Module: PSY4003-20 Individual Differences: Personality and Intelligence

Level: 4

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Jermaine Ravailier

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.ravalier@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This module aims to introduce you to the major approaches to personality and intelligence to fulfil the requirements laid down by the British Psychological Society, and indicated by the QAA subject benchmark statement for psychology. This module serves as a strong foundation for the individual differences topics embedded throughout the curriculum at levels 5 and 6. Also, with the module’s focus on the use of psychometric testing and analysis, it has a core employability component.

This module focuses on examining the strengths and weaknesses of the various psychological approaches to individual difference research and theory. Essentially it looks at the ways in which psychologists past and present have tried to understand why people have different motivations, personalities and abilities. As there are widely different views on this matter this module adopts a ‘dialectic’ approach, seeking to understand what the key researchers have argued by looking a series of debates, assessing the arguments, evaluating the evidence – effectively putting such psychologists to ‘proof’.

2. Outline syllabus:

A programme of lectures and seminars will address the following topics:

The nature and range of theories of personality and intelligence, and different approaches to emotion, motivation and cognitive style

Major approaches and theorists in understanding personality, such as Freud, Behaviourist and Social Behaviourist approaches, Trait and type theories, Humanistic approaches.

Major approaches and theorists in understanding intelligence, including Spearman, Sternberg, Cattell, Jensen, and Gardner.

Accounting for variations in personality using genetic and evolutionary explanations, exploring temporal and situational consistency of individual differences, and reviewing the relationship between temperament and personality

The nature of intelligence and the origins of intelligence testing

Psychometrics and test theory.

Controversial issues such as the race and IQ debate and gender differences in cognitive abilities

The interface of individual differences research and the ‘real-world’ (occupational selection, health inequalities, social policy etc.).

3. Teaching and learning activities:

The programme will consist of a series of whole-group weekly hour-long lectures and seminars in addition to extra videos and online materials such as quizzes. The module will be supported by a detailed module handbook, setting out the recommended reading and practical activities, fully supported by electronic resources on MINERVA.

Lectures will provide overviews of the main BPS syllabus relating to this subject area while seminars will introduce new concepts, reinforce the concepts learnt about in lectures, or prepare students for assessments.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: CW
• Description: Group academic poster presentation and debate (2000 words)
• % Weighting: 50%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: EX
• Description: In-class test (2000 words equivalent)
• % Weighting: 50%