| Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Toowoomba | |
| Short Description: | Foundation Psychology A |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Psychology and Counselling |
| Student contribution band : | Band 1 |
| ASCED code : | 090701 - Psychology |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Rationale
Psychology is concerned with understanding why people act and think as they do and how people differ. This course provides students with an understanding of the major concepts, techniques, and theoretical perspectives in psychology. Students will gain an appreciation of the main fields within the discipline and learn about the APA standard format for writing in psychology. Thus, it provides the foundational knowledge and core skills built on in subsequent undergraduate and postgraduate psychology courses to deepen discipline knowledge and strengthen skills.
Synopsis
This course provides students with an overall perspective of the scope, nature, and methods of psychology. The major concepts of developmental psychology, personality, cross-cultural psychology, psychological disorders, therapy, health, and social psychology are introduced. Students will learn the correct procedures for presenting written material, citing references and constructing a reference list in the writing format recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Objectives
On completion of this course students will be able to:
- demonstrate ethical research and enquiry by recognising the guidelines for the conduct of psychological research and identifying how to evaluate a study critically;
- demonstrate problem solving by showing a knowledge of the basic concepts and techniques of psychology;
- demonstrate academic and professional literacy by showing an understanding of the scope of psychology and its major contemporary perspectives and the relationship between its fields;
- demonstrate academic and professional literacy by searching and synthesising material obtained from refereed books, journals, databases, and electronic resources;
- demonstrate written communication skills by writing a psychology essay that apply the style and format requirements outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association;
- demonstrate cultural literacy skills by identifying how culture shapes the identities of people, including indigenous peoples in Australia and New Zealand, and describing efforts to promote cross-cultural communications and relationships;
- demonstrate management, planning, and organisation skills by setting and achieving their study goals.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | What is Psychology? - defining psychology - history of psychology - psychology in Australia and New Zealand - perspectives in psychology | 10.00 |
| 2. | Developmental Psychology - issues in development psychology - studying development - prenatal development - childhood: physical, cognitive, and social development - adolescence: physical, cognitive, and social development - adulthood: physical, cognitive, and social development | 15.00 |
| 3. | Cross-cultural and Indigenous Psychology - culture and psychology - culture and its context - cross-cultural relations - indigenous psychology - promoting cross-cultural interactions | 10.00 |
| 4. | Personality - psychodynamic theories - cognitive-social theories - trait theories - humanistic theories - genetics, personality & culture - sociocultural perspective - measurement of personality | 10.00 |
| 5. | Psychological Disorders - culture and psychopathology - approaches to psychopathology - classifying psychological disorders - childhood disorders - anxiety, dissociative, and somatoform disorders - mood disorders - schizophrenia - eating disorders - substance related disorders - personality disorders | 10.00 |
| 6. | Treatment of Psychological Disorders - mental health services - defining therapy - psychodynamic therapies - humanistic therapies - cognitive-behaviour therapies - group and family therapies - biological treatments - evaluating psychological treatments | 10.00 |
| 7. | Health, Stress and Coping - theories of health behaviour - health compromising behaviours - barriers to health promotion - defining stress - sources of stress - moderators of stress - stress and health - coping mechanisms | 10.00 |
| 8. | Social Psychology - attitudes - social cognition - the self-relationships - altruism - aggression - social influence | 15.00 |
| 9. | Writing for psychology - skills for literature review and essay writing - APA formatting requirements | 10.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=PSY1010)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Burton, L, Younger, A, Armagnacq, A, Gasson, N, Blosfelds, M, Lewis, V, Tooley, G, Hendry, L, Albion, M, Correia, H, & Mulgrew, K 2018, Psychology: i精东传媒app featuring Cyberpsych, Version 2 edn, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane.
Burton, LJ 2017, An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology, 4th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Australia.
Burton, LJ, Westen, D, & Kowalski, R 2018, Psychology: 5th Australian and New Zealand edition, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Australia.
Reference materials
Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
American Psychological Association 2020, Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edn, APA, Washington, DC.
Myers, DG 2018, Psychology, 12th edn, Freeman, New York.
Weiten, W 2016, Psychology: Themes and variations with critical thinking applications, 10th edn, Thomson/Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Assessments | 42.00 |
| Lectures | 20.00 |
| Private 精东传媒app | 95.00 |
| Tutorials | 10.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Test 1 (MultipleChoice) | 20 | 10 | 18 Mar 2020 | |
| Online Test 2 | 30 | 15 | 22 Apr 2020 | |
| APA Style Activity | 10 | 10 | 29 Apr 2020 | |
| Essay | 70 | 35 | 13 May 2020 | |
| Research Activity Log | 10 | 10 | 10 Jun 2020 | |
| Online Test 3 | 40 | 20 | 15 Jun 2020 |
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
It is the student's responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. To maximise their chances of satisfying the objectives of the course, students should actively participate in the course discussion group. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each of the assessment items to be awarded a passing grade in the course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle). Note that the Conceded Pass is not available in this course due to APAC accreditation.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
Final grades for students will be determined by the addition of the marks obtained in each assessment item, weighted as in the Assessment details and by considering the students' level of achievement of the objectives of the course. -
Examination information:
There is no examination in this course. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
There will be no deferred or supplementary examinations in this course. -
精东传媒app Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment notes
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The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch an assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the Examiner. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment purposes. Such copies should be despatched to the USQ within 24 hours of receipt of a request to do so.
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Electronic submission of assignments is required for this course. All submissions must be made through the Assignment Drop Box located on the USQ study desk for this course, unless directed otherwise by the examiner of the course. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner.
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Students need to request an extension in advance of the due date from the Examiner. Granting of an Assignment extension is considered a significant concession. See (point 4.1.5) if you think you have grounds for an extension. Applications for extensions must be made in writing to the Course Examiner together with accompanying documentation as specified in the Assessment of Compassionate and Compelling Circumstances Procedure. In regards to appropriate documentation, students should refer to the relevant policy guidelines using the link above (see point 4.3). No assignment will be accepted after marked copies have been returned to students. Assignments submitted after the due date, without an extension approved by the Examiner, will attract penalties as in Statement 3 above. Extensions will usually not be granted for workload reasons unless it can be shown that your work commitments prior to the due date for the assignment were above and beyond your normal duties or responsibilities. In such cases, a letter from your employer would be required.
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Reliable access to the internet is a requirement of this course as the course contains electronic assessment and submission elements. In order to avoid internet issues, on-campus students should attempt the Quiz in the student computer laboratories and upload their assignments electronically using the same computer laboratories. External students who knowingly do not have reliable access to the internet should actively seek alternative internet access (e.g., Internet cafes, local libraries, or work places) for assessment submission and electronic assessment attempts. External students are able to use the on-campus student computer laboratories once access has been enabled. To be granted access, external students need to contact ICT and ask to have a student account enabled so that they can work on-campus.
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APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use the 6th or 7th edition of the APA Style Manual to format their assignments. The APA Style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide.