Honour School of Experimental Psychology

Differences from 2017/18 to 2021/22

A

  • 1.  The subject of the Honour School of Experimental Psychology shall be the study of psychology as an experimental science.

  • 2.  The examination in Experimental Psychology shall consist of two parts. In Part I candidates shall be examined in the subjects prescribed by the Medical Sciences Board. In Part II candidates shall be examined in the subjects prescribed by the Medical Sciences Board and shall also present, as part of the examination, a project report based on work carried out under supervision prescribed by the Board.

  • 3.  No candidate shall be admitted for the Part I examination in this school unless he or she has either passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.

  • 4.  No candidate shall be admitted for the Part II examination in this school unless

    • (a) he or she has passed the Part I examination for Experimental Psychology; and

    • (b) he or she has satisfied the Moderators for the Preliminary Examination in Psychology, Philosophy, and Linguistics in the subject Introduction to Probability Theory and Statistics or has passed the Qualifying Examination in Statistics for this School.

  • The Head of the Department of Experimental Psychology or deputy may dispense a candidate from the Qualifying Examination in Statistics in cases where it is clear that the candidate has reached an adequate standard in Statistics by virtue of previous study and qualification.

  • 5. The examinations in the school shall be under the supervision of the Medical Sciences Board, which shall make regulations concerning them, subject always to the preceding clauses of this sub-section.

B

  • 1. General

    Decree (7) of 3 June 1947 permits the number of candidates offering Psychology to be limited, if necessary.

  • 2. The subjects of the examination shall be those prescribed in Parts I and II below.

  • 3. The examination for Part I shall be taken during Week 0 and 1 of Trinity Term of the candidate's second year. The examination for Part II shall be taken during Trinity Term of the candidate's third year. The dates of submission for the Part I practical work and Part II project work and library dissertation are those prescribed in Parts I and II below.

  • 4. Every candidate shall give notice of all papers being offered not later than Friday in the eighth week of Michaelmas Full Term preceding the examination.

PART I

  • 1. FiveFour written papers will be set:

  • Paper I BiologicalMultiple BasesChoice Questions on each of Behaviourthe six components of Paper II and III below.

    •  
    • Paper II Biological and Cognitive Psychology.
    • Components: (i) CognitiveBehavioural Neuroscience, (ii) BehaviouralPerception; Neuroscience(iii) Cognition.

     
  • Paper II Human Experimental Psychology 1.

    • Components: (i) Perception, (ii) Memory, Attention, and Information Processing.

     
  • Paper III Human Experimental Psychology 2.

    • Components: (i) Language and CognitionSocial, (ii) Developmental Psychology.

  • Paper IV Social Psychology, and Personality, Individual Differences and Psychological Disorders.

    • Components: (i) Social Psychology, (ii) PersonalityDevelopmental Science, (iii) Individual Differences and PsychologicalClinical DisordersPsychology.

       
    •  
    • Paper IV Experimental Design and Methods.
  • In paperspaper I-IV candidates will be required to answer essaymultiple andchoice shortquestions on all six components, as a computer-based assessment.

    In papers II-III candidates will be required to answer questionsan essay from each of the components. 

    Paper V Experimental Design and Statistics.

    • 2. Candidates will be required to undertake practical work, as specified by the Head of Department of Experimental Psychology or deputy, and this will constitute a part of the examination. In exceptional circumstances, the Proctors may dispense a candidate from the specified requirements on the recommendation of the Head of Department, or deputy.

    • 3.  Reports of practical work completed during the course of study for Part I and submitted for marking shall constitute a portfolio which shall be available to examiners as part of the examination. All such assignments must be uploaded to the AssignmentsUniversity sectionapproved ofonline theassessment Degrees WebLearn site platform by the times and dates specified at the start of the practical course. Each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work. Where the work submitted has been produced in collaboration the candidates shall indicate the extent of their own contributions. Reports of practical work previously submitted for the Honour School of Experimental Psychology may be resubmitted, but reports will not be accepted if they have already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another Honour School or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution. The Head of Department or deputy shall inform the examiners by the end of Week 0 of the Trinity Term in which the Part I examination is to be held as to which candidates have (a) failed to satisfy the requirement to undertake practical work or (b) failed to submit a portfolio. Candidates in category (a) will be deemed to have failed Paper VIV. Candidates in category (b) will be deemed to have failed the entire Part I examination. The Head of Department or deputy shall also make available to the examiners records showing the extent to which each candidate has adequately pursued a course of practical work. The examiners shall take this evidence into consideration along with evidence of unsatisfactory or distinguished performance in each portfolio of practical work.

      For all papers in Psychology and for the Qualifying Examination in Statistics but not for papers taken from the Honour School of Medical Sciences, the examiners will permit the use of any hand-held pocket calculators subject to the conditions set out under the heading Regulations for the Conduct of University Examinations, Part 10.

    • 4. A candidate who fails the Part I examination may retake the examination once only, in the Trinity Term in the next academic year. The highest mark that can be awarded to a candidate retaking the examination is a Third.

    PART II

    Part II will consist of a research project and either three written papers each of 3 hours duration, or two written papers, each of 3 hours duration, and a Library Dissertation.

    The written papers will be selected from the list of at least 12 options approved by the Medical Sciences Board and published by the Department of Experimental Psychology. A list of options will be posted in the Department of Experimental Psychology not later than noon on Friday of the fifth week of Hilary Term in the year preceding that in which the examination is taken.

    If a Library Dissertation is not chosen, candidates may substitute either one or two papers from the list below in place of one or two of the Psychology Advanced Options. If a Library Dissertation is chosen, candidates may substitute one paper from the list below in place of one of the Psychology Advanced Options:

    • General Linguistics.

    • Phonetics and Phonology

    • .

    • Paper 1 in the Honour School of Medical Sciences. Candidates must not answer questions from the Cognitive Neuroscience option.

    • One or two papers in Philosophy.

    1. Research Project and Library Dissertation.

    Whether undertaking the research project, or the research project and the library dissertation, such work will normally be carried out in the Trinity Term and the following Michaelmas Term in the year preceding the Part II examinations.

    Candidates will be required to undertake such work under the supervision of one of the following:

    • (i) any member of the Faculty of Psychological Studies.

    • (ii) any other person approved by the Divisional Board provided that such approval shall be applied for not later than Friday of fourth week of Michaelmas Full Term in the year preceding the Part II examinations.

    The subject of the library dissertation and the research project should not overlap to the extent that they should not draw on substantially the same literature. Candidates are warned that they should avoid repetition in examination papers of material used in the research project or library dissertation and that substantial repetition may be penalised.

    All proposed research projects or library dissertations must be approved in advance by the Head of the Department of Experimental Psychology or deputy. The procedures for obtaining this approval will be notified to students by the Head of Department of Experimental Psychology or deputy.

    One electronic copy ofThe completed research projects and library dissertations must be uploaded to the AssignmentsUniversity sectionapproved ofonline theassessment Degrees WebLearn siteplatform, not later than noon on  MondayWednesday of the ninth week and MondayWednesday of the eleventh week of Hilary Term respectively, in the year of the examination. Each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work and a statement of the number of words in the research project or library dissertation in respect of each research project and library dissertation. Research projects and library dissertations previously submitted for the Honour School of Experimental Psychology may be resubmitted. No research project or library dissertation will be accepted if it has already been submitted wholly or substantially, for another Honour School or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution.

    2. Candidates will be required to undertake practical work, as specified by the Head of Department of Experimental Psychology or deputy, and this will constitute a part of the examination. In exceptional circumstances the Proctors may exempt a candidate from the specified requirements on the recommendation of the Head of Department or deputy.

    3. Reports of practical work completed during the course of study for Part II and submitted for marking shall constitute a portfolio which shall be available to examiners as part of the examination. All such assignments must be uploaded to the AssignmentsUniversity sectionapproved ofonline theassessment Degrees WebLearn site platform by the times and dates specified at the start of the practical course. Each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work. Reports of practical work previously submitted for the Honour School of Experimental Psychology may be resubmitted but reports will not be accepted if they have been submitted, wholly or substantially, for another Honour School or degree of this University, or for a degree of any other institution. The Head of Department or deputy shall inform the examiners by the end of Week 0 of the Trinity Term in which the Part II examination is to be held as to which candidates have failed to satisfy the requirement to undertake practical work. Failure to satisfy the requirement to undertake practical work will result in the candidate’s final degree classification being lowered by one class. Candidates who fail to submit a portfolio will be deemed to have failed the entire Part II examination. The Head of Department, or deputy, shall make available to the examiners records showing the extent to which candidates have adequately pursued a course of practical work. The examiners shall take this evidence into consideration along with evidence of unsatisfactory or distinguished performance in each portfolio of practical work.