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There are two pathways to enter the Honours in psychology at ACU.
The Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) is a one-year degree for high-achieving students who have completed a Bachelor's degree that included an APAC accredited three-year sequence (Level 1) in psychology.
The Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) is a 4-year degree which includes APAC accredited degree three-year sequence (APAC Level 1) in psychology and, for those that meet the progression requirements, an honours year (APAC Level 2).
Students completing the honours year will:
Honours in Psychology will give you an edge in an increasingly competitive job market and will also equip you for further study at a higher degree level.
Check the relevant handbook for details of the Honours program
"Studying Honours in Psychology at ACU helped me to hone my research abilities to deepen my understanding of human behaviour. These skills and knowledge have been instrumental in my development as both a researcher and clinician allowing me to draw on a large evidence base to support clients in my clinical practice."
Please note that this is only a sample of some of the projects from previous years.
Below are recently published articles from previous honours student projects. Honours students are highlighted in bold.
Dingle, E., & Anderson, J. R. (2026). A scoping review exploring LGBTQIA+ student perspectives on the inclusivity and effectiveness of school-based sexuality education in Australia. Journal of Homosexuality, Manuscript in press.
Kwok, E., Whyte, D., Deans, C. (2026). Social Support and the Military-to-Civilian Transition: A Scoping Review of Methodological Approaches and Measures. Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health. Manuscript in press.
Lorenzetti V., Sehl H., Honnedevasthana A.A., McTavish. E., Clemente A., Thomson H., Quinones-Valera M., Gaillard A., Beyer E., Thomson E., Cousijn J., Labuschagne I., Rendell P., Terrett G., Suo C., Greenwood L.M., Manning V., Poudel G., (2026) The Neurocircuitry of Cannabis Cue Reactivity in Cannabis Use Disorder: A Functional Neuroimaging Study, Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 6(1) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100638.
Say, A.M.D., Werner, L.M., de la Piedad Garcia, X., Mallan, K.M. (2026). Differential associations between overt and covert restrictive feeding practices and children's eating behaviours and dietary intake. Appetite, 217. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108330
Song, W., Tziliaskopoulos, R., & Willis, M. L. (2026). The relationship between narcissism and alexithymia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 253, 113617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113617
Bennett, J. M., McGuckian, T. B., Healy, N., Lam, N., Lucas, R.,Palmer, K., Crowther, R. G., Greene, D. A., Wilson, P., & Duckworth, J. (2025). Development of a virtual reality pedestrian street-crossing task: The examination of hazard perception and gap acceptance. Safety Science, 181, 106706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2024.106706
Beaton, L., & Modesto, O. (2025). Fun with Friends? Participation in the Gay Community Predicts Alcohol and Drug Consumption for Gay and Bisexual Men. Journal of Homosexuality, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2025.2540370
Branch, S., Espinosa, N., McKinnon, A. C., & Bennett, J. M. (2025). The relationship between brain structure and function and driving performance in older adults with and without cognitive impairment: A systematic review. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 109, 1523-1541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.01.036
Carpenter, J., Koppel, S., & Bennett, J. M. (2025). Understanding the relationship between driving cessation and depressive symptomology in older adults: A systematic review. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 114, 535-549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.05.035
Carrigan, A., McGuckian, T. B., Prabhakharan, P., Tasnim, N.,McCracken, G., & Bennett, J. M. (2025). Towards a model for understanding the pedestrian behaviours of older adults with and without cognitive impairment: A systematic review. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 114, 1142-1160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.07.001
De Puit, J. K., & Challinor, K. L. (2025). Critical Review of Neurobiological Evidence for Relationships Between Social Isolation, Loneliness and the Risk of Developing of Alzheimer's Disease: A New Model. Journal of Aging research, 2025, 9924448. https://doi.org/10.1155/jare/9924448
Fitzhardinge, M., Blackman, L., & Pilkington, P.D. (2025). Adverse Childhood Experiences and emotional exhaustion in therapists: The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 32, 4: e70115. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70115
Hudson, A., Batalha, L., & Ciarrochi, J. (2025). Higher-Weight Social Identity as a Risk and Protective Factor in the Negative Health Consequences of Weight Stigma: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Obesity, 49(7), 1209-1228. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01755-z
McCole, A.R., Thai, M., & Anderson, J. R. (2025). “An extra set of bits for your fantasy”: A qualitative exploration of bi+ women’s fetishization experiences. Journal of Bisexuality, 25(4), 696-718. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2025.2481610.
McCole, A. R., & Anderson, J. R. (2025). “Not queer enough”: A systematic review of the literature exploring experiences of bi-erasure. Journal of Bisexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2025.2498757
Mercieca, B., & Anderson, J. R. (2025a). “I’d rather be dead than gay:” A qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of sexually and gender diverse Christians in Australia. Psychology & Sexuality.https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2025.2482050
Mercieca, B., & Anderson, J. R. (2025b). A systematic review of identity management strategies for religious people who are sexually and gender diverse. Psychology & Sexuality, 16(2), 454-472. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2025.2449921
Saunders, A., Anderson, J. R., & Hinton, J. D. X. (2025). When their experience becomes mine: Re-conceptualising and measuring LGBTQ+ vicarious discrimination with the Vicarious Discrimination Scale (VDS). Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000869
Beyer, E., Poudel, G., Antonopoulos, S., Thomson, H., Lorenzetti, V. (2024) Brain reward function in people who use cannabis: a systematic review. Front Behav Neurosci. 2024 Feb 6;17:1323609. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1323609.
Blackman, L., Pizarro-Campagna, E. and Pilkington, P. (2024). Early maladaptive schemas and dissociative symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 31: e70026. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.70026
Blanks, L.N., Carrick, Z.T., McGuckian, T. B., & Bennett, J. M. (2024). The efficacy of training to improve road safety in elderly pedestrians: A systematic review. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 207, 107735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2024.107735
Bondarchuk-McLaughlin, A., & Anderson, J. R. (2024). A systematic review on differences in women’s sexual satisfaction as a function of their sexual identity. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2024.2360998
Burstall, J., Tan, K. J., de la Piedad Garcia, X., & Anderson, J. R. (2024). Experiences of body image in the gender non-binary communities: A qualitative analysis. Body Image, 51, 101762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101762
Lorenzetti, V., McTavish, E., Broyd, S., van Hell, H., Thomson, D., Ganella, E., Kottaram, A.R., Beale, C., Martin, J., Galettis, P., Solowij, N., Greenwood, L.M. (2024) Daily Cannabidiol Administration for 10 Weeks Modulates Hippocampal and Amygdalar Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Cannabis Users: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Open-Label Clinical Trial. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 9(4). doi: 10.1089/can.2022.0336.
McGuckian, T. B., Laracas, J., Roseboom, N., Eichler, S., Kardas, S., Piantella, S., Cole, M. H., Eldridge, R., Duckworth, J., Steenbergen, B., Green, D., & Wilson, P. H. (2024). Portable Touchscreen Assessment of Motor Skill: A Registered Report of the Reliability and Validity of EDNA MoTap. Assessment, 32(2), 269-282. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241266306
Pehlivanidis, S. G., & Anderson, J. R. (2024a). A qualitative exploration of the motivations and implications of chest binding practices for transmasculine Australians. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2319792
Pehlivanidis, S. G., & Anderson, J. R. (2024b). A scoping review of the literature exploring experiences in the trans and gender diverse community with chest binding practices. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2024.2316691
Werner, L.M. & Mallan, K.M. (2024). Associations between restrictive feeding practices and children's dietary intake: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Appetite, 200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107508.
Delios, M.S., Kehoe, C.E., Pizarro-Campagna, E. (2023). The role peer responses to adolescent expression of emotions plays in their emotion regulation: As systematic literature review. Mental Health Prevention, 32, 200299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200299
Folli, M., & Bennett, J. M. (2023). Factors that predict hazard perception in older adult road-users: A systematic review. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 99, 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.10.008
Lim, C. J., Pizarro-Campagna, E., Havighurst, S. S., Zhang, X., Radovini, A., & Kehoe, C. E. (2023). The role of parent and peer emotion socialization and emotion regulation in the development of internalizing problems in adolescents. Mental Health & Prevention, 30, 200278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200278
Lorenzetti, V., Gaillard, A., Beyer, E., Kowalczyk, M., Kamboj, S.K., Manning, V., Gleeson, J. (2023) Do mindfulness-based interventions change brain function in people with substance dependence? A systematic review of the fMRI evidence. BMC Psychiatry 23(407). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04789-7
Lorenzetti, V., Gaillard, A., Thomson, D., Englund, A., Freeman, T.P., (2023) Effects of cannabinoids on resting state functional brain connectivity: A systematic review, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 145, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105014.
Nicholson, M., Bennett, J.M., Modesto, O., & Gould, R. (2023). Understanding university students during COVID-19: A longitudinal mixed-methods analysis of their experiences of online learning, mental health, academic engagement and academic self-efficacy. Psychopathology, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1159/000528441
Oliver, E., Coates, A., Bennett, J. M., & Willis, M. L. (2023). Narcissism and Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231196115
Say, A., de la Piedad Garcia, X., Mallan, K.M. (2023). The correlation between different operationalisations of parental restrictive feeding practices and children's eating behaviours: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Appetite, 180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106320
Trachtenberg-Ray, D., Modesto, O. Attachment and Relationship Satisfaction Among Gay Men: the Mediating Role of Well-Being. Sex Res Soc Policy 20, 453–464 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00634-2
Valos, N., & Bennett, J. M. (2023). The relationship between cognitive functioning and street-crossing behaviours in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 99, 356-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.10.018
Willis, M. L., Oliver, E., & March, E. (2023). Dating in the dark: Vulnerable narcissism predicts inauthentic self-presentation in online dating. Telematics and Informatics, 81, 101985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.101985
Falls, T., & Anderson, J. R. (2022). Attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia: A systematic review. Australian Journal of Psychology, 74(1), 2039043. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2022.2039043
Thomson, H., Labuschagne, I., Greenwood, L. M., Robinson, E., Sehl, H., Suo, C., & Lorenzetti, V. (2022). Is resting-state functional connectivity altered in regular cannabis users? A systematic review of the literature. Psychopharmacology, 239(5), 1191-1209. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-021-05938-0
D’Rozario, A.B., & Pilkington, P.D. (2021). Parental separation and divorce and adulthood attachment: The mediating role of the abandonment schema. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 29, 664-675. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2659
If you have any other questions in relation to completing an honours degree in psychology at either the Melbourne campus, or the Strathfield campus, please contact Dr Thomas McGuckian, Course Coordinator via email: Thomas.McGuckian@acu.edu.au
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