Skip to main content Skip to navigation

PS928-30 Behavioural and Data Science Project

Department
Psychology
Level
Taught Postgraduate Level
Module leader
Thomas Hills
Credit value
30
Module duration
20 weeks
Assessment
100% coursework
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Introductory description

The aim of the project is to provide students with the opportunity to investigate and carry out novel research at the intersection of behavioural and data science.

Module aims

Students will work within one of the departments' labs, designing and running empirical work that
addresses a current research question. By working within an existing lab, students have the support of experts in the field and should be able to produce research worthy of publication.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Project meeting at end January with ongoing guidance and supervision January to July. During this time students will obtain ethical approval, carrying out the project, meet with supervisor as required, write up the project. Students will work within one of the departments' labs, designing and running empirical work that addresses a current research question. The choice of topic is to be agreed between the student and a member of staff acting as supervisor.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate competence at formulating a valid research question and designing a quantitative investigation
  • Demonstrate competence at conducting an empirical investigation
  • Demonstrate competence at analysing and interpreting the results
  • Demonstrate competence at visualizing and interpreting data
  • Demonstrate competence at writing up the project in a professional scientific format

Research element

Projects must be:

  1. Empirical (that is an experiment, computer program, survey or observational study);
  2. Physically safe and ethically acceptable;
  3. Practical in terms of demands on time, equipment, number of subjects required and laboratory space.
    The choice of topic is to be agreed between the student and a member of staff acting as supervisor. Supervisors will be drawn from a pool of staff in psychology and computer science. Projects may be co-supervised. To assist students in selecting topics and supervisors, a list of topics which members of staff have a particular interest in supervising will be posted.

Subject specific skills

novel research in the area of psychology and data science formulating a valid research question and designing an empirical investigation

Transferable skills

Formulating research question
Designing and running empirical work
Analysis and interpretion of results
Writing up the project in a standard format suitable to publication

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 1 session of 1 hour (0%)
Project supervision 4 sessions of 1 hour (1%)
Private study 295 hours (98%)
Total 300 hours

Private study description

completions of ethics, Data collection and analysis and project report as well as additional supervisions as required dependent on topic and supervisor.

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A1
Weighting Study time Eligible for self-certification
Written Project Report 100% No

Project reports, excluding appendices, should be typically 4,000-8,000 words

Feedback on assessment

Formative feedback on an initial draft is provided by supervisors in a face-to-face meeting. Summative feedback is provided after the exam board. Students are encouraged to work with supervisors to publish the project.

Courses

This module is Core for:

  • Year 1 of TPSS-C803 Postgraduate Taught Behavioural and Data Science