This module will introduce you to a range of aspects of the core curriculum which underpins Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society. The topics covered include relationships, attention, memory, the brain, and health and well-being, with references made to real-world applications using engaging current literature and case studies to bring the content to life. The module draws on a range of voices to encourage critical thought and debate, and issues around diversity will be directly embedded into the curriculum.
The module is comprised of the following four study blocks of theoretical content and will deliver research methods in parallel.
Introductory Block: This introduces a range of perspectives in psychology and starts to consider ethical issues in historical and contemporary psychological knowledge and research.
Block 1: This focuses on social psychology, including topics such as obedience, conformity, group processes, social cognition, including bias, prejudice (with a particular focus on outsiders and groups in conflict), relationships, cultural diversity and differences from across the globe, and learning from watching.
Block 2: This explores cognitive psychology, including perception, attention, and memory, focusing on remembering and forgetting and the application of memory research to witnessing and recall.
Block 3: This examines biological psychology. You'll explore the human brain and how we can understand diversity and difference, learning and conditioning, and examine how psychology can help us understand physical and mental health.
Running alongside the theoretical material, you'll have the chance to develop your research skills and apply these to the topics you are studying. Each week, you'll take an in-depth look at the different perspectives taken in psychological research and consider examples from theory to illustrate where our psychological knowledge comes from. You'll be supported in asking and answering different psychological research questions and considering the ethical implications of the proposed work. You'll explore and develop your understanding of a broad range of qualitative techniques, including thematic and discursive analysis, and phenomenological research.
You'll also be supported in developing your skills in quantitative research and have the opportunity to use a specialist software package (SPSS) to summarise and describe numerical information, examine associations between data sets, and test hypotheses. For both qualitative and quantitative research, you'll have the chance to engage in ‘real-world’ studies and produce research reports to summarise your findings, a key skill for future work in the psychological field.
On successful completion of this module, you will have:
This is one of the two core modules in our British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited MSc in Psychology (Conversion).
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Course work includes:
You will be provided with a research methods workbook and have access to a module website, which includes:
Sometimes you cannot count a module towards a qualification if you have already counted another module with similar content. To verify any excluded combinations with this module, check with an adviser before registering.
Critically exploring psychology 1 starts once a year – in September.
This page describes the module that will start in September 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in September 2031.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
|---|
| 05 Sep 2026 | 30 Jun 2027 | 13 Aug 2026 | Not yet available* |
| *This start date is open for pre-booking, which means you can reserve your place ahead of the fees being confirmed. We’ll publish updated 2026/27 fees and funding information in late March 2026. |
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate tuition fee loans in Northern Ireland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Scotland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Wales.
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Read more about Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA).
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We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA).
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may get support from your employer to pay part of your tuition fee and pay the remainder by credit or debit card.
For more information about combining payment options, contact an adviser.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
