APY3040

Psychology - theory and systems

Dr Graeme Hyman

8 points (6 points for students who commenced from 1994)
* Three 1-hour lectures, two 1-hour tutorials per week
* First semester
* Caulfield* and Peninsula*
* Prerequisites: APY2020

*To be confirmed.

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should understand the process of theory construction, and the nature of inductive and deductive theory building; have acquired a knowledge of the history of psychology, including its relationship to other fields of scientific endeavour; know the major schools of thought in contemporary psychology; use competently advanced univariate statistical methods in psychological research.

Synopsis Central theme: theory, research and experimental methods. Theory and systems in psychology: the historical development of psychological methods; schools of psychology; the philosophy of the physical sciences and its bearing on psychology; theory construction; a critical evaluation of psychology as a twentieth-century behaviour science; current issues and developments. Statistical methods: random, stratified, cluster, and two-stage sampling methods; non-parametric and parametric one-way and two-way analysis of variance; selected comparisons among multiple groups; linear regression analysis; use of SPSS for Windows.

Assessment Three tests: 55%
* Two tutorials: 25%
* One essay: 20%

Prescribed texts

Valentine E R Conceptual issues in psychology Allen and Unwin, 1992