MSc — 2024 entry Behaviour Change

This module provides students with an advanced knowledge of designing research in a particular field of psychology, in preparation for developing their own dissertations. The module will cover all aspects of research design, including literature reviews, forming hypotheses, ethical conduct, and study design, both quantitative and qualitative.

This level 7 module introduces students to the principles and practices of qualitative research. It provides students with the requisite knowledge and skills to undertake, critically evaluate, and write up a small qualitative research project. Students will be introduced to a range of methods of qualitative data collection and analytic procedures and gain insight into the application of qualitative methods through practical group work. Students will be encouraged to participate actively and think critically about the principles, methods and procedures that we will discuss. In terms of the students’ learning journey, the module will equip them to undertake a qualitative project for their dissertation should they choose to do so. The module is designed to introduce students who have little or no experience of qualitative research to the principles and practices of this approach.  It also meets the needs of those who already have some experience in this area, by enabling these students to build on, refine, and extend their existing knowledge through the provision of advanced material on Surrey Learn in the form of captured content relating to additional methods of analysing qualitative data.  These students will also be encouraged to extend their practical knowledge and experience by selecting an analytic procedure that they have not previously used to analyse the data for their group project. Through conducting a small group project students will be given the opportunity to gain experience in conducting qualitative research and in applying the principles and practices covered in the lectures. The module provides students with an opportunity to learn about the interpersonal skills required to conduct a good research interview and those needed to successfully conduct and manage a group project. Students are also encouraged to develop their personal reflective skills to enhance their understanding of how their own cultural background, social identity, gender, previous experiences, and prior knowledge can shape data collection and analysis, as well as individual sense-making.

his module provides students with an understanding of core theories and concepts in health psychology, and the skills and methods used to translate, and reflect on the translation of, health psychology into real-world contemporary health behaviour contexts. The module thus covers transferrable skills useful for a career in health psychology research and practice. Students will also gain an awareness of professional issues in behavioural health psychology. We will encourage students to think reflexively on how to apply professional and transferrable skills in the context of different issues that impact contemporary health psychology. The module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas of a British Psychological Society accredited degree: professional issues, core skills, contexts and perspectives in health psychology, health-related behaviors and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to learn to think critically and reflexively about the application of health psychology theories, concepts, methods and skills within different contemporary health behaviour domains.

This module seeks to contextualise behaviour change science, policy and practice. Students are introduced to the policy-making process, how behaviour change strategies are designed, implemented and evaluated among the general public, and the political philosophy of behaviour change science, practice, and policy-making. We critically discuss applied case studies of policy initiatives that have drawn on behavioural science theories and evidence, and external influences, such as the political environment, that can cause policy to deviate from theory or evidence. The module helps students to recognise the tacit assumptions that are made when attempting to change behaviour ‘for the greater good’, and the challenges and counterarguments that often limit the acceptability, feasibility or effectiveness of implementing behaviour change strategies in real-world settings. An overarching purpose of the module is to encourage students to move outside of the academic context and see the ‘bigger picture’ regarding the role of behavioural science and practice for tackling pressing problems in modern societies.

This course is a lab-based/practical course intended to get students to use the freely available Jamovi software for data analysis and to understand what they are doing when they use it.

Advances in digital technology are relevant to behaviour change research and practice in three ways: helping behavioural scientists to develop a more sophisticated understanding of human behaviour, enhancing the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions, and shaping everyday behaviours in its own right. This module seeks to explore the contribution that digital tech has made – and continues to make – to understanding and changing behaviour. Students will be introduced to cutting-edge research and practice across a range of tech domains, such as machine learning, Big Data, digital addiction, and digital behaviour change applications. Students will be introduced to a range of disciplinary perspectives, theories and concepts relating to digital technology, and will develop the skills and knowledge required to apply these to behaviour change research and intervention contexts for maximum effectiveness.

Consumer Behaviour is evident in everyday life, therefore knowledge and understanding of this subject can be beneficial to personal decision-making as well as to marketing and strategy formulation, both in offline and online environments. The module Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour deals with a range of theoretical, practical techniques in understanding and researching consumer consumption behaviour and how such an understanding can be used to create successful and viable marketing strategies. This module gives students the opportunity to explore theories and leading-edge research findings and apply knowledge by conducting small group discussion and/or activities. Thus, reflective, and critical applications of relevant behavioural, cognitive, and socio-cultural approaches to consumption are discussed.

It is a requirement of the University that taught postgraduate programmes include a dissertation and/or major project module. For this module students will conduct their own theory- and evidence-based behaviour change research and/or practice in academic and/or real-world settings, under appropriate supervision. Students can choose to undertake either a ‘Research Project’ or a ‘Practice Project’. The Research Project is a ‘traditional’, dissertation-style piece of work, the aim of which is to generate new knowledge in behaviour change theory or application. The Practice Project is an applied consultancy-style project undertaken in a real-world setting, which requires students to apply theories and practise principles of behavioural science to address an important contemporary issue that can reasonably be formulated as a human behaviour change problem.   All students will be assigned to an appropriate member of academic staff, and external stakeholder supervisors as appropriate, who will supervise their project work.   Both Research and Practice Projects require a high standard of academic rigour and are assessed to identical criteria.  Both project options require students to: identify an opportunity to work with University-based and/or external stakeholders; apply behavioural science principles to formulate and develop understanding of a pertinent problem, and/or generate a solution to that problem, from a behaviour change perspective; develop project aims; develop an appropriate theoretical framework; conduct a review of appropriate literature; develop aims, research questions and/or hypotheses as appropriate; recruit samples, conduct fieldwork and liaise with key personnel as appropriate; undertake original analyses of empirical data using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods analysis methods; interpret findings; and write a report of the project in APA format.  

This module provides students with an advanced knowledge of designing research in a particular field of psychology, in preparation for developing their own dissertations. The module will cover all aspects of research design, including literature reviews, forming hypotheses, ethical conduct, and study design, both quantitative and qualitative.

This level 7 module introduces students to the principles and practices of qualitative research. It provides students with the requisite knowledge and skills to undertake, critically evaluate, and write up a small qualitative research project. Students will be introduced to a range of methods of qualitative data collection and analytic procedures and gain insight into the application of qualitative methods through practical group work. Students will be encouraged to participate actively and think critically about the principles, methods and procedures that we will discuss. In terms of the students’ learning journey, the module will equip them to undertake a qualitative project for their dissertation should they choose to do so. The module is designed to introduce students who have little or no experience of qualitative research to the principles and practices of this approach.  It also meets the needs of those who already have some experience in this area, by enabling these students to build on, refine, and extend their existing knowledge through the provision of advanced material on Surrey Learn in the form of captured content relating to additional methods of analysing qualitative data.  These students will also be encouraged to extend their practical knowledge and experience by selecting an analytic procedure that they have not previously used to analyse the data for their group project. Through conducting a small group project students will be given the opportunity to gain experience in conducting qualitative research and in applying the principles and practices covered in the lectures. The module provides students with an opportunity to learn about the interpersonal skills required to conduct a good research interview and those needed to successfully conduct and manage a group project. Students are also encouraged to develop their personal reflective skills to enhance their understanding of how their own cultural background, social identity, gender, previous experiences, and prior knowledge can shape data collection and analysis, as well as individual sense-making.

This course is a lab-based/practical course intended to get students to use the freely available Jamovi software for data analysis and to understand what they are doing when they use it.

Consumer Behaviour is evident in everyday life, therefore knowledge and understanding of this subject can be beneficial to personal decision-making as well as to marketing and strategy formulation, both in offline and online environments. The module Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour deals with a range of theoretical, practical techniques in understanding and researching consumer consumption behaviour and how such an understanding can be used to create successful and viable marketing strategies. This module gives students the opportunity to explore theories and leading-edge research findings and apply knowledge by conducting small group discussion and/or activities. Thus, reflective, and critical applications of relevant behavioural, cognitive, and socio-cultural approaches to consumption are discussed.

his module provides students with an understanding of core theories and concepts in health psychology, and the skills and methods used to translate, and reflect on the translation of, health psychology into real-world contemporary health behaviour contexts. The module thus covers transferrable skills useful for a career in health psychology research and practice. Students will also gain an awareness of professional issues in behavioural health psychology. We will encourage students to think reflexively on how to apply professional and transferrable skills in the context of different issues that impact contemporary health psychology. The module has been designed in accordance with requirements (stage 1) of the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology accreditation criteria. This module addresses the following curriculum areas of a British Psychological Society accredited degree: professional issues, core skills, contexts and perspectives in health psychology, health-related behaviors and cognitions, interventions and healthcare and professional settings. This module will help students to learn to think critically and reflexively about the application of health psychology theories, concepts, methods and skills within different contemporary health behaviour domains.

This module seeks to contextualise behaviour change science, policy and practice. Students are introduced to the policy-making process, how behaviour change strategies are designed, implemented and evaluated among the general public, and the political philosophy of behaviour change science, practice, and policy-making. We critically discuss applied case studies of policy initiatives that have drawn on behavioural science theories and evidence, and external influences, such as the political environment, that can cause policy to deviate from theory or evidence. The module helps students to recognise the tacit assumptions that are made when attempting to change behaviour ‘for the greater good’, and the challenges and counterarguments that often limit the acceptability, feasibility or effectiveness of implementing behaviour change strategies in real-world settings. An overarching purpose of the module is to encourage students to move outside of the academic context and see the ‘bigger picture’ regarding the role of behavioural science and practice for tackling pressing problems in modern societies.

Advances in digital technology are relevant to behaviour change research and practice in three ways: helping behavioural scientists to develop a more sophisticated understanding of human behaviour, enhancing the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions, and shaping everyday behaviours in its own right. This module seeks to explore the contribution that digital tech has made – and continues to make – to understanding and changing behaviour. Students will be introduced to cutting-edge research and practice across a range of tech domains, such as machine learning, Big Data, digital addiction, and digital behaviour change applications. Students will be introduced to a range of disciplinary perspectives, theories and concepts relating to digital technology, and will develop the skills and knowledge required to apply these to behaviour change research and intervention contexts for maximum effectiveness.

It is a requirement of the University that taught postgraduate programmes include a dissertation and/or major project module. For this module students will conduct their own theory- and evidence-based behaviour change research and/or practice in academic and/or real-world settings, under appropriate supervision. Students can choose to undertake either a ‘Research Project’ or a ‘Practice Project’. The Research Project is a ‘traditional’, dissertation-style piece of work, the aim of which is to generate new knowledge in behaviour change theory or application. The Practice Project is an applied consultancy-style project undertaken in a real-world setting, which requires students to apply theories and practise principles of behavioural science to address an important contemporary issue that can reasonably be formulated as a human behaviour change problem.   All students will be assigned to an appropriate member of academic staff, and external stakeholder supervisors as appropriate, who will supervise their project work.   Both Research and Practice Projects require a high standard of academic rigour and are assessed to identical criteria.  Both project options require students to: identify an opportunity to work with University-based and/or external stakeholders; apply behavioural science principles to formulate and develop understanding of a pertinent problem, and/or generate a solution to that problem, from a behaviour change perspective; develop project aims; develop an appropriate theoretical framework; conduct a review of appropriate literature; develop aims, research questions and/or hypotheses as appropriate; recruit samples, conduct fieldwork and liaise with key personnel as appropriate; undertake original analyses of empirical data using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods analysis methods; interpret findings; and write a report of the project in APA format.