PSYC3827: Active Vision: Eye Movements from Theory to Application

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

• None

• None

• In this module you will learn about why and how eye movements can be examined to study fundamental psychological questions, related for instance to attention, memory, language and decision making, as well as more applied questions in multiple real-world domains, including clinical settings. You will learn about mechanisms, theories, and use of eye movements in both research labs and everyday environments

• This module examines eye-movement behaviour in both laboratory settings and in everyday environments.
• Example module topics include introduction to eye movements (for instance, types and functions), how to measure eye movements, applications in lab-based research with different task paradigms and applications in several real-world domains for research, training and evaluation purposes.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Depth of knowledge in the area of eye-movement behaviour including current theory and evidence

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately

Key Skills:

• Good written communication skills
• Good IT skills in word processing
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines

• Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, interactive problem-based-learning tasks, audio-visual materials, discussions and reading lists
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
• The summative assessment will comprise a research proposal (90% of the overall module mark) and MCQ quizzes (10% of the overall module mark).
• In the research proposal, students will propose a study using eye tracking (fixed or mobile) to answer a question on a topic of their choice. This assessment will assess detailed subject knowledge and depth of understanding by requiring students to incorporate a literature review, develop clear research question, provide details of their hypotheses, methodological aspects and reasons why eye tracking and the specific measures selected are appropriate to examine the question.
• Through their choice of topic for the research proposal, students will be able to partially customise the module according to their interests and develop independent learning skills.
• The MCQ quizzes will assess detailed subject knowledge encompassing the breadth of the content covered in the module.
• An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the research proposal.
• Lectures, discussions, and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will give students the opportunity to be exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work and to develop an original research question that can be studied with eye-tracking in the lab or in real-world domains.
• The summative research proposal will assess students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles, empirical studies, strengths and limitations in the use of eye tracking, and their ability to organise and synthesise theories and empirical studies coherently and critically in written form with an appropriate format to address the chosen research question.
• The essay will also assess students' written communication skills. enter text as appropriate for the module

Formative assessment will be undertaken in class in small groups and feedback will be provided. Students will be set with a research question and essential literature to prepare a short research proposal.

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