Advanced Personality & Social Psychology

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards of Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit Website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject comprises two units.

Personality: discusses major contemporary issues in the study of personality, and selected areas of contemporary research. Topics will be selected from the relation of personality to creativity and aesthetic preference; personality/intelligence relationships; the cognitive performance correlates of personality; personality change and stability; trait and type approaches to personality; the interface between personality and abnormal psychology.

Social Psychology: extends the understandings gained in the first two level of the undergraduate program to consider more advanced theoretical and empirical work in the areas of individual, interpersonal and group processes. Topics will be selected from advanced research in attitudes and social cognition, interpersonal, small group and sociocultural processes.

The subject aims to:

• provide students with an advanced understanding of the research methods, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings of personality and social psychology
• develop the student's ability to critically appraise research in these fields
• promote the capacity to design and conduct studies on individual differences and social processes

Written work of 2000 words (40%) to be submitted during semester. An examination of no more than two hours (60%) to be completed at the end of semester during the specified University examination period.

Each piece of assessment must be complete (hurdle requirement).

Attendance of at least 80% of the laboratory classes is a hurdle requirement. In case of failure to meet the hurdle requirement, additional work will be required before a passing grade can be awarded.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Students will be given appropraite opportunity and educational support to develop skills to:

• critically appraise current knowledge and its internal structure
• critically evaluate the methods used to acquire the current knowledge
• critically analyse the current knowledge within the larger socio-historical and intellectual context
• appropriately interpret empirical data in light of the current knowledge and methodological considerations
• constructively plan a theoretical and empirical research project to advance knowledge