BA (Hons) Psychology and Languages Bachelor's degree at Lancaster University

Cognition is the mental processes underlying our ability to process and perceive the world around us. Social psychology offers a way to understand ourselves and the social world around us. You will learn about classic paradigms and experimental approaches, covering key historical and conceptual topics within these fields of psychological research. You will be provided with a comprehensive overview of core theories and findings as well as explore how theories and findings extend beyond the laboratory setting into the real world. You will also see how personality, individual differences, and intelligence impact our mental processes and are expressed in our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Your first theory module will introduce you to two key areas of study in psychology, developmental psychology and neuropsychology, plus the underpinning concept of individual differences. Developmental Psychology looks at change over time, using theories of learning (such as those from Piaget and Vygotsky) as a focus for discussion. Neuropsychology takes us into the realms of the brain and mind, where you will begin to understand the complex interplay between the brain and behaviour in real-world contexts. You will learn to use primary sources of knowledge - peer-reviewed journal articles presenting scientific theory and evidence - to enrich your thinking and talking about psychology and dev

How do we decide whether two groups differ in a psychological process or behaviour? Further your understanding of rigorous and transparent scientific practices and develop your thinking of real-world issues. Using modern techniques, learn more about how to collect, present and analyse data. You will be introduced to key concepts and practices of research design and data analysis through lectures. Practical laboratory classes will teach you how to design studies, handle data, perform statistical analyses and report your findings. The laboratory classes will be hands-on, giving you direct experience with all stages of a research project, including the use of specialised software. Topics covere

How do we determine what is a true finding in psychological science? How do we know which theories are well supported by evidence? This module introduces you to rigorous and transparent scientific practices. You will develop systematic ways of thinking about and approaching real-world issues. Using modern techniques, you will learn how to collect, present and analyse data. We will introduce key concepts and practices of research design and data analysis through lectures. Practical laboratory classes will teach you how to design studies, handle data, perform statistical analyses and report your findings. The laboratory classes will be hands-on, giving you direct experience of all stages of a

Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish In this year-long module you will progress to B1/B2 on the CEFR scale and HSK 4/5 for Chinese. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in fields of specialisation. You will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers, including facilitating intercultural encounters. You will be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials in the target language, varying in terms of content, format and register aimed at broadening and deepening your understanding of different aspects of modern society, politics and

Beginning Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish Suitable for complete beginners up to GCSE. Take your chosen language from beginners' level and, over the academic year, reach a high A2 level on the CEFR scale for the European Languages, and HSK 2/3 for Chinese. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to engage with everyday life situations such as describing your environment, express preferences and discuss past events or future plans in simple terms. In seminars you will cover a range of oral, aural, written, and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. The study of the cultural, social and histor

Delve deeper into the fascinating world of cognitive psychology. You’ll uncover how the brain processes information, how we remember, learn, focus our attention and make sense of what we see and hear. Topics include everything from memory and categorisation to face recognition, auditory processing and how our senses work together. Explore landmark studies and cutting-edge research that reveal how our minds shape behaviour. This is your chance to engage with the science behind how we experience the world. You’ll sharpen your ability to analyse research, evaluate evidence, and make sense of complex ideas. It’s a key step in understanding human behaviour and in building your own research and cr

How do we design experiments to ensure they answer the specific research question(s) we propose? How would data that is derived from such experiments be analysed? Uncover advanced concepts that are important to consider when designing experimental studies. We will introduce you to advanced statistical techniques and key concepts that can be used to analyse data from experimental research studies. In the labs you will gain hands-on experience in developing experiments, preparing data for analysis, and analysing complex datasets. Topics will include designing complex experimental studies, important ethical considerations when conducting research, how to prepare “messy” data for analysis and ho

How do you explore human behaviour and experience it without conducting experiments? In this module, you’ll learn how to design, carry out, and analyse non-experimental studies that offer valuable insights into people’s thoughts, feelings and actions, particularly through language and observation. You’ll develop core skills in qualitative methods such as interviews and thematic analysis and discover how to combine these with quantitative approaches in mixed methods research. You’ll also explore how to analyse complex numerical data from observational studies using advanced statistical techniques, including regression. Lectures will introduce you to the key concepts, while lab sessions give y

Explore the rich and thought-provoking world of social psychology. You’ll dive into topics like social influence, leadership, prejudice, intergroup conflict, social cognition, attitudes, attribution, and identity uncovering how our thoughts, behaviours and relationships are shaped by the social world around us. But this isn’t just about theory. You’ll also examine how social psychology is shaped by cultural and historical context, question the methods used in research, and think critically about how knowledge is produced and how it’s used. Through engaging lectures and interactive seminars, you’ll build a strong set of academic skills. Learn how to use technical language, connect complex ide

French, German, Italian and Spanish Progress to B2 level on the CEFR scale by the end of the year. You will develop a range of oral, aural, written and reading skills in an integrated way that embraces techniques of linguistic mediation and the plurilingual contexts of each language. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics and interact with native speakers in a range of situations. You will be able to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects including explaining viewpoints on topical issues. The study of cultural, social, and historical context is embedded in the language learning within overar

Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish In this year-long module you will progress to B1/B2 on the CEFR scale and HSK 4/5 for Chinese. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in fields of specialisation. You will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with native speakers, including facilitating intercultural encounters. You will be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials in the target language, varying in terms of content, format and register aimed at broadening and deepening your understanding of different aspects of modern society, politics and

Spend an academic year abroad engaging with the communities of the relevant language (s) studied. This can be at a partner university, working in industry, with an NGO or other charitable projects, in an entrepreneurial activity or teaching English as a foreign language. A combination of activities is also possible. If you have educational needs, you may complete the year with online work or placement based in the UK if the work utilises the language you are studying. You design your Global Engagement Year during your second year, supported by a series of workshops and one-to-one sessions with a pre-departure supervisor. Once abroad, you will remain in contact with the supervisor and produce

Chinese, French, German and Spanish Build on the language competencies and expertise you have gained during the Global Engagement Year and progress to C1/C2 on the CEFR level for the European languages or HSK 6/7 for Chinese. By the end of the year, you will be able to understand and produce a wide range of complex, longer texts, recognise implicit meaning and show controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. You will be able to express yourself spontaneously, flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. You will cover areas such as future threats to specified language communities, opportunities to advocate and promote languages, and

This module introduces you to the fundamental neural principles underlying cognition and behaviour, with particular emphasis on perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processes. You will gain basic knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, and functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems, alongside a range of theories and neuroscientific research methods. Develop your analytical and critical thinking skills by engaging in scientific literature and making comparisons across different theories and methods. By the end of the module, you will understand the methods used to study the nervous system and be able to describe the general relationships between brain structure and function. Topics

Gain a solid foundation in developmental psychology, exploring it from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Through lectures and seminars, you'll dive into key topics in developmental science from prenatal development through childhood and adolescence. You'll explore motor, perceptual, cognitive, communicative, social, emotional and cultural development. Along the way, you'll tackle fundamental questions: What makes infants such powerful learners? How do different capacities emerge and develop? And what happens when development takes an atypical path? You'll also engage with major theoretical debates that have shaped our understanding of these processes.

For your project, you’ll carry out an independent piece of psychological research, guided by a dedicated supervisor. Together, you’ll decide on a research question that reflects your interests, so no two projects are the same. You can use a variety of methods, depending on the topic you choose. This is your chance to bring together everything you’ve learned throughout your degree and make your own contribution to psychological research.