The Committee of Management for the Natural Sciences Tripos and the Department of Psychology give notice that, with effect from the examination to be held in 2005-06, the form and conduct of the examinations for the Natural Sciences Tripos will be as follows:
The examination includes four written papers and the submission of project work
Paper 1 is divided into three sections (A, B, and C) with one question to be answered from each section. Section A will contain questions on Statistics; Section B will contain questions on Methodology and Experimental Design; Section C will contain essay questions that require candidates to synthesize information from different branches of the subject, or to discuss the history and philosophy of psychology. In Section C, candidates will have the opportunity to write about one of the major issues of cognitive and behavioural neuroscience (e.g. Are objects and concepts represented in the brain by the activities of single cells? In what sense can animals think? How far is our behaviour influenced by our evolutionary history?).
Papers 2 and 3 are each divided into three sections. Candidates are required to answer one question from each section. Section A will contain questions on Perception and Cognition, covering topics such as Vision, Hearing, Attention, Language, Memory, Thought, and Intelligence. Section B will contain questions on Neuroscience, Comparative Psychology, and Neuropsychology. Section C will contain questions on Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Individual Differences. [Note: Abnormal Psychology questions can appear in either Sections B or C, depending on the degree to which neuropsychological knowledge has to be recruited.]
Paper 4 contains questions from all three sections of the course. Candidates are required to answer three questions and there are no constraints on the choice of questions.