Unit rationale, description and aim
This interprofessional unit introduces allied health students to psychological theories and constructs that are crucial to working within the allied health professions. Students receive an overview of contemporary perspectives in psychology along with an understanding of the alignment of psychological principles with the allied health professions. Students will cover learning theory, memory and intelligence, motivation and emotion, personality, and health psychology. Additionally, students in this unit will be introduced to the framework and context of interprofessional practice. Understanding of how psychological theories apply to the individual and the importance of working interprofessionally are crucial as this knowledge is required by allied health students when undertaking professional practice placements and across their professional career. The overall aim of this unit is to provide an introduction to the scientific approach of modern psychology and understanding of human behaviour, psychological concepts relevant to allied health practice, and roles in interprofessional teams.
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.
Demonstrate knowledge about scientific approaches ...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply knowledge of psychological concepts and theo...
Learning Outcome 02
Recognise, with respect, the roles of the interpro...
Learning Outcome 3
Content
Topics will include:
Introduction to psychology in allied health
- Contemporary perspectives on psychology
- The relevance and importance of psychology in allied health practice
Research and Ethics
- Scientific approach to knowledge generation
- Approaches to studying populations
- Reliability and validity
- Research and ethical practice in allied health
Learning and behaviour
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social-cognitive approaches to learning
- Behavioural analysis
Group dynamics
- Group decision-making
- Performance in groups
- Conformity, obedience and social norms
Memory
- Encoding, storage and retrieval
- Divisions of memory: sensory memory, working memory, long-term memory
- Memory deficits
Intelligence
- Intelligence testing
- General and specific intelligences
- Multiple intelligences
- Genetics vs environment
Motivation
- Perspectives on motivation
- Theories of motivation (e.g., drive-reduction, goal setting, theory, self-determination theory)
- Hierarchy of needs
Emotion
- Perspectives on emotion
- Emotional displays and physiological reactions
- Cognition and emotional regulation
Personality
- Perspectives of personality
- Personality development theories
- Trait theories
Social Cognition
- Attribution
- Attitudes and persuasion
- Biases and stereotypes
- Concepts of self
Health Psychology
- Models of health behaviour
- Stress and coping
Interprofessional Education and Practice
- Interprofessional practice in allied health
- Capabilities for interprofessional practice
Assessment strategy and rationale
This unit requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of psychological theories and constructs, as well as their understanding of the roles of the interprofessional team. Additionally, students must demonstrate how this knowledge applies to person-centred allied health practice.
Assessment 1 quizzes are designed to enable students to demonstrate acquisition of knowledge as a foundation for the final two assessment pieces. The use of multiple quizzes will allow for feedback to be distributed across the course of the unit to enable deeper learning and better preparation for subsequent assessments.
Assessment 2, a group oral presentation, requires students to collaborate to demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between psychology and allied health practice as well as their understanding of the interprofessional team. Students will demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge of psychology to practice-based scenarios.
Assessment 3, a written examination, will further assess students’ knowledge and application of psychology and interprofessional learning to client-centred allied health practice. Students will assimilate their knowledge of content presented across the unit to answer multiple choice and short answer questions.
In order to pass this unit students are required to achieve all learning outcomes and obtain a cumulative grade of at least 50% for the unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1 - Quizzes Quizzes allow students to...
Assessment 1 - Quizzes
Quizzes allow students to demonstrate understanding of the scientific approach to psychology and knowledge of constructs, theories and principles of psychology.
25%
Assessment 2 - Group Oral Presentation This asse...
Assessment 2 - Group Oral Presentation
This assessment requires students to apply psychological theories and concepts to interprofessional allied health practice.
35%
Assessment 3 Written Examination This examinatio...
Assessment 3 Written Examination
This examination allows students to demonstrate their understanding and application of knowledge of psychology and the interprofessional team to allied health practice.
40%
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 frequent feedback on learning is provided to facilitate students’ transition to university.
This format allows for the online provision of lecture and resource material focusing on key psychology constructs and the application of these constructs to the field of allied health. Practice-based scenarios describe individual and community examples of key psychological principles. These will assist students in understanding how to apply the unit content to the provision of allied health care services. Students will also be introduced to the capabilities underlying interprofessional practice.
Tutorials are face to face and comprise small group activities designed for students to engage in interprofessional discussion. Students are encouraged to utilise experiential learning and constructivism to develop their knowledge; exploring the application of psychological principles and the elements of interprofessional practice to allied health. This unit contains one learning outcome from the ACU Interprofessional Education (IPE) Framework specifically addressing the domain of Role Understanding.