512-120 Introductory Experimental Psychology 1

No prerequisites

This subject comprises four units.

Behavioural Neuroscience looks at how biology underlies and influences behaviour. Specific areas will be selected from 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 and neurological disease.

Learning and Cognition introduces the experimental study of higher cognitive processes, such as attention, recognition, memory, learning, language, and reasoning. Key theoretical advances and research on these cognitive processes are surveyed and integrated. Aspects of cognitive development and cognitive impairment are also considered.

Perception introduces sensation and perception, with an emphasis on the visual system as a model perceptual system. Specific topics will be selected from examination of the functional properties of sensory systems (eg. auditory system, colour vision, touch and kinaesthesia); phenomenology of sensation and perception; psychophysical limits of perceptual systems; goals of sensory coding; structure and evolution of sensory systems; and computational models of visual perception.

Introduction to Research Design and Descriptive Statistics is taught in the laboratory program, and covers methods for collecting and describing data. Specific topics 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.

On completion of these subjects that comprise the first year of study in psychology, students should be able to: identify and evaluate the empirical basis for some major psychological concepts and theories; identify the critical features of specific research designs; identify the basic approach to hypothesis testing including formulation of research questions, collection of relevant behavioural observations, analysis and interpretation of data to arrive at a conclusion; apply basic descriptive and inferential statistics in data analysis; communicate the findings of empirical studies.

An examination of not more than two hours comprising multiple-choice questions and covering all four components of the subject (75%).

Laboratory assignments of not more than 2000 words (25%).

Each piece of assessment must be completed (hurdle requirement).

Participation in three hours of experimental work and attendance at 80% or more of laboratory classes (hurdle requirement). In the event that the hurdle requirement is not met, additional work will be required before a passing mark can be awarded.