Mind, Brain & Behaviour 1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

512-120 and 880-001

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Mind, Brain and Behaviour 1 focuses on the workings of the individual from a psychological perspective. It includes detail of the neural components constituting the brain, the operation of the sensory systems underlying interaction with the external environment and the cognitive processes that construct the internal world experienced by the individual. Careful consideration will be given to the nature of this internal world and the importance of its relationship to the external world.

The course is designed to raise significant questions prompting students to think about behaviour and to explore possible answers. Students will be introduced to the tools used in psychology to find answers to these questions. A common research-centred framework is adopted and the statistical tools that support this framework are introduced and developed as an integral part of the course. Psychology derives its approaches and questions from both science and the arts.

• To introduce the broad areas and varied approaches that comprise the field of psychology;
• To develop an understanding of some key psychological concepts and theories from several areas of psychology;
• To develop skills in the use and evaluation of scientific methodology and enquiry, including research design and data analysis;
• to develop basic skills in the critical evaluation of psychological literature;
• To develop skills in report writing as it applies to the study of psychology.

Eysenck, M.W. (2004) Psychology: An International Perspective Hove, Sussex, UK: Psychology Press/Palgrave Macmillan.

Smyth, T.R. (2004) The Principles of Writing in Psychology Basingstoke, Hampshie, UK: Palgrave Macmillan

Gravetter, F.J. & Wallnau L.B. (2004) Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences (6th ed.). Belmont CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of Mind, Brain and Behaviour 1 students should be able to:

• Apply analytical skills to new issues;
• Apply a hypothesis testing approach to new questions, including formulation of a research question, collection of relevant observations, analysis and interpretation of data using basic descriptive statistics to arrive at a conclusion; communicate the findings of empirical studies.