Psychology: Human Behaviour

Semester Elective Unit

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Description

This course explores a range of in-depth areas of psychological study. Students begin by investigating why Psychology is considered a Science, the key foundations of psychological research and the ethical and safety principles that govern the study of human behaviour. Students are able to put their skills into practice through varied formative and summative assessment to help prepare them for both the VCE and IB Psychology courses.

Essential Questions

Why is Psychology considered a Science?

Do sports people really need psychologists?

To what extent is criminal behaviour caused by biological factors?

How does my brain work and are there things I can do to make it work better?

Areas of Study

There are three areas of in-depth study, with research methods related to Key Science Skills revisited in each unit. 

Key Science Skills in Psychology 
An introduction to research in psychology, highlighting the importance of conducting ethical research when working with people.  We look at how experiments, case studies and correlational research are used to understand human behaviour.

Performance Psychology
Performance Psychology considers ways to improve performance, but its applications are not limited to the sporting field. This module investigates strategies for reducing stress and the importance of teamwork, as well as how the brain and nervous system play a role in our performance. 

Forensic Psychology
This unit allows us to take a deeper look into the biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches to understanding criminal behaviour. Specific brain regions are explored, as well as a range of cognitive and social factors that may lead someone down the path of criminal behaviour.

Memory Research Investigation
In this unit, students begin to understand how new memories are encoded, stored and retrieved, and explore different factors that help us improve out memory. Students then run an independent research investigation that is written up as a formal research report.

Assesment