Mind, Brain & Behaviour 1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

There are no pre-requisites for this subject.

There are no co-requisites for this subject.

No recommended background knowldege is required for this subject.

512-120, 880-001 & PSYC10003

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustment 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/

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.

3 short essays 1000s word each or equivalent

There are no prescribed texts.

Eysenck, M.W. (2009) Fundamentals of Psychology. Hove, Sussex, UK: Psychology Press/Palgrave Macmillan.Smyth, T.R. (2004) The Principles of Writing in Psychology Basingstoke, Hampshie, UK: Palgrave MacmillanRanzijn, R. McConnochie, K. & Nolan W. (2009) Psychology and indigenous Australians: Foundations of cultural competence. Palgrave MacmillanGravetter, F.J. & Wallnau L.B. (2009) Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences (7th 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.