Bachelor of Psychological and Social Sciences

Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. You will get an introduction into a range of topics in psychology, including: the history of psychology, intelligence, social psychology, developmental psychology, indigenous and cultural psychology, personality as well as abnormal psychology.

Psychology uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand the causes of behaviour. This subject focuses on physiological basis of behaviour, memory, language and thought. It also focuses on the sensation and perception, motivation, emotion, learning, and the research methods used to scientifically study behaviour. You will explore how psychology, as a profession, applies its knowledge to practical problems in human behaviour and provides a foundation for more advanced subjects for students continuing to further studies.

This subject is an introduction to the biological and neuroscientific bases of human behaviour. You will learn about the chemistry of life, the molecular basis of life, the cell and some of the major organ systems of the human body with particular reference to the nervous, endocrine and sensory systems. The subject has a significant laboratory component which reinforces lecture and text material. You will be introduced to the biological and neuroscientific concepts necessary for a thorough understanding of areas of psychology such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, developmental psychology, human learning, and physiological psychology.

This subject focuses on the scientific method with a focus on experimental design and related data analysis. Whilst we have already dealt with some of the methods and techniques in passing in earlier subjects, we adopt a more complete approach here. Other features of the subject are: research design and methodology issues, statistical concepts and techniques, computer analysis of data and communicating research findings.

Human Learning focuses on the experimental analysis of human and animal behaviour and focuses upon associative learning, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning approaches. Definitions, assumptions, and basic phenomena associated with the study of learning are described and evaluated in terms of their ability to account for various aspects of human behaviour and experience.

You will examine the fundamental principles underlying human perception and expand upon the sensation and perception content introduced in the foundational psychology subjects. After reviewing the biological basis of sensing and perceiving, we will explore the way this relatively raw information is processed and organised into the complex perceptions. These perceptions include the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory systems. This constitutes the fundamental basis of our experience of the world.

Most of us probably use the term’ personality’ almost every day. Yet the conceptualisation and definition of personality are far from settled. This subject introduces the controversies and debates in the psychology of personality and the major theoretical and applied approaches to its measurement. Emphasis is placed on an understanding of personality research and its implications for the practice of psychology.

Abnormal Psychology focuses on the study of behaviours that cause distress or dysfunction or are judged as deviant within the individual’s culture. We will examine definitions of abnormality, ways of assessing and diagnosing abnormality, theories of the causation of psychological abnormality and treatments for recognized psychological disorders.

This subject advances upon the research methods and statistics covered in an earlier subject, Experimental Design and Analysis. It introduces students to nonexperimental, correlational research design, and develops skills in survey research, including questionnaire design and administration, and survey sampling. You will also learn about the construction and evaluation of psychological tests.

Cognitive psychology focuses on the mental processes that underpin attention, perception, learning and memory. Some of the questions we ask include: How do we recognize speech, faces, or music? What are the structures and mechanisms of human memory? What processes underpin acquisition of language, and are the processes similar when we learn a second language? What processes are involved in reading? What factors affect attention and performance? Is creativity anything more than problem solving?

Structured around an overview of lifespan development including diversity, this subject looks into the holistic nature of growth and development through developmental theory and research. We will highlight the interactive nature of three main areas of development: biological, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that affect the individual from conception to end of life. We will integrate an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development into the subject alongside an appreciation of richness in diversity within various cultural contexts.

The study of motivation and emotion attempts to understand the reasons behind people’s behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. Concepts of motivation and emotion are central to many other aspects of psychology. We will examine core research and theory in motivation and emotion, but also explores the topic’s relationship with other areas of psychology, (such as learning theory, social psychology, personality, and cognition) and its relevance to central debates discussed throughout the discipline.

Social psychology looks at human behaviour and mental processes in their social context. You will examine social behaviour and social thinking using scientific psychological research methods. We will consider both classic and recent theories, research and applications in core areas of social psychology such as: attitudes, stereotyping and prejudice, social cognition, group processes, cross-cultural and indigenous psychology, and social influence.

This subject covers the conceptual underpinnings of research in psychology, including methodologies such as experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental and qualitative research. Conducting ethical research will be covered, including consideration of how research participants are positioned, issues related to research with diverse populations, as well research validity. Skills for writing research proposals and reports according to the conventions of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) are developed.