Unit aim
Introduces the general concepts, ethics, and methodology of scientific research as it applies to the discipline of psychology. Topics include methods of observation, measurement, and assessment used in psychology and the effective use of information resources. Students will engage in oral and written presentation of the material covered.
Unit content
- The scientific method
- Ethics in psychology (research and professional issues)
- Descriptive methods
- Archival research
- Experimental methods
- Complex designs
- Applied research
- Single case and small 'n' research
- Quasi-experimental designs
- Analysis and reporting of research
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | analyse the nature of the term 'science' from several different perspectives and explain the scientific features of psychology | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | |||||
| 2 | explain the nature of hypotheses and theories | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | |||||
| 3 | describe the nature and techniques of a range of research methodologies and assess the appropriateness of each to individual research questions | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||||
| 4 | identify and describe basic descriptive statistics and statistical concepts (such as measures of central tendency, standard deviation, statistical significance) | Intellectual rigour | Knowledge of a discipline | |||||
| 5 | interpret the nature and relative importance of scholarly articles, journals, and other forms of publication | Knowledge of a discipline | Communication and social skills | |||||
| 6 | use the Library and Internet to gather information and demonstrate the ability to synthesise such information. | Communication and social skills | ||||||
Prescribed texts
Session 2
- No prescribed texts.
Teaching and assessment
Coffs Harbour
| Teaching method |
| Lecture on-site 2 hours (12 weeks) |
| Tutorial on-site 1 hour |
| Assessment | |
| Annotated bibliography | 20% |
| Presentation | 15% |
| Quiz | 15% |
| Exam: closed book | 50% |
Online
| Teaching method |
| Lecture online 2 hours (12 weeks) |
| Tutorial online 1 hour |
| Assessment | |
| Annotated bibliography | 20% |
| Presentation | 15% |
| Quiz | 15% |
| Exam: closed book | 50% |
Fee information
Domestic
Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.
Commencing 2017 Commonwealth Supported only. Student contribution band: 1
Fee paying courses
For POSTGRADUATE or UNDERGRADUATE full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees
International
Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.