Sport and Exercise Psychology BSc (Hons)

Become familiar with the core domains of biological, social, cognitive and developmental psychology and their individual differences in the context of sport and exercise. Uncover key areas of investigation in sport and exercise psychology including anxiety, arousal, and performance in sport (bio-cognitive), motivation (social-cognitive), group dynamics and team cohesion (social), children and seniors in exercise (developmental), personality (individual differences), moral psychology (social-cognitive), injury (bio-psycho-social), and long term athletic/personal development (social-developmental).

Compulsory

Deepen your understanding of how culture, gender and sexuality are understood across different historical and cultural contexts within sport and exercise psychology. Gain an understanding on topics, theories, qualitative methodologies and research evidence across diverse contexts. Contexts include feminist psychology (e.g. gender differences within sports); LGBTQ+ psychology; social psychology (e.g. sex/gender prejudice roles in sports; team cohesion); developmental psychology (e.g. sexual and gender identity, parental/peer pressure linked to gendered sports) and biopsychology (e.g. biology of sex and sexual orientation such as trans inclusion within sports).

Compulsory

Understand how psychological theory and research are applied within sport and exercise settings to facilitate health, wellbeing and performance. Deepen your understanding in the areas of needs analyses, mental skills training, intervention implementation and sustainability within the contexts of sport and exercise.

Compulsory

Apply sport and exercise psychology to broader areas of education, occupational, forensic, clinical, health, counselling, coaching and wider performance settings. Explore how the core domains of biological, social, cognitive and developmental psychology are relevant within a broader range of contexts. Stress, motivation, physical activity, social belonging, morality and personal development will all be associated with wellbeing and performance in the key areas of applied psychology. The cross-contextual application of focal topics in SEP will be referenced within holistic models of practice that adopt multiple psychological perspectives and research areas.

Compulsory

Consider historical, contemporary and future developments in the area of sport and exercise psychology. Whilst the discipline has adopted mainstream psychological perspectives (social, cognitive, biological and developmental) to the context of sport and exercise, current theory and research is constrained by its origins. Critically examine past strengths and limitations of SEP theory, research and applications as well as the influence of mainstream psychology on the future development of this field.

Compulsory

Unlock the secrets of statistical analysis in this module, where you'll learn to conduct, report, and interpret various statistical tests. Dive into the intricacies of complex experimental and correlational designs. Develop your skills in planning psychological research projects, navigating the essentials of research proposal development, and exploring conceptual, methodological and ethical considerations, along with quantitative and/or qualitative methods application.

Compulsory

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

This module starts the dissertation process where you will use your knowledge of research methods and theory to design a supervised independent research project. This project must address an appropriate psychological research question. You will develop an understanding of Coventry University, The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS) Ethics and complete an online Coventry University research ethics application.

Compulsory

Conduct your own research project under the guidance of your personal project supervisor. You’ll collect and analyse data and write up your own empirical study. This module has been designed to not only refine your research capabilities but also foster independence and a deeper understanding of your chosen topic area.

Compulsory

This module is designed to equip you with a range of essential personal and professional skills that are required to be a successful student and graduate employee. You will develop skills such as researching the field; inquiry-based learning; active learning; writing and speaking fluently; working in groups and independently; reflecting upon your work; problem-solving; and presenting your work both orally and in writing.

Compulsory

Choose three from the following six optional modules:

• Addictive Behaviours - 20 credits
  Deepen your understanding of key topics in psychopharmacology which considers the interrelationship between drugs, psychology and behaviour. Explore the use of drugs as tools to develop models of psychopathology, drugs as treatments for behavioural disorders, drugs as substances of abuse and the major psychotropic drug classifications. Draw upon several areas of psychology to understand the causes of addictive behaviour in different contexts.
• Child and Educational Psychology - 20 credits
  Delve into the fascinating world of developmental disorders, exploring their impact from early childhood to early adulthood. Gain insights into the assessment and remediation of difficulties within educational settings, while also examining broader topics such as comorbidity, labelling, stigma, and inclusion. This module spans psychological, counselling, forensic and sport and exercise contexts, offering a comprehensive understanding of special educational needs.
• Advanced Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology - 20 credits
  Explore SEP in performance enhancement, physical activity adherence and health promotion and its wider application to mental health and wellbeing. Critically analyse delivery frameworks and practices including key stages such as meeting clients, building rapport, conducting a needs analysis, counselling and psychological techniques with long term support of athletes, exercisers, and general practitioner referrals. Contemporary applications and interventions are evaluated from a broad range of theory, research and past practices.
• Aggression and Violent Behaviour - 20 credits
  Examine the complex manifestations of aggression and violence in various contexts such as mental health hospitals, prisons, and intimate relationships. Integrate theories from developmental, social, biological, and cognitive psychology to gain a comprehensive understanding of how aggression and violence shape deviant/criminal behaviours and interpersonal conflicts in diverse settings and professional dynamics.
• Counselling Psychology - 20 credits
  Learn about the broader concepts and theoretical explanations within counselling psychology and how to implement these in practice with a diverse range of clients (e.g. cross-cultural counselling, sports performers, former athletes, victims and ex-offenders).
• Neuropsychology in Sport and Exercise - 20 credits
  Build upon your knowledge of biological and cognitive approaches to psychology which were introduced during the first and second year of your course. Explore more contemporary neural mechanisms of cognitive and affective processes in typical sporting and motor-learning contexts. Critically evaluate published scientific reports on current research in the areas of neuropsychology and sport. Develop an appreciation of the neurological mechanisms underlying human thinking, feeling, and behaviour with a particular focus on athletes, motor-learning and control. Engage with the emerging critical issues within neuropsychology and evaluate a range of factors that influence human, and particularly athletic performance. Gain a practical understanding of neuro-imaging techniques and their application to sport and exercise. The assessment is a neuro-imaging research proposal based on a typical grant proposal.

Optional module choices are subject to change in any given year.

Optional