Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand, describe, and discuss models of the cognitive structures and processes involved in perception, attention, language, and memory.
2. Understand, describe, and discuss key topics in developmental psychology, including classical developmental theories and contemporary research on biological, cognitive, and social development.
3. Describe different research methods, and the core statistical concepts and techniques that are commonly used within research areas of psychology.
4. Explain and evaluate theoretical claims and empirical findings in cognitive and developmental psychology.
5. Understand the theoretical basis of a psychological experiment, comprehend the experimental findings in the context of the research questions(s) and describe the implications for current theories, construct a logical narrative, and effectively communicate all of this information through the write-up of a laboratory research report.
6. Describe how ideas from cognitive and developmental psychology are applied to understanding contemporary issues in the public domain.

Research-Led Teaching

All of the PSYC1003 lecturers are established academic researchers in their respective areas of expertise.

Field Trips

None

Additional Course Costs

None

Examination Material or equipment

For approved dictionaries in accordance with ANU Policies, please see link http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/assessment-arrangements-for-students-from-language.

Required Resources

Required Textbooks for PSYC1003

1- Burton, L., Westen, D., & Kowalski, R. (2019). Psychology: Fifth Australian and New Zealand Edition. Milton Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

2- Burton, L. J. (2021). An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology (5th ed.). Milton Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

3- Haslam, S. A., & McGarty, C. (2019). Research methods and statistics in psychology (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE

We recommend that you read the current editions of these textbooks, which can be purchased from Harry Hartog Booksellers, located in the Kambri precinct.  

Recommended Resources

Recommended student system requirements 

ANU courses commonly use a number of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• two-way video conferencing for interactive learning
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work
• home-based assessment.

To fully participate in ANU learning, students need:

• A computer or laptop.
• Webcam
• Speakers and a microphone (e.g. headset)
• Reliable, stable internet connection. Broadband recommended. If using a mobile network or wi-fi then check that the performance is adequate.
• Suitable location with minimal interruptions and adequate privacy for classes and assessments.
• Printing, and photo/scanning equipment

For more information, please see link https://www.anu.edu.au/students/systems/recommended-student-system-requirements

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments will be given to individual students on their laboratory research reports;
• Feedback will be requested from class representatives at least twice through the semester at a general meeting for class representatives.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Semester 1, 2022: This course is delivered in-person on campus, with adjustments for remote participation.

Current information on the ANU response to the coronavirus outbreak can be found at: https://www.anu.edu.au/covid-19-advice .

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Developmental Psychology Lectures Semester 1: Week 1 to Week 4 Tuesday 3pm to 4pm and Wednesday 2pm to 4pm	General Overview for Lectures: Three lecture hours per week
2	Research Methods and Statistics Lectures Semester 1: Week 5 to Week 8 Tuesday 3pm to 4pm and Wednesday 2pm to 4pm	General Overview for Lectures: Three lecture hours per week
3	Cognitive Psychology Lectures Semester 1: Week 9 to Week 12 Tuesday 3pm to 4pm and Wednesday 2pm to 4pm	General Overview for Lectures: Three lecture hours per week
4	Laboratory Classes Weekly, beginning Week 1: Week of 21 February 2022 Exceptions -- Examination Weeks: Developmental Psychology Exam: 16 March 2022; Research Methods Exam: 27 April 2022; Cognitive Psychology Exam: 25 May 2022.	General Overview for Laboratory Classes: 1.5 hour Laboratory Classes per week Week of 21 February 2022: Developmental Laboratory Class 1 Week of 28 February 2022: Developmental Laboratory Class 2 Week of 7 March 2022: Developmental Laboratory Class 3 Week of 21 March 2022: Research Methods Laboratory Class 1 Week of 28 March 2022: Research Methods Laboratory Class 2 Week of 18 April 2022: Research Methods Laboratory Class 3 Week of 2 May 2022: Cognitive Laboratory Class 1 Week of 9 May 2022: Cognitive Laboratory Class 2 Week of 16 May 2022: Cognitive Laboratory Class 3 Laboratory Research Report Laboratory Class: Date TBA

Tutorial Registration

Sign-up for PSYC1003 Laboratory Classes. Enrolment Opens on Wattle: Friday 18 February 2022 at 1pm.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Laboratory Research Report (25%)	25 %	20/05/2022	10/06/2022	1,3,4,5,6
Laboratory-Class Assessment -- Reflection Posts and Quizzes (10%)	10 %	*	*	1,2,4,6
Research in Psychology Experience (5%)	5 %	10/06/2022	01/07/2022	1,2,3
One Examination for each of Three PSYC1003 Course Modules: Developmental Psychology (20%), Research Methods (20%), and Cognitive Psycholog (20%	60 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

• Students are expected to engage with the three hours of lectures each week, as well as attend weekly laboratory classes over the semester. Lectures are very important, as they provide students with the central ideas and concepts for the course. Laboratory classes are important as they will provide a unique opportunity for small group discussion and interactive learning exercises.
• In addition, there is an expectation that students will regularly and consistently engage in the course readings, as selected and notified by the lecturers.
• On average, students are expected to spend approximately 10 hours per week working on this course, including the time spent in lectures and laboratory classes.

Assessment Task 1

Laboratory Research Report (25%)

Details of Task: Your assignment will be to write a laboratory research report based on an in-class psychology experiment that you will participate in. This report will include an Introduction to the research topic, with a clear outline of the Aims and Hypotheses, Experimental Methods will be provided to students, Results and Discussion (implications for current understanding and directions for future research). The assignment will also include a Literature Search for the relevant literature on which the experiment was based.

Word Limit: 2000 words maximum

Value: 25% of Your Final Grade – Literature Search (5%), Introduction and Aims & Hypotheses (10%), Methods (0%), Results and Discussion (10%).

Presentation ‘Referencing’ Requirements:  Students are expected to format the laboratory research report using guidelines set out by the American Psychological Association (APA; see required textbook, Burton, L. J. (2021). An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology (5th ed.). Milton Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.).

Estimated Due Date: Friday 20 May 2022 at 11:59pm

Estimated Return Date: Laboratory research reports will be available approximately three weeks after submission due date (for on-time submissions).

HPO students only: Students pursuing the HPO will complete an extended Introduction and Discussion section for their Research Report.

Assessment Task 2

Laboratory-Class Assessment -- Reflection Posts and Quizzes (10%)

Details of Task: All laboratory classes will include some form of assessment. The Assessment involves either an in-class reflection post or an in-class quiz, based specifically on information presented in the laboratory class. Reflection posts and quizzes are intended to keep students on-track and engaged with the content of the laboratory classes.

Word Limit (where applicable): 100-word maximum for Reflection Posts; NA for quizzes.

Value: 10% of Your Final Grade - Each laboratory class assessment will be worth 1% of your final grade..

Presentation Requirements: Not Applicable

Estimated Due Dates and Return Dates: Reflection posts are not returned. Quiz marks will be available approximately 10 days after the due date of the quiz.

Assessment Task 3

Research in Psychology Experience (5%)

Details of Task: We have set up two exercises to help you learn more about research in psychology (see Option 1 and Option 2 below). You can choose either of these two exercises or a combination of both – students can exclusively take up Option 1 or Option 2, but they can also choose to do a combination (i.e., complete three hours of research participation through Option 1 and two hours through Option 2). Although you are required to do one or the other (or both), you can choose which one you want (and your choice of one or the other does not need explanation). In total, you are required to spend five hours on one or the other of these research participation exercises.

Option 1. You can participate in five hours of ongoing psychological research in the Research School of Psychology. In this way, you can experience first-hand what real psychological research is like. And you can be part of new and ongoing research projects, designed to further our understanding of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Basically what happens is that researchers in the Research School of Psychology will post descriptions of their studies on a system called ‘SONA’. Each description will include the title of the research, a brief description of what you will be doing, the researcher’s name and phone number, and the time, day and location of the research. You should look through all of the various research studies – sometimes up to 20 will be available – and when you find the studies that you are interested in, sign up to be a research participant via the online SONA system by going to the ANU Research School of Psychology page, "Research in Psychology Experience".

Please note that once you have completed the five hours of 'Research in Psychology Experience', you will need to submit one 300-word reflection about your overall experience.

Option 2. If you would prefer not to participate in ongoing psychological research, you can, instead, read a series of published psychology journal articles (five in total), and answer specific questions about them. This exercise will allow you to learn about some important scientific discoveries in psychology. If you choose this option, you should select a research article from the list available in the folder on the PSYC1003 Wattle site, called "Option 2_ Journal Articles to Read and Review". This list is made up of articles that your lecturers believe you will find interesting and educational. Once you have read the article, you will need to answer some brief questions about it by accessing the on-line questionnaire, see link to this questionnaire in the folder on the PSYC1003 Wattle site, called "Explanation of Research in Psychology Experience". You will need to complete the questionnaire separately for each article you read. As a rule of thumb, one article should take one hour and should equate to one hour of research participation in Option 1. 

Word Limit: Not Applicable

Option 1: 300-word reflection about your overall Research in Psychology Experience (following completion of five hours of research participation).

Option 2: 250-word response to online-questions for each of the five published journal articles you read.

Value: 5% of Your Final Grade

Presentation Requirements: Not Applicable

Estimated Due Date: Friday 10 June 2022 at 11:59pm

Estimated Return Date: Not Applicable

 

Assessment Task 4

One Examination for each of Three PSYC1003 Course Modules: Developmental Psychology (20%), Research Methods (20%), and Cognitive Psycholog (20%

Details of Task: There will be a one-hour multiple-choice examination (based on lectures, laboratory classes, and required reading) on completion of each of the three PSYC1003 Course Modules. The Developmental Psychology Examination is on 16 March 2022, the Research Methods Examination is on 27 April 2022, and the Cognitive Psychology Examination is on 25 May 2022. The exact format of the examination will be discussed in-class closer to the examination dates.

Word Limit: Not Applicable

Value: 60% of Your Final Grade (20% for each of three examinations)

Presentation Requirements: Not Applicable

Estimated Return Date:  Exams are not returned.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard-copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet . Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

• Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.
• Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Laboratory Research Reports that have been submitted on time will be marked and available to download from the Turnitin link on Wattle, approximately three weeks after the submission date. The exact return date will be posted on the PSYC1003 Wattle site. Late assignments (even those with formal extensions) will not be marked within this timeframe; our priority will be to mark the assignments that were handed in on time.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Please check the PSYC1003 Wattle site for further details.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students