Bachelor of Psychology

Degree Requirements (for students who enrolled before 2003)

Students of the BPsyc will complete the following programme of study in Psychology, with the remaining credit points taken from the H&BS, Science or General Schedules:

100-Level

Foundations in Psychology A
Introduces students to the science of Psychology. Content will focus on the way the individual's biological and psychological systems function. In particular, the subject will examine the biological bases of human behaviour, lifespan development, motivation and emotion, personality, and consciousness.

Foundations in Psychology B
Examines the way in which individuals perceive and learn about their world, the ways in which group membership influences behaviour, the nature of psychological dysfunction, and the role of Psychology in influencing health. Topics covered include learning, perception, memory, cognition, Psychology of abnormality, social Psychology, and human relations.

Theory, Design and Statistics in Psychology
Introduces students to scientific methods, the design of psychological research, data analysis and interpretation. Emphasis will be placed on the acquisition of fundamental statistical skills and a capacity for critical evaluation of research design, in both experimental and non-experimental applications. Ethical issues in psychological research will be addressed.

200-Level

Statistics and Measurement 1 (or PSYC232)
Students are introduced to fundamental concepts underlying measurement and quantification in psychology. This subject covers statistical methods used in psychology with an emphasis on choosing appropriate analyses for given research designs. The subject also introduces students to the concepts of testing and assessment in psychology, including the assessment of personality, ability and aptitude. The practical aspects of test administration and interpretation in organisational and clinical settings will be discussed, including ethical issues relating to psychological testing. Students will also obtain skills in using SPSS to analyse psychological data.
 

Statistics and Measurement 2 (or PSYC 235)
This subject consists of two distinct but related components. In the first component students are introduced to a general linear modelling approach to analysis of variance and regression. In the second component students are introduced to the statistical theory underlying psychological testing, including classical and modern test theories. Students will experience extensive use of SPSS in analysing general linear models, and examining the psychometric properties of psychological tests.

Personality
Provides overviews of, and bases of comparison between, many of the major approaches to personality. These include psychoanalysis, behaviourism, existentialism, personal construct Psychology, neo-Freudian approaches, trait theory, social learning theory and humanistic Psychology. Coverage includes both accounts of normal and abnormal personalities, individual differences, developmental dimensions, relevant research and therapeutic relevance where appropriate.

Biological Psychology and Learning
Introduces the physiological mechanisms underlying behaviour and changes in behaviour brought about by experience, as well as the psychophysiological measures frequently employed to study these processes. Topics include the nervous and endocrine systems, arousal, attention, learning, memory, language, Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, habituation and orienting reactions.

Cognition and Perception
Provides an overview of two broad content areas in experimental Psychology. Perception is the study of how information is acquired from the environment through sensory organs. Cognition is concerned with the storage, manipulation and retrieval of such information. Topics covered include visual and auditory perception, memory, language, categorisation and reasoning.

Developmental and Social Psychology
Discusses core issues in child and adolescent development with an emphasis on individual behaviour in the social context. The first half of the course provides a developmental framework from the pre-natal stage to the transition to adulthood. The second half emphasises the contributions of social Psychology to understanding individual behaviour.

optional:

Psychology of Physical Activity
Examines key aspects of the body of evidence on the health benefits of physical activity, how physical activity habits may be conceived of and measured; and, how physical activity is distributed in populations and its major determinants. It also considers relevant theory and method from health psychology and exercise science and has a strong health-outcomes, epidemiological and population-health flavour. It deals with how psychological theories or models can guide both smaller- and large-scale interventions to promote physical activity; with the evidence base on which interventions can be developed; and, with the evidence on the effectiveness of individual, small group, community and mass-reach intervention strategies.

300-Level

History and Metatheory of Psychology
Introduces (1) the origins and development of major approaches in modern Psychology, and (2) important conceptual issues in Psychology. Topics include materialist and causal views of Psychology, behaviourist analyses of mental processes, psychoanalytic explanation, rationalist and phenomenological accounts of mind and ethical and ideological considerations in Psychology.

Design and Analysis
Develops skills in the design and analysis of research investigations involving statistics. Statistical computing is an essential part of the course. Topics covered: statistical techniques in psychological research, experimental and observational research designs, analysis of survey data; analysis of variance and covariance; regression; factor analysis; multivariate analysis.

and three subjects selected from the following groups, which must include at least one experimental subject:

Experimental subjects:

Memory and Language
Extends students' knowledge of cognitive Psychology from the framework acquired in "Cognition and Perception". It provides a detailed examination of four areas: (i) short-term memory, (ii) visual object recognition, (iii) the Psychology of reading, (iv) applied aspects of long-term memory. Students working in groups will be required to carry out a small original research project on a topic relevant to the course.

Current Issues in Learning and Judgement
This subject will extend students knowledge of psychology in the areas of human learning and judgment. It provides a detailed examination of four areas : (i) implicit learning, (ii) human reasoning, (iii) judgement under uncertainty, (iv) causal learning. Students will be required to carry out a laboratory report on a topic relevant to the course. In addition there will be a full program of experimental laboratory classes.

Visual Perception
Covers each of the visual perceptual modalities in turn - lightness and colour; motion; shape and object perception; depth and stereopsis; spatial and temporal resolution - and the applications of each, uniting them by focusing on the environmental variables to which the visual system is sensitive, and the neural mechanisms underlying such sensitivities.

Psychophysiology
Concentrates on psychophysiology as the systematic examination of peripheral and central physiological correlates of perceptual and cognitive functioning. Students will attain a basic level of proficiency in the electrical recording and assessment of a range of autonomic measures (muscle, respiratory, cardiovascular, and electrodermal activity), as well as the traditional central indicators (EEG and event related potentials).

Further options:

Psychology of Abnormality
Involves a systematic examination of the variety of mental disorders found in adults and children. In addition to the descriptive psychopathology, necessary to identify the disorders, contemporary issues relating to theories of causation and treatment are examined. Clinical assessment and methods of therapeutic intervention make up an important component of this course.

Change Throughout the Lifespan
This subject focuses on the kinds of changes that occur to people throughout their life and ways to facilitate and cope with those processes. Changes in intelligence, personality and social interactions in adulthood and old age are considered. Theories concerning the nature of life-span change are addressed, along with relevant empirical studies. One approach to understanding and facilitating changes, personal construct psychology, will be considered in detail. Some personal exploration will be undertaken by those enrolled

Assessment and Intervention
Provides students with an overview of the assessment procedures and intervention programmes commonly used, and the efficacy of these programmes for psychological problems including anxiety, depression, eating, substance abuse, and common disorders among children. Strategies used in cognitive-behavioural assessment and therapy will also be covered.

Social Behaviour and Individual Differences
This subject allows students to study selected topics in social psychology in more detail. The emphasis is on the extent to which one can explain social behaviours (e.g. prejudice, crime, close relationships, particular adolescent behaviours) in terms of individual differences and personality traits. An integral part of the subject will include the formulation of a research proposal by each student.

Before entering 400-level students will complete 144 credit points.

400-Level - Psychology Honours

The Honours programme is made up of:
An Empirical Thesis, consisting of a supervised research project and presented as a 9,000 to 12,000 word thesis (42%); A Research Seminar (8%); An Advanced Methodology subject (16%), in turn consisting of 2 seminars: Psychology Honours Theory, and Topics in Data Analysis; Professional Skills (17%); either a 7000 word Minor Theoretical Thesis (17%) OR one of a range of specified Postgraduate Psychology subjects (17%); and The Honours Meeting.

Candidates intending to complete Honours as part-time students will generally do Advanced Methodology, Professional Issues and the Theoretical Thesis or optional subject in the first year, and the Empirical Thesis and Research Seminar in the second.

For further information about Honours, refer to the Psychology Honours brochure available from the School of Psychology, or the Honours Guide.