PSYC101 - Applications of Psychology

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Central to an undergraduate degree in psychology is the ability to understand and critically analyse core knowledge areas in psychology, to understand and demonstrate practical skills in research methods, to apply the values and ethics of the discipline and to communicate effectively in various formats. As such, this unit will introduce students to the theories and principles of applied areas in psychology. Specifically, this unit will focus on the core topics of: intelligence and intelligence testing; motivation and emotion; lifespan development; personality and personality testing; social psychology; health psychology; psychological disorders; treatment approaches in psychology; cross cultural psychology; and the social and emotional wellbeing of  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Further, students will gain knowledge and practical experience in how to present a psychological research report. The foundational knowledge provided in this unit, along with PSYC100 Foundations of Psychology, is required to support further learning in most 200 and 300 level Psychology units. The aim of this unit is to introduce students to applied psychology through some core areas of the discipline and to provide foundational knowledge and skills in psychological research report writing.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Content

Topics will include: 

• Psychometrics and intelligence: The properties of psychological tests; nature of intelligence, intelligence testing and role of heredity. 
• Motivation and emotion: Theories and concepts relating to motivation; social and biological motivations; emotion elements and theories. 
• Human development across the lifespan: The emotional, personality, social, physiological, and cognitive changes across the lifespan from prenatal to late adulthood.  
• Personality: Theories and concepts related to personality, and personality testing. 
• Social psychology: The individual and the group; attribution; attitudes and attitude change; stereotypes; person perception; conformity and obedience. 
• Stress and health psychology: Stress (types, models, cause, responses, and coping); research and theories in health psychology; lifestyle factors and behaviours relating to health; response to illness and adherence to medical advice; relationship to mental health and wellbeing.
• Psychological disorders: Key concepts and theories; anxiety, dissociative, mood, schizophrenic, personality and eating disorders.  
• Psychological treatment approaches: Key concepts, theories, and models; insight, behavioural and biomedical therapeutic approaches; current trends in positive psychology, multicultural sensitivities, blended treatment approaches, de-institutionalisation; promotion of mental health and wellbeing.  
• Cross cultural psychology: The cross-cultural issues relating to the above topics are explored; key concepts and dimensions of culture that influence human behaviour and thought.
• Historical and cultural contexts as social determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's health and wellbeing.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit fosters student-centred active learning and accommodates diverse student needs. It includes a combination of self-paced, online learning and real-time classes. Early and additional feedback on learning, and tailored support, are provided to facilitate students’ transition to university. The online content and workshops are to aid students with the acquisition and understanding of knowledge covered in the unit, while the weekly tutorials are designed to enhance application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of that knowledge via group work.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to successfully complete this unit, students must:

• complete and submit all of the assessment tasks listed in the table below
• obtain an aggregate mark of at least 50%
• demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome

To best enable students to demonstrate unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. A range of assessment strategies are used including: a workbook which is designed to scaffold understanding and application of the content of the unit; an American Psychological Association (APA) style laboratory report to demonstrate the ability to discuss and consolidate research literature to develop research hypotheses and argument, provide a description of the methodology of a study, and to interpret and discuss research findings; and an exam which provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate understanding, consolidation and application of the content covered in the unit. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Bernstein, D. A. et al. (2021). Psychology: An international discipline in context. (Australian & New Zealand 3rd ed.). Wadsworth. 

Burton, LJ, et al. (2018), Psychology: 5th Australian and New Zealand edition. John Wiley & Sons. 

Kaufmann, L., & Findlay, B. (2021). How to write psychology research reports and assignments (9th ed.). Pearson Australia. 

O’Shea, R. P., & Mackenzie, W. A. (2021). Writing for psychology (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.