

Assessment Semester

Spring

Reading List

The APA book is part of the curriculum literature. In addition, self-selected literature of 800-1,000 pages is included. Literature must be approved by the supervisor.

Course Evaluation

The subject is evaluated in line with the Faculty of Psychology's procedures for participating in assessments and UiB's quality assurance system.

Programme Committee

Department of Psychosocial Science

Course Coordinator

Department of Psychosocial Science

Course Administrator

The Faculty of Psychology