Psychology

Questions about how individuals think, feel and act and how these might relate to wider social, cultural and economic issues, lie at the heart of studying psychology. Psychology is a key component in all aspects of social life, whether concerning learning and memory in education, individual and group decisions in financial and political systems, or inter-group conflict arising from public policy or migration. Psychology thus explores principles of human behaviour that link the social sciences. At the same time, as an empirical science, Psychology forms a critical bridge from economic and social research to the natural and medical sciences, both in methodology and academic scope.

Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology has a world-leading research and teaching profile. With themes spanning Social Psychology and Psychological Disorders, Developmental Science, and Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, the Department has broad-ranging academic expertise and superb research facilities. Experimental Psychology follows the laboratory science model in which postgraduate students are embedded in a host lab where they work closely with their supervisors and other lab members. Postgraduate students play a central role in the intellectual life of the department, bringing fresh research ideas and carrying out the majority of the experiments conducted here. The department’s aim is to provide students with the training, resources and environment to enable them to develop into the research leaders of the future.

The School of Psychology and Counselling at The Open University has a vibrant research culture that is noted to be an international leader in transdisciplinary and applied research. Our School houses three research streams: i) Culture and Social Psychology (CuSP); ii) Psychology of Health and Wellbeing (PHeW) and iii) the Forensic Cognition Research Group (FCRG) which form part of the Open Psychology Research Centre (OPRC). Psychology at The Open University produces psychological research that seeks to understand, transform and enrich the lives of individuals and communities by foregrounding methodological and theoretical pluralism with a commitment to social justice. Students will be equipped to examine complex psychological phenomenon as they unfold as part of social practices in real settings. Using established, innovative and creative social science research methodologies, students will develop research to address wider societal challenges. Postgraduate students play a central role in developing new ideas with a contemporary focus, examining the impact of exceptional and everyday situations through a psychological lens. The School of Psychology and Counselling provides students with first-class training and resources which will enable them to be future research leaders in distinctive and emergent social practices constituting and transforming everyday lives.