Courses

Psychology

Year 11 and 12 ATAR Pathway|Cross Campus Classes

Psychology

Reg Reberger
Curriculum Leader - Science

Psychology

Tilly Spadaccini

Psychology is the scientific study of how people think, feel and act. This course introduces students to a breadth of knowledge focusing on the psychology of self and others. It includes psychological knowledge on: cognition; biological bases of behaviour; and personality. The course will also help students to understand the psychological knowledge associated with socialisation, moral development and the formation of attitudes, and also how people relate and communicate. Students will be introduced to how individuals function within different contexts and how this is influenced by culture, shaping people’s values, attitudes and beliefs.

Methods of communication studied in Psychology enhance personal communication skills, both within the field of psychology and in the context of daily life. Students also develop important research skills as they engage in the exploration and evaluation of data to illustrate how empirical procedures are used to examine phenomena such as intelligence and personality.

The study of Psychology is highly relevant to further studies in the health professions, education, human resources, social sciences, sales, media and marketing and management.

Courses

Year 11 ATAR Course

Unit 1

This unit focuses on a number of concepts that enable students to gain an understanding of how and why people behave the way they do. Students learn about the human brain and explore the impact of external factors on behaviour, such as physical activity and psychoactive drugs. Cognitive processes, such as sensation and perception, and selective and divided attention are investigated. Students examine different types of relationships and the role of verbal and non-verbal communication in initiating, maintaining and regulating these. Students are introduced to ethics in psychological research and carry out investigations.

Unit 2

This unit focuses on developmental psychology. Students analyse twin and adoption studies to gain insight into the nature/nurture debate and look at the role of play in assisting development. Students explore what is meant by the term personality and examine historical perspectives used to explain personality. They also explore behaviour and causes of prejudice. Psychological research methods studied in Unit 1 are further developed.

Assessments
  • Investigations
    20%

    Students plan and conduct a study to answer a research question that can include predicting, hypothesising, designing, controlling variables, gathering and organising data and interpreting and/or evaluating research findings.

  • Responses
    30%

    Students apply knowledge and skills to analyse, interpret and evaluate data, and identify ethical issues.

    Evidence can include: reports, literature searches, tests, observations during the analysis process, evaluation forms and/or journals.

  • Project
    20%

    Students communicate psychological knowledge, skills and processes in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

  • Examinations
    30%

Year 12 ATAR Course

Unit 3

The focus of this unit is to introduce new concepts which assist students to have a better understanding of human behaviour. In this unit, students study the functions of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and examine how messages are transmitted from the brain to the body. They focus on how behaviour is influenced by learning, by reviewing classical and operant conditioning, negative and positive reinforcement, and observational learning. They further expand their knowledge and understanding by examining behaviour that is not influenced by learning, such as heredity, hormones and recreational drugs. Students learn about the impact of others on individual behaviour. They examine the socialisation processes observed within families and explore how social background and gender can shape communication styles. They expand on their knowledge of ethics in psychological research by considering the role of the experimenter and participants’ rights such as privacy and anonymity. Students engage in detailed investigations of experimental methods, noting practical issues associated with research and its application.

Unit 4

In this unit, students are introduced to theories of development, including Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. They review contemporary personality theories and their limitations, and analyse the causes of conformity and obedience by investigating the results of famous experiments conducted by Asch, Milgram and Zimbardo. They also gain an understanding into factors that shape a sense of community and explore the varied responses individuals have to significant events. Students continue to develop their understanding and application of psychological research methods. They manipulate dependent and independent variables to test hypotheses and use statistical significance to draw conclusions.

Assessments
  • Investigations
    15%

    Students plan and conduct a study to answer a research question that can include predicting, hypothesising, designing, controlling variables, gathering and organising data, and interpreting and evaluating research findings.

  • Responses
    30%

    Students apply knowledge and skills to analyse, interpret and evaluate data, and identify ethical issues.

    Evidence can include: reports, literature searches, tests, observations during the analysis process, evaluation forms and journals.

  • Projects
    15%

    Students communicate psychological knowledge, skills and processes in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

  • Examinations
    40%