Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
PSYC100 Foundations of Psychology AND PSYC101 Applications of Psychology AND PSYC104 Research Design and Statistics I
Teaching organisation
3 hours contact per week over 12 weeks or equivalentUnit rationale, description and aim
Psychology is the discipline devoted to the scientific study of people who display individual tendencies in their patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours over time and across situations. This unit provides an introduction to a range of individual differences, with particular emphasis on personality. The unit introduces the major personality theories and concepts to explore the historical and contemporary developments that have led to the current understandings of those aspects of individuals that guide their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in everyday life and are used in a range of professional and applied settings. As a whole, this unit contributes to the APAC accredited sequence designed to develop foundational knowledge of this key topic in psychology, including theory, measurement, and applications, as well as the appropriate values and ethical principles underlying research and reporting in psychology.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Describe the major historical and contemporary models of personality | GC1 |
| LO2 | Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of theoretical approaches and measures of personality | GC1, GC7, GC9 |
| LO3 | Explain the role of culture in and on individual differences | GC1, GC7, GC8 |
| LO4 | Demonstrate skills in interpretation of relevant individual differences measures | GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9 |
| LO5 | Write psychological reports at an intermediate level | GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to individual differences
- Theories of Personality, including constructs, historical context, and measures for the following perspectives:
- Psychoanalytic
- Trait
- Biological
- Cognitive
- Humanistic
- Individual differences
- Social relations and interpersonal relationships
- Culture
- Health and clinical applications
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Students have the equivalent of 3 contact hours per week over a 12 weeks period which involve lectures and tutorials. The lectures are designed to consolidate knowledge of constructs, measures, and applications. The tutorial program is designed to provide experience with measures and their use, and to support the integration of unit content and assessments.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to successfully complete this unit, students must:
- complete and submit all of the assessment tasks listed in the table below
- obtain an aggregate mark of at least 50%
- demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome
There are three components involved in the assessment of this unit. Students will complete a case study using measures of personality and individual differences. The purpose of the case report is to allow students to develop a familiarity with a key application of individual differences in psychology. The second assessment will be a laboratory report that is designed to enhance awareness of contemporary research in personality and individual differences in psychology and to allow students to demonstrate skills in laboratory report writing. Finally, students will complete an examination assessing understanding of material, and the ability to apply theories.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 - Case Study The purpose of this assessment is to provide students with experience of applying key personality and individual differences theories. | 25% | LO1, LO2, LO5 |
Assessment Task 2 - Laboratory Report The lab report will allow students to demonstrate the ability to develop an argument leading to hypotheses by locating, discussing, evaluating and synthesising the research literature in personality and individual differences. Further, students are to demonstrate the ability to describe the methodology and findings of a study, and to interpret and discuss these findings. | 35% | LO2, LO4, LO5 |
Assessment Task 2 - Exam The purpose of this assessment is to assess the student's knowledge and understanding of the range of topics covered in the lectures, tutorials, and assigned readings. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
APA. (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Author.
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2020). Personality psychology: Understanding yourself and others (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Kaufmann, L., & Findlay, B. (2020). How to write psychology research reports and assignments (9th ed). Pearson.