Course info

You will probably have heard the saying “an image is worth a 1000 words”. In the psychology context this means that it is good to represent ideas and  experimental data in visual form rather than in text or tables. Yet, to make good figures some basic computer skills are needed as well as knowledge of the software that can help transform the data from experiments into a nice graph or other visual representation.

In this course you will learn how to use the computer programs that are available to you to make a variety of visual data representations, learn how to use existing programs to manipulate images for experimental use or to create figures to illustrate other aspects of psychological research such as e.g. the procedure of an experiment. On top of all this you will learn how to use Word more effectively to for instance automatize the reference lists in your reports among many other more advanced uses of this program. This course also aims to improve your general understanding of how computers work and how files interact with the programs they are opened in and learn how to use the internet effectively to help find solutions in case you get stuck (in many cases other people will have run into the same problem before you and the solution is often at your fingertips). On top of all this you will take your first steps in computer coding. Where relevant the course will point to more advanced computer programs for those of you who would like to dive a little deeper.

Learning these skills will help you in your future coursework assignments during your Psychology degree. Having good computer skills will also boost your chances of employment after completing your degree as this is a desirable skill that many employers mention.

Note that many of the course elements will have a visual aspect, but alternative options are available (e.g. processing audio files instead of images) if required.