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Next 512-121 Social, Develop. & Clinical Psychology 1

 512-120 Introductory Experimental Psychology 1

Credit Points

12.5

Coordinator

Dr Ian Colrain

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Semester

1 (view timetable)

Contact

36 lectures (three a week); 22 hours of practical classes and tutorials

Subject Description

This subject comprises four units:

Behavioural Neuroscience

Addresses issues relating to how biology underlies and influences behaviour. Specific areas include: basic brain and nervous system structure and function; behaviour genetics; how vision, hearing, touch and pain are processed; the roles of sleep and dreams; and biological theories of mental illness.

Cognitive Psychology

Provides an introduction to the experimental study of higher cognitive processes, such as attention, recognition, memory, language, and reasoning. Key theoretical advances and research will be surveyed, and students will also be provided with a general framework for their integration. Aspects of cognitive development and cognitive impairment will also be considered.

Individual Differences

Provides an introduction to the study of personality and intelligence. The four main approaches to personality are examined: psychoanalytic; type/trait; social - cognitive; humanistic. Issues in the measurement of personality are considered and issues associated with the conceptualisation, measurement and empirical investigation of intelligence are discussed.

Introduction to Research Design and Descriptive Statistics

Is taught in the laboratory program and covers methods for collecting and describing data. Specific issues include: the design of experiments to test propositions about human behaviour; tools for describing how data are distributed; an introduction to the concept of probability; and techniques for sampling data from populations.

Assessment

Two hour exam consisting of 105 multi-choice questions with 30 each from the Behavioural Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology and Individual Differences sections and 15 from Introduction to Research Design and Descriptive Statistics (75%)

Laboratory report or essay (20%)

Problem sets (5%)

Participation in three hours of experimental work (hurdle requirement).



Search : Index : Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences : Psychology
Next 512-121 Social, Develop. & Clinical Psychology 1
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Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au