PSY4100 - Psychology honours: Research project

Leader(s): Dr Greg Yelland

Offered

Clayton Full year 2009 (Day)
Singapore Full year 2009 (Off-campus)
South Africa Full year 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

The Honours year in psychology aims to increase students understanding of theoretical and methodological aspects of research, develop their analytic, research and communication skills, as well as provide students with advanced knowledge in specific areas of the science and practice of psychology. The Honours program also meets the requirements of the Australian Psychological Society for Associate Membership. In this unit, students undertake a supervised research project that aims to provide training in both discipline specific and generic research skills and form the basis of a literature review and research paper presented at the end of the year.

Objectives

On completion of PSY4100 Psychology Honours Research Project students will:

1. be able to critically review the scientific literature in their domain of research in psychology;

2. understand the processes involved in the design, development and implementation of a research project;

3. be able to execute and analyse the outcomes of a laboratory-based and/or field-based study;

4. be proficient in the use of computer-based analysis, data-base, presentation, word processing and data-base/internet search engine software;

5. be able to write up scientific work in a potentially publishable way;

6. show communication skills in both oral and written presentations to both a specialist and non-specialist scientific audience;

7. have acquired a range of technical skills appropriate to their research area;

8. have the capability to perform a variety of scientific procedures and techniques that are essential to the satisfactory completion and reporting of a research project; and

9. have the capability to pursue higher studies and learning in psychology.

Assessment

Oral presentation of research: hurdle
Literature review (4000 - 5000 words): 30%
Research paper (5000 - 7000 words): 70%

Contact hours

Students are expected to commit 24 hours per week to activities relater to their research project. These will vary across the course of the unit in accordance with the progress of the research. Formal contact hours consist of regular meetings with the research supervior(s) and series of six 2-3 hours seminars/workshops on generic skills required for conduction a research project. The majority of the student's time will be spent in the design and implementation of the research, data collection and analyses. The remainder of the time would be spent in library searches, reading and preparation of the literature review, research paper and presentation material.

Prerequisites

Completed Bachelors Degree with an APS accredited 3-year major sequence in psychology

Co-requisites

PSY4200

Prohibitions

PSY4001, PSY4002, PSY4011, PSY4012, PSY4021, PSY4022,