Studying at York
Individuality & Its Roots - EDU00078M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
This module aims to build students’ knowledge and understanding of how and why individuals vary in their cognitive ability, personality, motivation and interests. Over the course of the module we will introduce students to what is currently known about biological bases of behaviour, such as the brain and the genome, and discuss the relevance of behavioural genetics and neuroscience to psychology and education, exploring recent studies and debates in these fields.
Students will also engage with the differential psychology literature and will be supported in developing their knowledge and understanding of psychological constructs such as intelligence and personality. They will be exposed to, and engage with, the many debates that exist around the definition and measurement of such constructs. The knowledge acquired during this module will be used as a base for exploring the importance of individual differences in educational contexts.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
By the end of this module students will have developed:
- Broad knowledge, and a nuanced understanding, of key theories and empirical research in biological psychology.
- Confidence in their capacity to explain what is known about biological and environmental influences on human traits and behaviours.
- Ability to identify key structures of the brain and genome, and awareness of new developments in these areas.
- A knowledge base that will allow them to explore and debate the key features of educational neuroscience and behavioural genetics, and their implications.
- Broad knowledge, and a nuanced understanding, of key theories and research in individual differences psychology.
- Knowledge and skills necessary to consider and question theories and measures of intelligence, personality, motivation and interests.
- Confidence to discuss the relevance of individual differences theories to education, with reference to a range of theoretical and empirical evidence.
Academic and graduate skills
Students will learn how to:
- Formulate and present a persuasive, articulate academic argument that is well supported and well structured.
- Synthesise research and theory from biological, behavioural and social science literature.
- Critically evaluate research for reliability and validity, and explore implications for education.
- Discuss, with reference to evidence, the ethics of applying genetic and neuroscientific research to education.
Module content
There will be one on-campus lecture each week. After an introductory lecture, weeks 2-6 will focus on individual differences topics including personality, intelligence, and positive psychology. Lectures in weeks 7-11 will focus on biological psychology in educational contexts, including neuroscience, neuroimaging, the adolescent brain and an introduction to the genome and behavioural genetics. In the final few weeks there will be additional small group sessions, to enable some laboratory practical work. The module also includes a self-study pack on neuromyths, introduced in week 1. On-campus lectures will be complemented by weekly additional reading and other activities, accessed through the VLE.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Open Examination | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Open Examination | 100 |
Module feedback
Individual written feedback reports with follow-up tutor discussion if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.
Indicative reading
Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2016). Personality and individual differences. John Wiley & Sons.
Blakemore, S.J. & Frith, U. (2005). The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education. Wiley-Blackwell.
Mareschal, D., Butterworth, B., & Tolmie, A. (Eds.). (2013). Educational neuroscience. John Wiley & Sons.
Maltby, J., Day, L., & Macaskill, A. (2010). Personality, individual differences and intelligence. Pearson Education.
Asbury, K. & Plomin, R. (2013). G is for Genes: The Impact of Genetics on Education. Wiley-Blackwell.