T A S M A N I A N
Psychology
C E R T I F I C A T E
TQA level 3, size value = 15
O F
E D U C A T I O N
COURSE GUIDE
The Guide must be read in conjunction with the course document. It contains advice to assist teachers delivering the
course and can be modified as required.
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COURSE GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESEARCH AND INQUIRY ............................................................................................................................................3
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES ..........................................................................................................................................5
HUMAN LEARNING ......................................................................................................................................................10
PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL PROCESSES ..........................................................................................................................13
REMEMBERING ...........................................................................................................................................................16
TEXTS ...........................................................................................................................................................................20
INVESTIGATION PROJECT .........................................................................................................................................20
Note to Teachers:
Within this Guide sections headed ‘Teachers own Notes’ are provided. Teachers are asked to use this space to
record comments/suggestions on the units/topics and to bring these to PL meetings for discussion.
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Psychology
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RESEARCH AND INQUIRY
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
The understanding of human behaviour relies predominantly on current research and theories.
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•
What is Psychology?
•
How and why do psychologists undertake research?
•
What are the ethical considerations of research?
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
NB this area is taught through the content of other modules and is the main focus of the Investigation Project
*
Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour. Its goals are to describe, understand, predict and control
behaviour.
*
Whenever possible psychologists seek empirical evidence (objective and observable) based on scientific
observation.
*
The scientific method is used to improve upon common sense and avoid the pitfalls of informal observation.
Important steps in scientific investigation usually include defining a problem, reviewing the literature, proposing
a hypothesis, choosing a research design, collecting the necessary data, analysing the results and drawing
conclusions.
*
Basic methods of research (primary sources) include: experimentation, survey, observational studies and the
use of existing secondary sources. The strengths and weaknesses of each method.
*
Psychological research raises a number of ethical questions.
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
Research Methods
•
primary and secondary resources
•
qualitative and quantitative research
•
case study; observation; experiment; survey; existing sources.
The Scientific Method
•
validity; bias; hypothesis; operational definitions; sampling (random and opportunistic), allocation of subjects
(experimental, control, matched pairs); reliability.
•
Experimental controls
o
independent and dependent variables
o
experimental and control conditions
o
placebos; single-blind, double-blind.
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Ethical considerations
•
Informed consent; invasion of privacy; confidentiality; deception; lasting harm.
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Topic
Video
Texts
Ethical
Considerations
Little Albert
David Reimer
Genie
Gross 4 Ed, Ch48
non-human subjects
p.714ff)
Research Methods
Experimental
Case study
Observational
Website
th
USA http://www.apa.org/ethics/code.html
Aust www.psycholoy.org.au/ops/ethics/default.asp
[funsite] www.psych-central.com/psych fun.htm
- see links to USA & Eu
rd
Grivas 3-4, 3 Ed, Ch1
Weiten (Ch2 4th Ed)+Psych (CD)
th
Coon (Ch2 9 Ed)
Psych Now! (CD)
rd
Miles + Vanier The Psych Book 3 Ed
Plotnik Powerstudy 2.0.
College Open Learning Network
(Psych Senior Secondary 5C
2004. Unit 1 Introduction/
Research Methods)
TEACHER’S OWN NOTES
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INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
Individual differences arise out of the interaction between heredity (genetics) and environmental factors.
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•
What is the evidence for the genetic argument?
•
What is the evidence for the environment argument?
•
What is the interactionist perspective?
Teachers should select ONE of the following areas to investigate the interactive process between the environment and
genetic potential.
•
Gender differences
•
Personality differences
•
Intellectual differences
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
Gender differences
What is gender and gender identity?
Theoretical explanations for sexual and gender identity and related research
•
Biological influence
•
Biosocial influence
•
Socio-cultural influence
•
Social learning
•
Cognitive development theory
•
Gender schema
Personality differences
What is personality?
•
Types of personality assessment of personality (testing, profiling)
•
Biological inheritance
•
Trait theories
•
Type theories
•
Other theories eg. behaviourism, humanistic
Theories
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Intellectual differences
What is intelligence?
•
Multiple intelligences
•
Measuring intelligence
•
Effects of deprived environments
•
Environmental enrichments
•
Biological evidences
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
Gender Differences
•
Genetic endowment, heredity, genes, biological influences, development, maturation
•
Environmental influences
•
Gender
•
Gender roles
•
Gender identity
•
Stereotypes
•
Sexual identity
Personality Differences
•
Genetic endowment, heredity, genes, biological influences, development, maturation
•
Environmental influences
•
Personality traits/types
•
Personality inventories
•
Self
Intelligence Differences
•
Genetic endowment, heredity, genes, biological influences, development, maturation
•
Environmental influences
•
Intelligence
•
Intellectual potential
•
Deprivation
•
Enrichment
•
Reaction range
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RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Gender
Topic
Video
Texts
David Reimer
Case Study
“the boy who became a girl
About Us’ 305.3 BOY
John/Joan: a harrowing
case of boy, girl, boy’
The Australian Financial
Review 3 March 2000
Gender Differences
Why Men Don’t Iron’
Set of 3 Videos BBC
Genes the key to Gender’
The Weekend Australian
Nov 22-3, 2003
Sex and Gender
Discover Psychology
WGBH. Ed Foundation
Boston
Sex and the Brain’
The Australian Oct 1-2,
2005, p.19
Other useful resources
Biological evidence
Newspapers
Coon, Introduction to Psychology
Gross, Psychology:The Science
of mind
Baron, Psychology
Lahey, Psychology: An
Introduction
Website
What Sex is Your Brain?
BBC website
A number of these texts
have online and CD Rom
support as well as useful
websites
Now We Know’ The Age
August 8, 2002
The Fight to be Male’
The Gender Puzzle 2005
Traits-Berns
Grivas, Intro to Psychology
7 ed, p.609
Key Definitions
Grivas & McIlvern, Cognitive
Psychology
news report-Virgin airline –
older women air hostesses
Activities:
!
“Jigsaw” articles
!
What trait goes with what sex
!
Academic controversies
!
Debate (based activity)
Table with theories:
Environmental
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Genetic
Interactionist
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Personality
Topic
Video
Texts
Personality
Psychology Seriies
Educational Media, Aust
Definitions and suggested
Activities
Newspapers
Website
Nelson Psych for VCE
Units 1 & 2
Grivas, Units 1 & 2 Chapter 12
Personality similarities
and differences
Secret Life of Twins
part 1
Application to criminal
& career profiling
Psych in Action
Range of theories and
Traits
Weiten, Psychology:Themes
& Variations Chapter 12
Measurements and it’s
difficulties
Type A/Type B
(BBC – Science)
Activity:
!
Modified Myers-Briggs
!
Debate – assigned roles
Table with theories:
Environmental
Genetic
Interactionist
Intelligence
Topic
Video
Texts
Multiple Intelligences
and Australian Classrooms
Video Classroom
Grivas Chapter 16
MICA Test
Discovering psychology
Testing & Intelligence
VEA Australasia
Nelson, Psych VCE. Ch.5
Newspapers
Website
The Gene Genius
BBC Science website
Sample IQ tests
Gross & Mcllvern
Cognitive Psychology
Research Studies
Twin Studies
The Secret Life of Twins’
Part 2, ABC video
Enrichment/
Deprivation
Iranian orphanages
ABC 4 Corners
Testing & Intelligence
Discovering Psychology
WGBH Ed Foundation
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Activity:
!
Debate – assigned roles
Table with theories:
Environmental
Genetic
Interactionist
TEACHER’S OWN NOTES
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HUMAN LEARNING
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
Human learning can occur through various processes
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•
How do humans learn?
•
Why do humans learn?
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
•
conditioning (classical and operant) (Behaviourism)
•
observational learning (involves attention, retention, motivation, reproduction)
•
cognitive learning
•
difference between learning and performance
•
the role of reinforcement in learning
•
the role of cognitive processes in learning
•
relativity of rewards and punishments
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS : BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION
Classical Conditioning (S"R)
•
habitual behaviour
•
reward, punishment, reflex response, un/conditioned stimulus and response
•
extinction and spontaneous recovery
•
stimulus generalisation and discrimination
•
phobias - acquisition
•
phobias
•
desensitisation
•
aversion therapy
•
emphasis on real world applications
Operant Conditioning (R"S)
•
reinforcement; positive, negative, primary, secondary, schedules of reinforcement, extinction
•
punishment
•
shaping
•
learned helplessness
•
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
•
emphasis on real world applications
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Observational Learning
• indirect learning through observation
•
identification
•
modelling, imitation (synonymous terms)
•
model
•
vicarious classical and operant conditioning
•
consequences (rewards & punishments)
•
vicarious reinforcement
•
cognitive processes
•
memory, deferred imitation
Social Cognitive Learning (includes classical, operant and observational)
•
insight learning
•
cognitive learning
•
latent learning
•
transfer of learning
•
cognitive maps
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Topic
Video
Texts
Genie
Stories of the Wild Child’
True Stories, WGBH
Ed. Foundation, Boston 1994
Coon, Introduction to Psychology
Gross, Psychology: the Science of Mind
Baron, Psychology
Learning
Discover Psychology Ep.8
WGBH, Ed Foundation
Boston
Lahey, Psychology: An Introduction
Grivas, Psychology
Psychology: Learning
Ed Media Aust. Prog 25
Learning Theories:
Classical & Operant
Conditioning
Psychology Live
Maxwell’s Collection
Newspapers
Website
The Psych Book
Wizard
Educational Essentials
- Directions Masters
Weiten disc
Learning Theories:
Further Approaches to
Learning
Maxwell’s Collection
Activities:
!
Learning curve for a task (eg. learning alphabet backwards or maze)
!
Weiten disc – eg. shaping
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TEACHER’S OWN NOTES
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Psychology
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PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
Several basic processes influence human behaviour. (The focus is on visual perception.)
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•
How do the senses shape impressions of reality?
•
How does perception allow the individual to make sense of the world?
•
How is normal waking consciousness distinguished from altered states of consciousness?
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
It is recommended that teachers choose one of the following:
Perception
•
sensation functions as a data reduction system through the processes of attention, thresholds, feature
detection and sensory adaptation
•
colour vision
•
the senses go beyond the raw data
•
perception involves organising and interpreting sensations into meaningful patterns
•
because of a limited capacity to attend to and process information the brain actively selects, organises and
integrates information
•
attention is selective and is influenced by the nature of the stimuli, principles of perceptual organisation and
interpretation, and the individual's expectations
•
the individual's perception is influenced by their perceptual set, therefore each individual has a subjective view
of the world
•
bottom up and top down processes interact.
Consciousness
•
the features of NWC include: attention; content; time; limitations; self-control; and clear. It is perceived as
‘real’
•
select one of the following altered states of consciousness to compare with normal consciousness. The
evidences for your debate on the differences between normal awareness and altered states of consciousness
are to be gathered from one of these areas
o
sleep and dreaming
o
hypnosis/meditation
o
sleep/sensory deprivation
o
drug induced states
•
altered states of consciousness are characterised by distortions of perception, cognition, time, emotions, self
control
•
attempts at measuring consciousness.
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ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
Perception
•
senses: sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell
•
sensation: how the eye works
•
reception; the eye as a sensory organ
•
rods and cones
•
data reduction system
•
perceptual principles
•
Gestalt processes
•
three dimensional processes; distance and depth cues
•
forming a hypothesis using prior learning
•
constancies
•
perceptual set
•
illusions
•
physiological influences
Consciousness
•
sensation
•
awareness (internal and external)
•
body rhythms
•
normal waking consciousness
•
measurements of consciousness
•
continuum of states of consciousness
•
attention: selective; divided; control; and automatic processes
•
psychological processes: cognitive; memory; perception; and emotion
•
characteristics of altered states of consciousness
o
psychological changes (eg heart beat, brain waves, respiration, galvanic skin responses)
o
distortion of perception and cognition (including context and time)
o
change in emotion
o
loss of self control (reduction in inhibition)
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SUGGESTED RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES
Perception
Topic
Video
Texts
Newspapers
Sensation and
Perception
Discovering Psychology
WGBH Foundation
Grivas, Chapters 4,5&6 for
definitions & activities
You must remember
this’
The Sunday Age, 25
Oct 2005
The Mind’s Eye’
ABC Compass
Me, My Brain and I
Nature of Things
7/2/02 SBS
When The Brain
Goes Wrong
Video Classroom
Website
BBC website
*introductory exercises
*senses challenge
*visual illusions
The Infinite Voyage
No.3
Workings of the Human
Brain’
What Makes Us Tick
Video Classroom
Human Brain; Seeing
TV Prog Sales ABC
Sight
Consciousness
Topic
Video
Texts
Against the Clock
Insomnia
Catalyst:Body Hits
22/7/04 ABC
The Psychology of
Sleep
LTS, UK 1995
VEA Australia
Plotnik, R. An Intro to Psychology
7 t h Ed
I am Dreaming
VC Media
Weiten, W. Psychology Themes & Variations
Garcia-Ives, M. et al Psychology Units 3&4
The Mind Hidden
and Divided
Marcom Projects
Newspapers
Website
Hill, G. Advanced Psychology
Milesi & Vainer Psych Notes
The Mind Awake and
Asleep’
Discovering Psychology
WGBH Education
Foundation, Boston 1989
Sleep deprivation
SBS
Sleep & Dreaming
The Mind Hidden &
Divided.
Discovering Psychology
WGBH Education
Hypnosis
ABC-Catalyst
NWC & ASC
The Brain:Our Universe
Within: Ep:1
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Grivas, Chapter 7&8
Grivas, Chapter 7&8
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Activity:
!
act out the human eye. Give each student a part of the eye – they guide light through the eye.
TEACHER’S OWN NOTES
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Psychology
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REMEMBERING
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
How the memory processes information
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•
How is memory measured?
•
What are the processes involved in storing information in memory?
•
What causes forgetting?
•
How memories are formed?
•
How can memory be improved?
RECOMMENDED CONTENT
Memory involves an active processing system that receives, organises, stores and recovers information
Multi-store Memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968) - process and store information in three separate but linked stages
•
sensory memory
•
short term memory (working memory)
•
long term memory [types: declarative (semantic and episodic) procedural]
Alternative models to consider are
•
reconstructive
•
Levels of Processing model (Craik and Lockhart 1972)
•
Working Memory (Baddely)
Forgetting curve (Ebbinghaus)
Psychological explanations of forgetting (see concept list)
•
retrieval failure
•
interference
•
motivated forgetting
Physiological factors
•
decay
•
organic (amnesia and disease)
Various techniques for improving recall.
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
Memory
•
information processing system: encoding, storage, retrieval
•
models of memory
•
Multi-store model (Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968)
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•
Levels of Processing model (Craik and Lockhart 1972)
•
working memory
•
organisation in memory eg semantic network theory
•
rehearsal
•
chunking
•
elaboration
•
consolidation
Psychological Explanations of forgetting
(non organic)
•
failure to encode
•
decay theory
•
interference theory; retroactive and proactive
•
retrieval failure; cue dependent and state context dependent forgetting
•
distortion, reconstruction and confabulation, false memories
•
motivated forgetting
•
repression
•
tip of the tongue
•
serial position effect
•
pseudo forgetting
(organic)
•
amnesia
•
Alzheimer’s disease
•
Korsakoff’s syndrome
•
memory loss over lifetime
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Remembering
Topic
Video
Texts
Mysteries of Memory
Learning Essentials
Murphy, Cambridge Wizard Subject to
Guide to VCE Units 3&4
Human Brain: Memory
TV Program Sales ABC
Memory
Psychology Live:
Cognitive Psychology:
Memory
Maxwell’s Collection
Newspapers
Website
BBC website memory
tests
Jory & Rawlings, Cambridge Checkpoints 2004
Fraillon, Revise in a month: VCE Psychology
The Psych Book
Short Term Memory
Remembering and
Forgetting
The Brain: Our Universe
Within Ep.3
Discovering Psychology
Ep.9
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Activity:
!
who wants to be a millionaire game
!
memory bingo – definitions
!
Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve
!
rate of forgetting
!
memory games and activities
!
stroop effect
!
retrieval clues
!
applying memory in different games eg. Trivial Pursuit
!
construct a table or chart which summarises the main distinguishing features of sensory memory, short term
memory and long term memory.
TEACHER’S OWN NOTES
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TEXTS
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
rd
Grivas, Down and Carter, 2005, Psychology (VCE Units 3 & 4) 3 Edition MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
Vainer, L. (2002) The Psych Book A+ Publishing
Milesi, P. & Vainer, L. (2000) Psych Notes A+ Publishing
Weiten, W. (2001) Psychology Theme & Variations Wadsworth Publishing
Van lersel et at (2005) Nelson Psychology Thomson Nelson Publishing
Plotnik (2005) Introduction to Psychology Thomson Wadsworth Publisher
TEACHER TEXT
Gross, R. Cognitive Psychology Hodder
INVESTIGATION PROJECT
SUGGESTED APPROACH
Students will show how psychological principles, research methods and empirical evidence are applied to find solutions to
a specific problem by addressing the focus question and using concept(s) from the modules.
The focus of their investigation must reflect the basic processes that influence the behaviour of the individual.
It is suggested that students narrow their investigation topic by taking a particular focus such as one of the following
suggested topics.
PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL PROCESSES - SUGGESTED TOPICS 2010
The following are only suggestions and are a result of brainstorming:
selective attention
figure-ground organisation
sleep deprivation
divided attention
camouflage
long and short sleepers
dark and light adaptation
psychological factors affecting
perception
sex differences in dreams
colour blindness
illusions
lucid dreaming
psychological effect of colour
thresholds: absolute and
differential
nightmares
visual problems
perception and eye witness
testimony
night terrors
sensory overload
cultural differences in illusions
sleep walking
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perceptual set
the Stroop effect
sleep talking
artist's use of visual perception
principles
signal detection theory
hypnosis
parallel processing
daydreaming
meditation
perceptual set and bias
dreams
effects of exercise on sleeping
activation-synthesis theory
perception of colour
colour in dreams
cat napping
shift work and sleep
sleep and sleep disorders (insomnia,
sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, etc.)
sensory adaptation
feature detection
pain thresholds
pain gating
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE THE INVESTIGATION PROJECT GUIDELINES AND
TEACHERS’ GUIDE TO OVERSEEING THE IP
Rotation of Topics for IP and Exam:
Year
IP
Exam Section A
Exam Section B
Exam Section C
2007
Remembering
Psychobiological
Processes
Individual Differences
Human Learning
2008
Human Learning
Remembering
Psychobiological
Processes
Individual Differences
2009
Individual Differences
Human Learning
Remembering
Psychobiological
Processes
2010
Psychobiological
Processes
Individual Differences
Human Learning
Remembering
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