Studying Psychology under the Melbourne Model

200-level Subject Descriptions  

Title: Cognitive Psychology
Higher mental processes such as attention, memory, language and problem solving distinguish human cognition from the mental processes of other animals. These capacities form the basis for our uniquely creative human cognitive abilities. This subject integrates classic and current research findings to reveal what we know about the workings of the human mind.  The subject comprises two sections.

Attention and Memory - This section examines the nature and function of selective attention and its role in human cognition, investigating the structure, function and organisation of the human memory system. The information-processing approach is used to gain insight into the processes that underlie everyday cognitive activity, and to evaluate competing theoretical accounts of what attention and memory are and how they function.

Language and Cognition -  This section introduces students to the experimental study of human linguistic and cognitive abilities. It covers issues such as language acquisition, the biology of language and speech, language disorders, reading and writing processes, problem solving, knowledge representation, decision making, and the relationship between language and thought.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: give a critical account of the main theories in one or more areas of cognitive psychology; derive testable empirical predictions from a theory that is expressed in abstract, information-processing terms; assess the adequacy of a cognitive theory in relation to a given set of experimental findings; and summarise and analyse data in a way that is appropriate to the empirical test of a cognitive theory.

Title: Biological Psychology
This subject studies the relationship between brain mechanisms and behaviour. Its major aim is to develop an appreciation of the neurobiological basis of psychological function and dysfunction. Two approaches to the study of the relation between the brain and behaviour are covered. The first emphasises a bottom-up approach and includes topics such as brain development, neurones and neural circuits, neurotransmission and neurotransmitter substances, and the structurofunctional properties of selected brain regions. Neurobiological principles are illustrated with examples of abnormal neuronal function in conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and memory and speech disorders. The second approach emphasises a top-down approach that links psychological functions to their biological substrate.

The techniques of neuroscientific research and what these techniques can reveal about psychological function are particularly emphasised. These techniques are presented within an historical context, beginning with ventricular models (eg. Descartes) and finishing with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Specific areas of research, such as brain lateralisation, individual differences in brain structure, and clinical brain disorders, are used to gain a more detailed insight into neuropsychological research and its findings.

Title: Personality and Social Psychology
This subject examines human individuality and relatedness, the core themes of personality and social psychology. Its focus is on how we are unique individuals but also connected to others. The personality section investigates the nature and structure of individual differences, how these differences are assessed, and how they can be explained psychologically and biologically. The social psychology section examines how individuals construct their sense of self and identity, how they perceive and evaluate other people, how they form relationships, and how their behaviour is influenced by their social groups and cultural context.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to critically evaluate major theories of personality and social psychology; derive scientifically testable predictions from these theories and design and implement appropriate ways to test them; assess theories in relation to psychological research findings; and communicate clearly the relationships that exist between theory and research in personality and social psychology, and the effects of cultural context on human behaviour.


Title : Developmental Psychology
Developmental science attempts to answers questions about the ways in which: (1) nature and nurture together shape development; (2) development is continuous and/or discontinuous; (3) sociocultural factors affect the developing person; and (4) the reasons for individual differences in psychological functioning.

This subject examines the ways in which biological, neuropsychological, cognitive, social, emotional, personality and cultural factors affect developmental functioning from conception and infancy, through childhood and adolescence, and into adulthood. The focus in on the development of (1) conceptual, problem-solving, reasoning, thinking, theory-of-mind, and linguistic competencies from infancy to adolescence; and (2) attachment relations, emotional regulation, self and identify, moral reasoning, family and peer relations across the life span. Contemporary theories of development are reviewed to determine how well they account for the nature of changes in infancy, childhood, adolescence and beyond.

Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to critically review theories of development; evaluate the adequacy of developmental research questions and methodologies; interpret developmental research data; understand basic analytic techniques pertinent to development; construct defensible research hypotheses about developmental issues; and write laboratory reports that reflect an understanding of developmental psychological issues.

For more information:

tel:+61 3 8344 6377
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email: enquiries@psych.unimelb.edu.au
web:www.psych.unimelb.edu.au

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