PSY2011

Psychology 2A

Mr Robert Whitechurch (Berwick), Dr Nikki Rickard (Caulfield/Peninsula), Dr Jim Phillips (Clayton) and Dr Dianne Wuillemin (Gippsland)

8 points - Three 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour laboratory per week - First semester - Berwick, Caulfield/Peninsula, Clayton, Gippsland and Distance - Prerequisites: PSY1011 or APY1010 or GAS1501 and PSY1022 or APY1020 or GAS1502 - Students who have completed any previous second-level psychology subjects will be required to complete a tailored program to cover components not previously studied - Distance students must complete a minimum of 12 hours on-campus weekend school laboratory work

Objectives On the completion of this subject students will have acquired conceptual and practical skills in designing and analysing psychological research; will have learned how human behaviour, both simple and complex, is underpinned by physiological and neural processes; and will have acquired an understanding of the interplay between local and distal, and familial and cultural, factors in determining the course of development from birth through to old age. Students will also have developed more advanced skills in research design and analysis, report writing, and oral presentations.

Synopsis This subject covers at a more advanced level three of the areas presented in first-year psychology at an introductory level. The topics comprise research design and analysis, biological psychology, and human development. The methodological component builds on the basic research skills taught in first year, and equips students with more advanced tools that can be employed in laboratory work. Sensation and perception covers sensory processes involved in audition, touch, kinesthesis, proprioception, smell and taste; and perceptual development, spatio-temporal coding, and object perception. Biological psychology covers states of consciousness, mechanisms and disorders of learning and memory, and the regulation of emotional and motivational states. Human development encompasses physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes across the life span, and how these are shaped by macrosystems such as culture, and microsystems such as peers and the family. The laboratory program complements the lecture series, and provides further training in research techniques, report writing, and oral presentations.

Assessment Examination (3 hours multiple-choice): 55% - Two laboratory reports (2000 words each): 30% - Two research design and analysis assignments (500 words each): 5% each) - One seminar presentation (10 minutes): 5%

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