Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, think and feel. It is a broad-ranging discipline that spans topics including perceiving and thinking, the biological basis of behaviour, human development, perception and cognition, social psychology, personality psychology, and research methodology. Students taking the psychology major will gain an understanding of how to apply the scientific perspective to psychological phenomena in the laboratory and in the real world. Within the major there is flexibility to select courses to meet individual career objectives. The intention of the Psychology major is to ensure the acquisition of contemporary knowledge in psychological theory and evidence across core themes in psychological science.
Learning Outcomes
Explain major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
Differentiate theoretical and empirical frameworks that have defined and shaped the field.
Define key concepts that characterise psychology as a field of scientific inquiry as well as things that differentiate it from other related disciplines.
Relate how social (eg environmental/cultural), and biological (genes, hormones) factors jointly shape human behavior.
Apply basic research methods in psychology to investigate psychological questions and to research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
Use critical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
Identify relevant psychological mechanisms/issues and apply to real world or other contexts.
Apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organisational issues.
Critically analyse data and research, including methodology, results and conclusions.
Articulate some of the central questions and issues in contemporary psychology.
Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media.
Identify and critically evaluate appropriate disciplinary research sources
Evaluate information from a statistical perspective drawing on basic statistical concepts.
Develop competence in interpreting graphical data to understand what is being compared/manipulated (independent variables) and what is being measured (dependent variables).
Clearly communicate psychological processes and principles to both science literate and non science literate audiences.
Adapt the collaborative and independent experiences of psychology laboratory, project and course work to other contexts.
Identify and reflect on the values that underpin the discipline of psychology and its practice.
Other Information
What 1st year courses should you enrol in? PSYC1003 and PSYC1004.
Students should seek further course advice from the academic convener of this Psychology major.
Students should note that the 48 unit Psychology major alone does not constitute the accredited Psychology sequence that will allow entry into honours. The Psychology major and specialisation is suggested.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must include:
18 units from the completion of the following courses:
PSYC1003 - Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour (6 units)
PSYC1004 - Psychology 2: Understanding People in Context (6 units)
PSYC2009 - Quantitative Methods in Psychology (6 units)
12 units from the completion of courses from the following list:
PSYC2001 - Social Psychology (6 units)
PSYC2002 - Developmental Psychology (6 units)
PSYC2007 - Biological Basis of Behaviour (6 units)
PSYC2008 - Cognition (6 units)
18 units from the completion of courses from the following list:
PSYC3002 - The Social Psychology of Group Processes and Social Change (6 units)
PSYC3011 - Perception (6 units)
PSYC3015 - Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience (6 units)
PSYC3016 - Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (6 units)
PSYC3018 - Advanced Research Methods (6 units)
PSYC3020 - Health Psychology (6 units)
PSYC3023 - Special Topics in Psychology (6 units)
PSYC3025 - Psychopathology Across the Lifespan (6 units)
PSYC3026 - Personality Psychology (6 units)
PSYC3028 - Industrial and Organisational Psychology (6 units)
PSYC3030 - Psychology Undergraduate Research Experience (6 units)
18 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC1003 | Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour | 6 |
| PSYC1004 | Psychology 2: Understanding People in Context | 6 |
| PSYC2009 | Quantitative Methods in Psychology | 6 |
12 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC2001 | Social Psychology | 6 |
| PSYC2002 | Developmental Psychology | 6 |
| PSYC2007 | Biological Basis of Behaviour | 6 |
| PSYC2008 | Cognition | 6 |
18 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC3002 | The Social Psychology of Group Processes and Social Change | 6 |
| PSYC3011 | Perception | 6 |
| PSYC3015 | Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience | 6 |
| PSYC3016 | Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience | 6 |
| PSYC3018 | Advanced Research Methods | 6 |
| PSYC3020 | Health Psychology | 6 |
| PSYC3023 | Special Topics in Psychology | 6 |
| PSYC3025 | Psychopathology Across the Lifespan | 6 |
| PSYC3026 | Personality Psychology | 6 |
| PSYC 3027: Late-Life Dev & Ageing |
