PSY4100 - Psychology honours: Research project - 2017

The Honours year in psychology aims to increase students understanding of theoretical and methodological aspects of research, develop analytic, research and communication skills, as well as provide students with advanced knowledge in the science and practice of psychology. The Honours program 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 an honours research thesis presented at the end of the year.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. 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. 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. 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.
9. Have the capability to pursue higher studies and learning in psychology.

• Research proposal (15%)
• Honours research thesis (9,000 - 12,000 words) (70%)
• Communication of results (Oral) (10%)
• Graduate attribute assessment (5%)

Hurdle: Students must pass the thesis and attend three (3) of the MICCN (Monash Institute for Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences) Distinguished Lectures to achieve a pass for this unit.

Students are expected to commit 24 hours per week to activities relate 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 supervisor(s) and series of six 2-3 hours seminars/workshops on generic skills required for conducting a research project of approximately 90 minutes duration. 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 honours research thesis and presentation material.

See also Unit timetable information

Associate Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia

Psychology

Completed Bachelors Degree and a major sequence in psychology approved by the Australian Psychological Society or qualification assessed as equivalent by the Australian Psychological Society, with a distinction average for third year psychology units.

PSY4000

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