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PSY1010 Foundation Psychology A

Semester 1, 2023 Toowoomba On-campus
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Psychology and Wellbeing
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator:

Overview

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; 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). 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.

Course learning outcomes

On completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate ethical research and enquiry by recognising the guidelines for the conduct of psychological research and identifying how to evaluate a study critically;
  2. demonstrate problem solving by showing a knowledge of the basic concepts and techniques of psychology;
  3. 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;
  4. demonstrate academic and professional literacy by searching and synthesising material obtained from refereed books, journals, databases, and electronic resources;
  5. 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;
  6. 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;
  7. 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 5.00
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 10.00
3. Cross-cultural and Indigenous Psychology - culture and psychology - culture and its context - cross-cultural relations - indigenous psychology - promoting cross-cultural interactions 5.00
4. Personality - psychodynamic theories - cognitive-social theories - trait theories - humanistic theories - genetics, personality & culture - sociocultural perspective - measurement of personality 5.00
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 15.00
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 15.00
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 5.00
8. Social Psychology - attitudes - social cognition - the self-relationships - altruism - aggression - social influence 10.00
9. Writing for psychology - skills for evaluating literature and essay writing - APA referencing and formatting requirements 20.00
10. Participating in the experimental process of psychological research 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Burton, L.J 2020, An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology, 5th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Australia.
Burton, LJ, Westen, D, & Kowalski, R 2022, Psychology: 6th Australian and New Zealand edition, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Australia.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Quiz A1 of 3 No 10 3,6,7
Assignments Written Quiz A2 of 3 No 15 3,6,7
Assignments Written Essay No 45 1,2,4,5,7
Assignments Written Reflection (personal/clinical) No 10 1,3,7
Assignments Written Quiz A3 of 3 No 20 3,6,7
Date printed 9 February 2024