I am currently studying toward a general
>B.Sc. Psychology.
My particular university has a very strong focus on
>Cognitive Psychology
>Neuropsychology
>Biological Psychology
and neglect other fields of psychology in their B.Sc. programme (social psychology, clinical psychology, etc.).
>I learn a lot about the brain regions, neurotransmitters, gestalt psychology, fMRI research methods, etc. (almost no social and humanist psychology fields)
While it is a very good / high reputation programme, I feel that its narrow focus is not very well suited to students who want a more general education. My bachelor programme doesn't give a broad general overview of the entire field.
I am noticing that this cognitive psychology bent, is not my preferred field and that I have a stronger interest in social psychology (especially cross-cultural / cultural psychology) - going more into the field of sociology.
>Is it possible to still do a master in cultural psychology in my position?
>Does having a B.Sc. Psychology (with Neuropsychology focus) put me at a disadvantage when applying for a more 'social' psychology master?
>Should a change universities?
Experiences would be really helpful.
Thanks.
>>17132483
bump for experiences and advice
I would steer clear of social psychology, remember how that independent panel went through a great deal of psychological studies were repeatable? The worst area they found was social psychology. The best were cognitive and behavioral. Find a professor you like, buy them a decent bottle of wine and discuss your options.
>>17132483
Adv will generally advise you away from social sciences since this board heavily subscribes to the STEM masterrace ideal.
They have a point.
However, if you love social psych and don't enjoy cognitive then maybe a shift is right for you.
One thing to consider is whether the course branches out in your second and third years. First year of any course is often quite proscribed re:module choice; do you get freedom to pick other classes later on?
TLDR talk to your mentor/Personal tutor
>>17132853
Yes, I heard a lot about the test-retest reliability problems of social psychology (especially in the 90s). But I did not know that it is still a persistent problem.
Is social psychology completely virtue-less?
We do you think it was the worst field in psychology?
>>17132912
I understand that 4chan is not a socscience place. But I think that my question was mainly directed to people who have studied / are in the field of psychology in general.
What would you mean by 'shift'?
I did choose this university knowing that they have a cognitive focus (of course I didn't know how a 'bio+cognitive focus' would look like until i arrived here. My university also has a very high barrier in terms of methods and stats, very much emphasising 'good science' and having a very solid stats background should help in any field of psychology.
Also I thought that going
>cognitive neuropsychology -> social / cultural psychology
is easier than
> social/cultural psychology ->cognitive neuropsy. (especially because i really liked a short psychopharma module we had)
At my uni it even gets more stringent as the years go on with even more focus being put on neuro and cognitive systems.
I do not hate it, I believe that fMRI, PET, MEG is the 'future of psychology' as a harder science and where the research money is at. I currently just cannot really imagine myself working as a Neuroscientist, rather a travelling cross-cultural-developmental psychologist (or smth akin to it).
I just don't really know what it says about me, when my favourite subject until now is
>history of psychology.
>body and behaviour
>psychopharmacology
Thanks guys.
>>17133017
I'll admit to some personal bias, but a lot of the research appears to be "I believe this to be true, how can I design an experiment to prove it". Seriously talked to a trusted professor about whatvthey thing, get in some undergraduate research.
>>17132912
Psychology isn't a social science. It's a broad field with areas that focus on socia psychology.. But my university considers it STEM. Actual psychology is nothing like pop culture tells you. It's s very dense, biology-heavy, scientific-method dependent major.
>>17132912
We need more psychologists and psychotherapists to treat all the freaks on this board
>>17133024
Are you kidding me? Lol you know nothing about a psychology degree. One of my professors used to take points off of our attendance if we said "I believe/think/feel" in a discussion.
Seriously Google a published APA Article. See if you can even understand the fuxking crazy statistics and figures.
>>17133025
muwahahaha
>>17132483
social psyhcology is full of shenanigans. But if you insist in doing it, consider the field of social neuroscience. I am surprised you have not heard of it. What is also rather odd, is that you are not aware of study councilors for such questions or opportunities to follow courses at other uni´s. Both are extremely common.
I hope you will change your mind, since you are spitting right in the face of the only decent psy fields to steer to the very worst one.
>>17133024
> "I believe this to be true, how can I design an experiment to prove it".
I humbly disagree, although I understand that it may look like that from the outside.
I personally find the human component to be somewhat missing in neuropsychology. I did not opt for stem due to the anti-social nature of the subject (read theoretical physics).
My uni is a very very dense in terms of scheduling and getting undergrad research into the schedule is quite hard (not US system). Even now I am quite struggling.
I talked to one of the module creating post-docs. He was very biased, saying that social and cultural is outdated and poor and going into the field will be miserable.
May I ask about your approx. background?
>>17133025
Arguably it is. Many universities treat it as such (especially business centric universities).
It is indeed very broad.
My uni considers it very STEM like, putting it into a pot with (psycho)pharmacology, neuroscience and biopsychology.
I am well aware that popular psychology is very simplified for the 'common reader', but it is more about the topic of research.
>>17133040
There are study councillors and they have told me that 'everything is possible' after graduating, as the end-result is a B.Sc. Psychology.
Could you more closely elaborate of 'shenanigans'?
>Why all this social psychology hate? Everywhere I go people seem to look down on them.
But they still exist.
bumping for personal experience and field expertise
bump for interest
no psychologists on /adv/?
>>17133040
My uni does not offer doing classes at different universities / choosing from many different courses
Why do you ask here you faggot?
Just check out which unis offer the masters you want and check what their requirements are, how many ECTS you need in certain fields etc.
Also fuck psychology.
>>17136176
Selective programs such as the one at the
>London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE),
have specific preferences which go way above the minimum requirements they officially mention.
Therefore I am asking people who have experience in the field of either neuro- or cultural/social psychology.
I see somebody didn't have a good therapist.
>>17136289
nice ad hominem m8. But I hate psychology because I know it well, considering I have a Bachelors in it.
Anyway, search better then. But if your true interest lies in social and comparative psychology, I'd advise you to switch to a uni that has its focus on that.
>>17136306
i have to ask why you completed a degree in a field you hate.
I chose my uni because it is considered the best in the country.
>>17136674
Because initially I liked it. I grew to hate it as I learned about what goes on in psychological research and how manipulated/ive most of the studies are. And then I didn't know what else to do until the 4th Semester, and by that point I figured I could just as well finish it. Year more or less didn't really matter at that point.
>>17136688
>manipulative
good science shouldn't be. There are rules after all.
>>17136701
Yeah it shouldn't be. But when research on how well psychotropics work are paid for by pharma companies... well, not necessarily the field I want to work in.
Besides, I couldn't stand most of my fellow students. Most of the ones I knew were spoiled brats from rich families who never had actual problems in their lives.
>>17136716
Then it rather seems like you hate the context in which the science is practised and your particular study situation. But i digress.
What did you think of social/comparitive psych.?
>>17136766
Social psychology was one of the few classes I actually enjoyed, along with developmental psy and decisionmaking. So I liked the topic, but as implied above I'm skeptical about the truthfulness of the research, our professor even admitted researchers often fail to replicate findings.
As for comparative, meh. The topic itself is quite interesting, the findings are interesting, but it's just not my cup of tea.
Why do you want to go into cultural psychology?
>>17136946
I have a very international background and tend to travel a lot and come in contact with many different cultures and very different social standings. I also speak quite a few languages fluently and have seen first hand what difference cultural standards can make in terms of group cohesion, self-perception, etc.
It fits my strength and inclinations more to have to do with 'real people' all around the world, rather than being stuck infront of fMRI output.
I used to want to study physics, but noticed very quickly that standing in the lab all day, looking at graphs is not my cup of tea. I'd rather do field research, comparing different cultural values and the influence of social factors (for example war) on development of children.
>>17136106
That is practically unheard of. You probably do not know how it works to apply for.
>>17133060
With shenanigans i am referring to quacks like Stapel that completely faked entire studies. Then there are less severe cases like Zimbardo telling his prisoners in his infamous study to riot like hell after which he proceeds to write a book about the Lucifer effect. This is why countless people shit on social psychology. And when dozens of individuals are telling you it is dogshit, you shuold seriously consider the possibility that it really is dogshit.
>>17136289
Why not contact them?
OP, when you finish school(s) will you treat patients or do research? Also traveling to different cultures sounds fun.
>Is it possible to still do a master in cultural psychology in my position?
Yes
>Does having a B.Sc. Psychology (with Neuropsychology focus) put me at a disadvantage when applying for a more 'social' psychology master?
Absolutely not. Conducting good research is more important than anything else.
>Should a change universities?
Probably.
Have you ever looked into Terror Management Theory? Might be up your alley.
>>17137521
There are indeed programs, later on in my studies which allow for years abroad. But not constant classes at another institution, if that is what you meant.
Ok, I understand your point that social psy. is more prone to 'bad science' than some other fields of psychology which require machine made measurements. But isn't this true for every field of science?
I have contacted unis in many previous cases and they tend to tell me to 'just apply and see' (which does not mean that i cannot try.
>>17138604
I'd gravitate toward research / teaching. My main ambition is to become a university lecturer, because the teaching aspect of research is what interests me a lot.
>>17138744
Thanks for the concise response.
If, as you say, having this BSc. Psychology not heavily influence my ability to pursue further studies in social psychology, why do you recommend changing university (and loosing potentially more than a year and a good environment).
>Are there any more arguments for changing unis at this stage?
Yes I have heard of Terror Management Theory. I am also familiar with Hofstaede theory, because a few relatives have written their papers on it and which sparked my interest.
People (especially around my place) seem to dismiss TMT and other such theories as esoteric BS. They are only briefly touched upon in the courses.
That being said, this focus of my university, is mainly known within the country. And as I plan to go abroad for MSc. anyway, I do now know whether this will even impact intern. uni's decision making.
>>17139065
I recommend changing because while your bachelor's is not that important, you stated your university did not have a strong focus on the social psych area.
I'm just now graduating today with a BA in Psychology because that's all my school offered. Unfortunately, the school's program is geared more towards gerontology and therapy than the sciences, so I tried my best to make sure my degree was as little liberal bullshit as I could. I digress. I always heard that the most important part of pursuing a graduate education is finding somebody who is researching a topic that you are also invested in. If your school offers very limited options in social psychology, I figure there's probably not a professor there who's doing research that you'd be interested in. That's why I recommended the change. Then again, I could be totally wrong about your situation and maybe there is somebody you're interested in.
Definitely could have mentioned that in my first post. Hahah.
>>17139472
Thanks for your input.
Although i get your point, I'd not say that our situations are really all that comparable. My BSc., in comparison to your clinical BA, still has an exceptionally strong science focus. This still brings along very high standards in stats, methods and so on.
In this regard i highly doubt that I wouldn't be able to compete in a soc psy. field.
In my case it is more about the curriculum and its lesser emphasis on soc/clinical/humanist psychology fields. They are clearly addressed in courses, but they are few and far between.
>Whether unis in other countries would notice. (it only says BSc. Psychology after all)
In terms of research opportunities, my uni still has social and clinical depts. where i could try getting some experience. I am not sure how reputable these researchers exactly are, but they are still there, with own dept and all.
Ironically, I chose my uni also because it had a very famous cross-cultural psychologist among its staff. But it seems like after he went emeritus, the administration somewhat fazed out that aspect, at least in the curriculum.
>>17139965
>I'd not say that our situations are really all that comparable
I would be inclined to agree. Reading your post, I'm rather envious of your curriculum, and you probably had better opportunities. It's not that you wouldn't be able to compete, because you certainly would be a cut above the rest, but I merely meant that because your school is so scientifically oriented, you might not find somebody you'd like to study under. If there is somebody, like what you mentioned, then I'd say stay at your current school, DEFINITELY.
Where did you go to, btw? My school was nowhere important, but yours sounds like it was a higher tier school. It sounds like they wanted to make Psychology a serious subject instead of the deadbeat's party degree.
>>17140756
Well, envy is in the eyes of the beholder. I personally would love to see how your curriculum looks like and how it is taught at your (other) universities.
Although I clearly see and appreciate the benefits of 'good science', I chose psychology because it (imo) is an inherently human science. This does not mean that it necessarily needs to cure people, but concern itself with the human condition.
Neuropsychology and cognitive psychology tends to leave that aspect of psychology behind, in favour of an almost entirely mechanical approach. Whether this is up ones alley or not is down to personal preference and inclination.
>I personally would rather prefer a more mixed approach, but neuro really seems to be the future of psychology as a field
Although our unis seem to have vastly different approaches to their degrees, i think we have in common that neither of our curriculi are very 'broad' as they should be.
I was always told that a bachelor programme is supposed to be broad, giving you a little of everything, giving you the knowledge to make informed decisions on which path to continue on. Neither of our unis seem to take that approach.
My university, is not what I would call high-tier by any stretch. The main benefit I feel (which is also why i chose this particular uni) is that psychology here is an own autonomous faculty, with all the perks which come with that (larger budget, more freedoms, etc.). At other unis i have visited, psychology (especially the soc/human. programmes) usually don't get that sort of backing and are at the whim of some 'Faculty of Social Science' or even worse 'Faculty of Arts' (wtf).
>I would be interested in knowing your dropout and acceptance rate, as you refer to psychology potentially being a party-degree
At my uni the acceptance rate is about 30% when i entered and a first year drop out rate of around 40-50%
If you have skype we could talk some more.
