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Accessibility statement
Qualification dates
StartEnd
03 Oct 2026Jun 2027
23 Jan 2027Sept 2027
This module takes an integrative approach, focusing on the everyday questions that psychology can help us to answer. Why do we help one another? Do you see what I see? How do we know what’s right? Investigating how we understand others and the world around us, the module draws on biological, cognitive, developmental and social research in psychology to help you answer questions such as these. You'll also learn how to design and conduct your own research, covering several different methods for gathering and analysing evidence on psychological processes.
This module draws on the four core areas of biological, cognitive, developmental and social research in psychology to investigate how we understand others and the world around us. Individual differences and conceptual and historical issues in psychology (CHIPS) will be taught throughout the module within the context of these four core areas. The module also provides training and practice in a variety of psychological research methods.
The interactive online study guide leads you, week by week, through a series of everyday questions such as: Why do we help one another? Do you see what I see? Why do I feel this way? How do we know what’s right? The module is divided into three main blocks and is designed to take you on a journey through the four core areas mentioned above, exploring their distinctive and overlapping contributions.
Block 1 starts with some fundamental concepts in social psychology and leads to the cognitive approaches to understanding the social world.
Block 2 begins with cognitive investigations of perception and attention and takes you on to biological understandings of the brain and behaviour.
In Block 3, you'll begin with the basic biological processes at birth and move through the lifespan to learn about developmental approaches to psychology.
The module is designed to highlight work that crosses the boundaries between the four core areas, for example, by employing concepts or methods developed in one area of research to help us understand psychological problems that have been mainly studied in another.
You'll also learn how to design and conduct your own research, covering a number of different methods for gathering and analysing evidence on psychological processes. This module builds on the methods, knowledge and skills that you gained from the OU level 1 psychology modules. It will also prepare you for your independent project work in the OU level 3 module Investigating psychology 3 (DE300). Your understanding of various research methods will be widened, and you'll have opportunities to further develop your skills. There will be a strong focus on practical methods, including various approaches to data collection as well as analysis (e.g. using statistical software).
You'll conduct and write up two mini projects which will develop and assess your quantitative and qualitative research skills in experimental and text-based research methods. You will also be assessed through two interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs), writing a report that applies psychology to a real-world problem and an integrative essay. The module finishes with an end-of-module assessment.
If you are considering progressing to Investigating psychology 3 (DE300), normally you should have completed this module.
This module is not available for standalone study; it can only be studied as part of a qualification. You must have completed Encountering psychology in context (D120) or its predecessor Investigating psychology 1 (DE100).
DE200 can only be studied at the same time as other modules in Stage 2 of a qualification or as the last module to complete the stage.  
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You'll be provided with three textbooks, statistical analysis software (SPSS) and have access to a module website which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DE200 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Investigating psychology 2 starts twice a year – in February and October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026 and February 2027, when we expect it to start for the last time.
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