PSYC101 - Applications of Psychology

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Incompatible

ALHT106 Psychology for Allied Health

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; and cross cultural and Indigenous psychology. 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.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Identify the unifying themes and organisation of psychology as a scientific and applied discipline (GA5)

LO2 - Recognise key theories and findings across the applied areas covered in this unit (GA5)

LO3 - Identify and discuss the practical applications of the core applied areas covered in this unit (GA4, GA5)

LO4 - Define, discuss and consolidate research literature to develop research hypotheses and argument, provide a methodological description and to interpret and discuss research findings (GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9)

LO5 - Locate and evaluate scholarly research and apply the APA referencing system to written work (GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9)

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

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. 
• 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 
• Cross cultural and Indigenous psychology: The cross cultural issues relating to the above topics are explored; key concepts and dimensions of culture that influence human behaviour and thought; key concepts to Indigenous Psychology; Indigenous issues in Australia. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

The unit is delivered in face-to-face mode with 3 contact hours per week: each week there will be a 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial. This mode of delivery is designed to enhance discussion and engagement in the content covered in the unit. The lectures are to aid students with the acquisition and understanding of knowledge while the tutorials are designed to enhance application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of that knowledge. The unit is also supplemented with online learning activities to provide students with guidance in understanding and application of the knowledge related to lab report writing. To assist students in self-directed learning, other learning resources are utilised including: online quizzes and activities; online forums; and lecture recordings.   

This unit may also be offered on or off campus in intensive mode or multi-mode for sponsored / special cohorts, with the learning and teaching strategies being equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the School Course Implementation Committee.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to successfully complete this unit, students will need to complete and submit all of the assessment tasks listed in the table below. In addition to this, students must obtain an aggregate mark of at least 50% to pass the unit.   

In order 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. 

Intensive and multi-mode assessment of this unit will be transparently equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the relevant Course Implementation Committee.

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. 

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