Study Abroad in the Department of Psychology

Considering Studying Psychology at the University of Melbourne as part of a Study Abroad trip? This page has the following information for you:

• Approval of courses
• Subjects available to Study Abroad students
• Timetabling
• Semesters
• Frequently Asked Questions

Approval of courses

The Psychology Department has designed an application process in order to ensure that students have the most rewarding educational experience possible. Students are required to have their applications (submitted to the Faculty then forwarded on to the Department) assessed by an academic staff member to ensure that the chosen study is appropriate to their level. Students, where possible, should submit the following documentation to fast track their applications:

• Current academic transcript
• Course outlines, including contact hours

Psychology subjects available to Sudy Abroad students

Below is a list of courses offered by the Psychology Department. Please be aware that level 1 subjects are introductory, level 2 subjects are intermediate and level 3 subjects are advanced.

The Timetable Process

The timetabling process at The University of Melbourne is centralised. This means that once you have confirmed your enrolment into the subjects you want to do (usually in orientation week semester 1, i.e., the end of February or semester 2, i.e., the beginning of August), your timetable will automatically be generated for you. There are a number of class times available for most courses and it is possible to make changes to your timetable.

Students' timetables will generally not be issued until the week before classes start. The system used to allocate students to specific classes (Alloc8) is web-based and you are able to access this on line. You can also make changes on line to your scheduled classes (providing there is room in the selected class). Alloc8 will not timetable clashes, but you may be enrolled in some classes that do not use the central timetabling system. If you find you have clashes you will be able to make changes. If you have problems finding a class that fits your timetable and is not full, you can ask the Psychology Department Administrative staff for assistance.

Semesters- When are they?

Semester 1 starts around the start of March and ends around the end of May with an examination period of approximately three weeks at the end of semester.

Semester 2 starts around the end of July and ends around the end of October with an examination period of approximately three weeks at the end of semester.

Please note: Most Psychology subjects' assessment comprises partly or wholly of an examination, therefore students need to be available in the examination period.

Terminology:

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a laboratory report and what does it comprise?

Writing laboratory reports is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn how researchers report research findings in articles that are ultimately published in refereed journals. As a result a laboratory report provides a written summary of an experiment or other piece of research you have conducted. Its purpose is to communicate the how and why you performed the piece of research, what you found, and what the findings mean. Like almost all disciplines, psychology has conventions for reporting research findings. These are the Guidelines of the American Psychological Association (5 th ed.).

The general rule is that a laboratory report contains the following sections:

• Abstract - An overview or summary of the report.
• Introduction - The section that provides the rationale behind the piece of research. It begins by broadly describing the area of interest, then focuses on the previous, relevant research in the area, and ends with the specific aims of the study and the hypotheses being tested.
• Method - The section that describes the exact way you undertook the piece of research so that someone reading the report could replicate your research. Commonly, this section is divided into subsections
  • Participants - A description of the individuals who took part in the research. Typically the number of participants, including numbers of males and females, the mean age (and standard deviation), and where they were recruited from are included.
  • Design - The basic conditions of the research, and the independent and dependent variables (sometimes this sub-section is not included).
  • Materials - Describes any equipment or questionnaires that were used to gather the data.
  • Procedure - Describes what was done in the study, including any instructions to participants, the way in which the variables were manipulated or any composite measures were formed, and how any tests were administered.
• Results - The section where the results relevant to your research are presented. This might include both descriptive statistics (e.g., means and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (i.e., the results of statistical tests such as t-tests or analyses of variance). There is no interpretation of the results in this section. Sometimes Tables or Figures are used to present summaries of results that are described in the text.
• Discussion - This section begins specifically with what you have found in the study (including whether the hypotheses that ended the Introduction were supported), what the results mean, whether they are consistent with those found in past studies (typically the studies discussed in the Introduction), and if they are unexpected, what might explain them. The section also includes consideration of the methodology of the research, including any flaws in the design or factors that might limit their applicability. Finally, you should conclude with a summary of the research and the implications of your results for future research in the area.

In addition to these sections, laboratory reports also need a succinct Title, that describes the nature of the research, a list of the References cited in the report, and Appendices, that include any questionnaires you might have used or other material that is relevant, such as statistical computations.

There are a number of guides to writing laboratory reports that are available in the University Library (known as the Ballieu Library). Also a number of websites provide helpful advice on writing laboratory reports. Currently, students at the University of Melbourne use the following books as a guide. This can be purchased from the University Book Room:

• Burton, L. J. (2002). An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.
• Findlay, B. (2002). How to write psychology laboratory reports and essays. (3rd. ed.). Sydney: Prentice-Hall.
• O'Shea, R. P. (2002). Writing for psychology. (4th. ed.). Singapore: Thomson.

Are there any fieldwork opportunities?

At the undergraduate level there are no fieldwork opportunities as such, although students are given the opportunity to gain practical experience in research through participating in staff and postgraduate student research. Laboratory classes, available through the undergraduate courses, provide experience in all aspects of research design and analysis.

I want to do a particular course but I do not meet the selection criteria?

If you do not meet the selection criteria but have a strong academic record or have taken a subject in a related area you may still be eligible to enrol in particular courses. Each student's application is assessed on an individual basis and the selection criteria information is used as a guide. The purpose of the selection criteria is to establish whether you have the necessary background to complete the subject successfully.