PSYC3337: THE MULTISENSORY BODY

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology module

• None

• None

• This module aims to give students an in-depth understanding of how the body senses are used and combined to give our subjective sense of the bodily self, examining the issue in typical adults, typical development, and in pathologies

• This module examines the sensory and neural foundations of the bodily self, its development in childhood and the ways in which it might be affected by both culture and disorders
• It begins with an introduction to own-body perception and embodiment before critically addressing a number of topic areas
• These can vary from year to year but are likely to include: the senses of touch and proprioception; how we perceive and identify our hands, face and body; the development of these abilities in infancy and childhood; their neural bases; body perception in virtual reality; cultural effects on body perception; and body perception in disorders such as ASD and body dysmorphia
• The module will also cover related conceptual and historical issues in psychology

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Detailed knowledge of body perception including current theory and evidence

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately

Key Skills:

• Good written communication skills
• Good IT skills in word processing, data manipulation and data presentation
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines

• Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, some small group work, audio-visual materials, discussions and detailed reading lists
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
• The summative essay will assess students' detailed subject knowledge
• An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the essay
• The use of group discussions / small group work will ensure that students are exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, and encouraged to understand their inter-relations
• Lectures, discussions and small group work will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work
• The summative essay assesses students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles and empirical studies and their ability to organise and synthesise them coherently and critically in written form in response to a set question
• The summative essay will also assess students' written communication skills
• Feedback on the summative essays will be available within 3 teaching weeks allowing students plenty of time to benefit from feedback on this aspect of their work

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