Psychology, Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience

Psychology is an important subject because it relates to the whole range of human experience, from visual perception to complex social interactions. It involves the study of how people think, react and interact, and is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations that underlie such behaviour.

Our three year psychology, clinical & cognitive neuroscience degree examines the relationships between the brain and higher functions such as decision-making and consciousness, the causes, symptoms and treatments of common brain disorders such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and methods for studying the brain such as functional MRI.

You’ll study in one of the country’s top Psychology departments with excellent ratings for both research and teaching. The course explores a broad range of key areas within psychology specialising in the final year in the study of neuroscientific approaches to understanding cognition and clinical mental health issues.

Our research and teaching enhance one another, bringing students in touch with the frontiers of psychological knowledge. You’ll benefit from state of the-art equipment including an on-site MRI scanner for studying brain structure and activity, instruments for recording electrical changes in the brain (EEG), apparatus to stimulate focal areas in the brain (TMS) and a dedicated baby lab for studying the development of infants.

You’ll join a close-knit department with a high staff-to-student ratio, learning in small tutorial groups. The Department of Psychology has been awarded the Athena SWAN Silver Award for efforts to promote equality and women in science, and scores consistently high satisfaction rankings in the annual National Student Survey.

Examine the underlying causes of clinical conditions.

Learn about neuroscience techniques and their application.

Benefit from the department’s advanced research facilities.

Contribute to cutting-edge research with our world leading academics.

Course Modules

Core Modules

Year 1

• Understanding Psychological Research

• Understanding Individuals and Groups

• Understanding Development across the Lifespan

• How to be a Psychologist

• Understanding Perception and Cognition

• Understanding Neuroscience

• Understanding Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Academic Integrity

Year 2

• Psychological Research Methods and Analysis

• Cognitive Psychology

• Social Psychology

• Developmental Psychology

• Personality and Individual Differences

• Brain and Behaviour

Year 3

• Final Year Project

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Employability in Psychology

• How can Psychology change the world – Applied and Developmental Perspectives

• How can Psychology change the world – Clinical and Neuroscience perspectives

Year 3

• The Ageing Brain

• Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience

• Communication in the Social World

• Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience

• Developmental Disorders

• Social and Affective Neuroscience

• Data Science: AI & Machine Learning in Psychology & Beyond

• Psychology of Brain Injury

• Literature Review: Independent Critical Analysis (LiRICA)

• Adult Psychopathology

• User-Centre Design

• Advanced Statistics

• Psychology of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/psychology/psychology-clinical-and-cognitive-neuroscience/

We use a variety of different methods of assessment. These might include an essay about a controversial issue, an analysis of a video, a report of an experiment or a recently published research article. Some modules involve oral presentations.

Assessment is both summative (e.g. through exams and dissertations) and formative (e.g. essays which provide ongoing assessment and feedback), and the department has a tailor-made system of online feedback to provide detailed comments on essays and other coursework.

Many modules also have a written examination in May or June. Progression to the next year is dependent on passing the core modules. In combination, the quality and range of assessments will help you to develop a wide portfolio of skills and achieve high grades.