How to Approach DE100 TMAs (Investigating Psychology 1)

DE100 Investigating Psychology 1 is many Open University students’ first taste of psychology at university level, and its TMAs can feel like a big step up. You are asked to explain theories, describe research and, before long, think and write like a researcher. The good news is that the module is built to teach exactly those skills, and the TMAs reward students who use the module materials well rather than those who read the most outside them.

This guide explains how to approach DE100 TMAs: what the module covers, the kinds of tasks you are likely to meet and how to turn your reading into well-structured answers. A quick but important note first: DE100 does not appear in the OU’s newest psychology prospectus, where level 1 psychology students are now pointed towards modules such as D110. If you are studying DE100 now, or finishing it, the advice below applies, but your module website and assessment guide always take priority over anything here.

What does DE100 Investigating Psychology 1 cover?

DE100 is a 60-credit, OU level 1 module. Its own description sets out a clear structure:

• An introductory block on intelligence, looking at how psychologists have tried to measure it and where those attempts have succeeded or failed.
• Part 1, which asks why people harm others, drawing on personality, situational factors and learning.
• Part 2, which looks more widely at what shapes behaviour, including evolution, social relations, behaviour change, child attachment and friendship.
• Part 3, which asks how psychologists study processes we cannot observe directly, such as language, attention and memory.

Running alongside the topics are two core textbooks, Investigating Psychology and Investigating Methods, plus online activities. The methods strand matters: the module description says students learn a range of research methods and carry out their own psychological study. Assessment is through TMAs submitted with the eTMA system and an end-of-module assessment (EMA).

What kinds of tasks do DE100 TMAs usually ask for?

The exact questions change from presentation to presentation, so always work from your own assessment guide. In general, expect a mix of:

• Short essays that ask you to describe and evaluate a theory or body of research from a chapter.
• Methods-based tasks, where you explain how a study was designed, what it found and how far its conclusions can be trusted.
• Report-style writing, where you write up parts of a psychological study in a set structure, such as a method or results section.
• Study skills tasks, especially early in the module, such as planning, summarising or reflecting on feedback.

Each TMA has its own guidance notes, word limit and marking criteria. Read all three before you read anything else.

How should I read a DE100 TMA question before I start?

Many lost marks on DE100 come from answering a slightly different question from the one set. Use this short routine every time:

1. Underline the command words. “Describe” asks for clear explanation. “Evaluate” or “critically discuss” asks you to weigh strengths and limitations. “Compare” asks for similarities and differences, not two separate summaries.
2. Circle the topic limits. If the question names a chapter, a study or a theory, stay within it.
3. Read the guidance notes. They often tell you which chapters to use and what not to include.
4. Check the marking criteria to see how much credit goes to knowledge, evaluation, use of evidence, structure and referencing.
5. Turn the question into a one-sentence answer before you plan. If you cannot, you do not yet know what you are arguing.

How do I use the DE100 textbooks without just summarising them?

Level 1 tutors are not looking for wide independent reading. They want to see that you understand the module material and can use it to answer the question. The trap is the opposite: retelling a chapter in order, with your own words but none of your own thinking.

A more useful approach is to read each relevant section with the question in front of you and make notes in three columns:

Point from the chapter	Evidence (study or example)	How it answers the question
A theory or claim the chapter makes	The study the chapter uses to support it, and what it found	Does it support, complicate or challenge the argument you are building?
A limitation the chapter raises	A study or method issue that shows the limitation	How much does this weaken the claim, and why?

The third column is where your marks are. If it stays empty, you are summarising. If it is full, you are already halfway to an evaluative answer.

How do I write about research methods in a DE100 TMA?

The methods strand is where many students feel least confident, yet it is also where clear, careful writing scores well. When you discuss a study, try to cover:

• The aim: what question the researchers were trying to answer.
• The method: who took part, what they did and what was measured.
• The findings: what was found, in plain language, without overclaiming.
• The evaluation: how the design affects what we can conclude. Think about sample, setting, measures, ethics and whether the results would generalise.

If you are asked to write part of a report on your own study, follow the structure your module gives exactly. A method section, for example, should let a reader repeat the study. A results section reports what happened without interpreting it. Interpretation belongs in the discussion. Keeping these sections distinct is one of the easiest ways to show you understand how psychologists communicate research. For a fuller approach to judging studies, see our guide on how to critically evaluate a psychology study.

What does a good DE100 essay structure look like?

For a standard essay-style TMA question, a simple structure works well:

1. Introduction of a few sentences: what the question is about and what your answer will do.
2. Two to four main sections, each built around one point, supported by evidence from the module and linked back to the question.
3. Evaluation woven through each section, rather than a single “limitations” paragraph tacked on at the end.
4. A short conclusion that answers the question directly, without adding new material.

Here is a worked outline for a generic question in the style of Part 1, such as “Describe and evaluate one explanation for why people harm others”:

• Introduction: name the explanation you will discuss and say you will weigh its evidence.
• Section 1: describe the explanation clearly, using the chapter’s own terms.
• Section 2: present the key study the chapter uses, and say what it shows.
• Section 3: evaluate. What does the study’s method allow us to conclude, and what does it leave open? Does a situational or learning account explain some cases better?
• Conclusion: a balanced judgement on how far the explanation helps us understand harm.

How should I reference in a DE100 TMA?

Use the referencing style your module website and assessment guide specify, and follow their examples closely. At level 1, tutors mostly want to see that you reference consistently, cite the module texts correctly and include a reference list that matches your in-text citations. If you are working with Harvard-style guidance from the OU library, our guide to Cite Them Right Harvard for OU TMAs has worked examples, but always check which style your module asks for first.

How do I make the most of tutor feedback on DE100?

Your returned TMA is one of the most valuable things you get from the module. Read the summary comments, then the comments in the margin, and write down two or three specific actions for the next TMA, such as “evaluate each study as I go” or “keep method and results separate”. Before you start the next assignment, re-read that list. This habit is worth building, because the skills practised in each TMA feed into the next one and, eventually, into the EMA.

If a comment is unclear, ask your tutor about it. That is part of their role, and a short email is all it takes.

Where can I get extra help with a DE100 TMA?

Your tutor and the module forums should always be your first stop. If you would like more one-to-one support, our psychology tutors can explain module concepts, help you plan an answer and comment on your draft before you submit. You can read more about our psychology TMA support or our wider help for Open University students in the UK.

We work as tutors: we teach, explain and give feedback, and you write and submit your own work. Please follow the OU’s academic conduct policy and its guidance on generative AI in everything you submit.