PSY388

Psychology: Abnormal Behaviour

Unit Information and Learning Guide

January Trimester, 2021

This information should be read in conjunction with the online learning materials
which can be found on your MyUnits page.

Unit coordinator:

Dr Danielle Mathersul
Discipline of Psychology
Email: Danielle.Mathersul@murdoch.edu.au

ALL EMAILS MUST CONTAIN PSY388 IN THE SUBJECT HEADING

© Published by Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, 2020.

This publication is copyright. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act no part of it may in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other means be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
Contents

Unit information
Information about the unit 3
Contact details 7
How to study this unit 8
Resources for the unit 10
Study schedule 11
Assessment 12

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Information about the unit

Welcome to:

PSY388 – Psychology: Abnormal Behaviour

Unit description

This unit will introduce how abnormal behaviour is defined, and will explore the symptoms, causes
and treatment of common and less common psychological disorders. These disorders and their
treatment will be conceptualised through various theoretical frameworks, including cognitive,
behavioural, psychodynamic, systemic and neuropsychological approaches. Current issues
relevant to both clinical practice and research will also be explored.

Prerequisites

You will need to have completed:

PSY141 Introduction to Psychological Science, or
PSY171 Introduction to Applications of Psychology, or
PSY173 Introduction to Psychological Research Methods.
(or their equivalent units, as approved by the Academic Chair of Psychology).

Note: this unit is designed as a final semester unit, which is intended to build on the knowledge
and skills that you have acquired and developed throughout the 100 level and 200 level units
throughout the course of your degree (e.g., biological bases, cognitive processes, social bases).
This knowledge will be largely assumed, so if you are not at the end of your psychology degree, it
is recommended that you delay your enrolment in this unit.

Aims of the unit

The broad aims of this unit are to:

1. Build on knowledge of biopsychosocial processes of normal human functioning to explore
the concept of psychopathology and how it is distinguished from typical functioning.
2. Introduce the field of mental health and clinical psychology and explore ethical and social
issues relevant to assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
3. Outline the major diagnostic characteristics of some of the major psychological disorders
(symptoms, classification and clinical features), as well as theory and research about
potential underlying causes.
4. Outline treatment models and treatment procedures for various types of mental health
problems, and methods for establishing treatment efficacy.
5. Develop skills relevant to translating academic knowledge about mental health for use in
community settings.

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Learning outcomes for the unit

Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) Graduate Competencies

The Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) sets national standards for
undergraduate psychology programs. These standards explicitly reference a set of six
foundational competencies. These graduate competencies (GC) are:

1.1 Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with
depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using
a scientific approach, including the following topics:

i. the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social,
cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology
ii. individual differences in capacity, behaviour and personality
iii. psychological health and well-being
iv. psychological disorders and evidence-based interventions
v. learning and memory
vi. cognition, language and perception
vii. motivation and emotion
viii. neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour
ix. lifespan developmental psychology
x. social psychology
xi. culturally appropriate psychological assessment and measurement
xii. research methods and statistics.
1.2 Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally
appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate
these in written and oral formats.
1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate values and ethics in psychology.
1.5 Demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork.
1.6 Demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to demonstrate the following student
learning outcomes that reflect these attributes:

1. Define and critique the concept of psychopathology and how it is distinguished from
normal functioning (APAC GC 1.1, 1.3).
2. Identify and describe the symptoms, clinical features and classification of various
psychological disorders (APAC GC 1.1)
3. Identify, describe, and critique the literature and evidence associated with major
aetiological and treatment models associated with various disorders, with reference to
biological, psychological, and social factors (APAC GC 1.1, 1.3).
4. Describe and apply knowledge of important ethical, social, and political considerations
(e.g., legislative frameworks) relevant to the field of mental health, in clinical, research,
and community settings (APAC GC 1.4, 1.6)

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University graduate attributes developed in the unit

This unit will contribute to the development of the following Murdoch Graduate Attributes.

Communication
Critical and creative thinking
Social interaction
Independent and lifelong learning
Ethics
Interdisciplinarity
In-depth knowledge of a field of study

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 Learning Outcome Resources Assessment
1. Define and critique the concept of • Lectures/Seminars Assessment A
psychopathology and how it is distinguished • Textbook Assessment B
from normal functioning (APAC GC 1.1, 1.3). • Online resources Assessment C
2. Identify and describe the symptoms, clinical • Lectures/Seminars Assessment B
features and classification of various • Textbook Assessment C
psychological disorders (APAC GC 1.1) • Online resources
3. Identify, describe, and critique the literature • Lectures/Seminars Assessment A
and evidence associated with major • Textbook and other Assessment B
aetiological and treatment models associated readings Assessment C
with various disorders, with reference to • Online resources
biological, psychological, and social factors • Library databases
(APAC GC 1.1, 1.3).
4. Describe and apply knowledge of important Lectures/Seminars Assessment A
ethical, social, and political considerations • Textbook Assessment B
(e.g. legislative frameworks) relevant to the • Online resources Assessment C
field of mental health, in clinical, research, and
community settings (APAC GC 1.4, 1.6)
5. Discuss mental health topics and effectively • Tutorials Assessment A
participate in groups by listening to the • Readings
arguments of others and engaging critically in • Online Resources
discussion (APAC GC 1.5)
6. Reflect upon research, arguments, • Tutorials Assessment A
understandings and conclusions (your own • Readings Assessment B
and those of others) and communicate this • Online Resources
effectively in both written and verbal form, and
to different audiences (APAC GC 1.3, 1.5, 1.6)

What you need to know

Generic information which students need to know is available at What you need to know web page
(See the electronic unit guide available under LMS to access the link).

The information includes:

• links to the Assessment Policy
• a description of Academic Integrity
• links to information about:
Examinations; Non-discriminatory language; Student appeals; Student complaints;
Conscientious objection and assessment policy
• determination of grades from components/marks
• information for equity students

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Contact details

Unit coordinator:

Dr Danielle Mathersul
Email: Danielle.Mathersul@murdoch.edu.au

Tutor/Lecturer contact details

You will be notified who your tutor/lecturer will be at the beginning of the teaching period.
The tutor/lecturer will provide you with their contact details.

ALL EMAILS MUST CONTAIN PSY388 IN THE SUBJECT HEADING, OR YOUR EMAIL
MAY BE MISSED.

Technical help

For technical difficulties with any of the online materials please contact the IT help desk:
itservicedesk@murdoch.edu.au
For difficulties with other online materials please contact your local instructor.

In case you are unable to contact your unit coordinator, please contact
SHEE.operations@murdoch.edu.au

Please note: It is common for students studying a unit such as this to recognise
symptoms of psychological disorders and abnormal behaviours in their friends,
family members and even in themselves. Don’t be alarmed, as you are simply likely
to be much more aware of such behaviours or thoughts when they are first
described and explained to you. Indeed the presence of, or the perception of the
presence of symptoms does not necessarily mean you have a psychological
disorder. However if you are concerned for yourself, family or friends, please seek
professional assistance.

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How to study this unit
To study for this unit you should prepare for, attend and participate in the lectures and online
learning activities, read and understand the required text and readings, and research relevant
information for yourself to complete the required assessments. There are a number of online study
resources that are accessible via the LMS site. Details of assessments are given below.

This unit is expecting: well developed critical thinking skills; application of theory and concepts;
thorough understanding and recall of key knowledge, the ability to integrate concepts; and
independent research.

Contact time and Participation requirements

Student-staff contact for this unit consists of:

• Six 3.5-hour sessions and 1 3-hour session

• Classes involve group discussion based on readings and application of knowledge to
mental health and ethical scenarios
• You will also need to complete significant out-of-class study, research and assessment
completion.

Time commitment

As this is a 3 credit point unit, we expect you to spend on average 12.5 hours per week for the 12
weeks of this teaching period (or 150 hours overall) working on this unit.

The guideline for an average student workload is 50 hours for one credit point

Attendance requirements

Attendance is required at the sessions throughout the semester. The oral presentation assessment
will be scheduled for one of these tutorials and the examination will emphasise themes covered
during the tutorials. In instances where attendance is not possible due to medical reasons (with an
accompanying medical certificate) you should contact the Unit Coordinator.

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Unit changes in response to student feedback

This unit is continually revised and updated, based partly on updated materials and research and
partly on student feedback.

• The unit has been redesigned as a capstone style unit at the end of the degree, to emphasise
the importance of developing foundational knowledge about typical human functioning prior to
learning about psychopathology. Authentic assessments have also been designed to facilitate
the development of knowledge and skills that may help prepare students for further study
and/or relevant employment.
• The current text (Rieger, 2017) is an Australian text written by area specialists and has been
used in this unit to allow for a combination of extensive world class research and perspectives
as well as significant local content. The recommended edition also includes online text and
resources to support learning in the unit.
• There is a continued emphasis on the importance of the National Standards for the mental
health workforce, the APS Code of Ethics and the underlying principles in relation to individuals
with mental health difficulties and in communication about such individuals
• Learning activities in lectures, online activities, and assessments continue to be modified to
provide further opportunities to apply knowledge and develop relevant skills.
• For this semester, we have aimed to simplify the requirements of the assignments in response
to previous unit feedback. We have aimed to remove complexity in the requirements while
retaining relevance to key learning outcomes.

Resources for this unit

To undertake study in this unit, you will need:

Essential textbook

Rieger, E. Ed. (2017). Abnormal Psychology: Leading Researcher Perspectives (4th ed.). McGraw-
Hill, Sydney.

Other references/recommended reading

Burton, L.J. (2021). Interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology.
Wiley, Australia.

Online resources

Your Online Unit and lecture recordings can be accessed from your MyUnits page. Additional
online resources will be provided via the LMS site.

The following will be provided during the teaching period:

Lecture slides
Additional links to resources via the LMS
The Unit Guide

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Assessment
Assessment for this unit is conducted in accordance with the Assessment Policy.

All students should be familiar with the importance of adhering to the values and standards of
Academic Integrity in the completion and submission of all assessments. Further information on
Academic Integrity, including plagiarism and collusion, can be found at:
http://our.murdoch.edu.au/Educational-technologies/What-you-need-to-know/

Schedule of assessment items

You will be assessed on the basis of:

Assignment Description Value Due

A. Mental Health Written review and critique of 25% Friday 26th February
News Article news article relevant to a topic on
Review mental health.
(1000 Words)
B. Literature Literature review on one of the 35% Friday 2nd April
Review specified topics
(2000 words)

C. Examination Details to be advised 40% Assessment period

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Assessment details

Whether you progress to future study in psychology, or you take up employment, an increasingly
important and relevant skill is being able to effectively and systematically search for information,
and also to be able to communicate that knowledge to different audiences. The assignments in this
unit focus on developing skills relevant to “knowledge synthesis and translation”. This involves
developing skills in critical evaluation of not only academic and research based knowledge but also
in how this information is communicated to members of the community.

Assignment A: Mental Health News Article Review & Critique

Aligned APAC graduate competencies: 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6

Value: 25%
Word limit: Max 1000 words for the Review and Critique, excluding: minimum of 4 dot-points at
the end (see below); end reference list; and the News Article itself (if a copy is required to be
provided). Tables/Figures are not required but if included are part of the word count.

Summary: In this assignment you will review a news/media article that portrays a mental health
issue. You will locate and review relevant literature to inform your critique of the news article.
The emphasis in this assignment is to promote critical thinking, review the relevant evidence, and
communicate information in different ways. Increasingly, as information is distributed through
different channels and media, we will be exposed to different representations of mental health
issues and people with mental health difficulties and psychological disorders. We need to be able
to assess how well this information represents these issues in both an evidence based and ethical
way; this provides us with the skills necessary to improve communication around mental health, or
indeed advocate for change.
Task:
• Identify a relevant news articles that portrays a mental health issue, with which you must
critically engage. You can select from one of the news articles provided on LMS, or you may
select one that you locate yourself. If you locate one yourself, you must provide a copy of it
with your assignment submission.
• Read relevant literature on the mental health topic (e.g., a particular disorder) to ensure you
have a good understanding of relevant (i) biological, (ii) psychological, (iii) social, and (iv)
ethical considerations pertaining to this topic. When reading this literature, consider how
effectively (or ineffectively) the article covers the domains relevant to a biopsychosocial
perspective, and the principles relevant to the APS Code of Ethics.
• Write a 1000 word Review and Critique that critiques the news article, drawing on relevant
literature to back up your arguments.
• At the end of the critique, in addition to the 1000 word review/critique, provide a minimum of
4 dot-points of suggested changes to the news article based on your review, in order to
improve the use of evidence and the ethical portrayal of mental health issues. Note that the
critique should be mindful of the purpose of a news article i.e., to communicate with a lay-
audience, and is therefore not meant to be a scholarly article. Try to think about what overall
message the news article is creating about the mental health issue it covers, and what are
some of the ways that this overall message could be improved by changes within the article.
These dot-points are not included in your 1000 words.

Assessment: A marking Guide will be used by your tutor to assess this assignment and will be
available on the LMS.

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Assignment B: Literature Review
Aligned APAC graduate competencies: 1.1, 1.3, 1.6
Value: 35%
Limit: Max 2000 words for the literature review (excluding end reference list. Tables/figures
are not required for this assignment but if included are included in the word count)

Task:
This assignment is involves completing a literature review which critiques the literature and
examines evidence about a particular topic. This should be written as a critical literature review,
but not structured as a systematic review. The list of topics are:

- Does hearing voices always indicate a diagnosis of psychosis?

- Do psychological therapies lead to changes in the brain for people with mental health
difficulties? [or choose a specific type of therapy and/or specific disorder]
- Does using social networking sites (such as Facebook) cause mental health disorders?
- Can exercise be used to improve mental health [or a particular mental health condition]?
- Are there negative side effects to the use of “study drugs” (specifically – using prescription
stimulants as cognitive enhancers)?
- Are there effective interventions [or programs] for public speaking anxiety/fear of public
speaking?
- Why do some people go on to develop an eating disorder while others do not?

You can choose to use a more specific version of the topic for your literature review question.
Choosing a topic that is not listed below is a possibility, however, this must be approved by your
lecturer prior to beginning your assignment.

The emphasis in this assignment is, firstly, to promote critical thinking in relation to a particular
topic. In other words, to encourage you to ask “What’s the evidence?”, and to search for this
evidence in a systematic way. The assignment is also designed to help you develop the ability to
effectively communicate evidence-based information.

The literature review (max 2000 words, excluding end reference list):

While you should commence your reading about the topic with the appropriate sections of your text
and the monographs available in the library, you must research and use recently published
empirical journal articles which you must access in full text, not as abstracts.

This literature review must not be simply descriptive, but rather you must demonstrate that you
have engaged critically with the academic literature pertaining to all aspects of the topic you have
chosen to research and you must develop coherent arguments informed by the research literature.

Your essay must be fully referenced and formatted using the 7th edition APA style of referencing.
Guidelines on using APA style can be obtained from the following sources: Murdoch Library
website: http://libguides.murdoch.edu.au/APA

Please note: These assignments will be automatically submitted to the plagiarism detection
software. For more information about this process please see the LMS.

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Assessment C: Examination

Aligned APAC graduate competencies: 1.1

Value: 40%
Date: Assessment Period

Exam details

• The exam is a 2-hour online exam

• The exam will be based on knowledge and skills gained from the lectures, the tutorials, and
the textbook and relevant resources.
• The exam will consist of 6 short answer and 70 multiple choice questions.
• The exam will be held during the University assessment period.
• Students have a right to see their marked exams following the publication of unit grades

Assignment submission

All written documents must be submitted by the due dates in electronic form via the ‘PSY388:
Psychology: Abnormal Behaviour’ LMS.
As part of the submission process, the University uses plagiarism detection software. Please note
that when you or your Unit Coordinator submit assignments electronically to the plagiarism
detection software, a copy of your work is retained on the database to check collusion and future
plagiarism. You are strongly encouraged to submit your drafts to the plagiarism detection software
prior to the submission date in order to receive feedback about your work.

Please also note:

It is each student’s responsibility to keep an electronic and a hard copy of all assignments
submitted for assessment.

Extensions and late penalties

Extensions of time for submission are rarely given and only at the discretion of the
Psychology Offshore Course Coordinator, Dr Andrea Steel (PsyTNE@murdoch.edu.au).

To ensure fairness across students, penalties will be applied to late submission of

assignments. There will be a 1% deduction for each day the assignment is overdue for up to
five days (maximum of 5%), unless an extension is sought and approved. Assessment
extensions are not guaranteed to be considered if requested after an assessment’s due date. If
the assessment is submitted in excess of 5 days after the due date, it will be worth 0 marks.

Example:

Matt submits his essay late. He has not been granted an extension on the due date. If he
submits his essay 1 day late, he loses 1% of available marks. 1% of 45 available marks = 0.45.
So, if his essay was marked as a 30, his mark after late penalty would be 29.55. If Matt submits
his essay 3 days late, he loses 3% of available marks. 3% of 45 available marks = 1.35. So, if
his essay was marked as a 30, his mark after late penalty would be 28.65. If Matt submits his
essay 6 days late, he loses 100% of available marks, so his mark after late penalty would be 0.

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 Submission deadlines should be strictly adhered to. Extensions are rarely granted, usually only
for medical reasons or extreme personal difficulties, and may require the sighting of a medical
certificate or other appropriate documentary evidence. Pressure of work will not be regarded as
a sufficient reason for granting an extension. Extensions should be applied for at least one
week in advance of the submission dates.

If, after consultation with your instructor, you decide to proceed with your request, the
‘Application for Extension of Assessment’ form can be downloaded from LMS and, when
completed, forwarded to the Psychology Offshore Course Coordinator, Dr Andrea Steele
(PsyTNE@murdoch.edu.au). Only electronic copies of this form will be accepted, so please do
not submit hard copies.

Please note that if you are repeating this unit and intend on submitting the same, or
substantially the same, assignment that you have previously submitted in PSY213/PSY388 you
should first notify your unit coordinator to discuss.

Where assignments carry a word limit that limit is the maximum number of words you are
allowed for the assignment. As such, for assignments that are in excess of the word limit
markers have been instructed to stop reading once the limit is reached and to mark the section
of the assignment that is within the word limit as though it is the complete assignment. There is
NO leeway above the word limit, as some units or courses allow. The word limit is measured
from the start to the end of your assessment excluding the title, abstract, reference list, and
appendices. For convenience, the word count should be what is produced by a computer word
processor’s word count, that is, any letter or string of letters followed by a space or punctuation
mark counts as one word, this includes in-text references.

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Determination of the final grade

In order to pass this unit, you must submit all assessable work and achieve a satisfactory
performance overall. Marks on each of the components in the unit will be summed to give your
final mark. Failure to submit or engage in all assessments will result in a grade of ‘Fail’. The unit
coordinator will overview and moderate the marking of assignments by the tutors in the unit in
order to ensure equity of marking by different tutors.

See the relevant section in the current Assessment Policy regarding grades. Your final grade for
the unit will be reported by both a letter grade and a percentage as follows:

Notation Grade Percentage Range

HD High Distinction 80 – 100

D Distinction 70 – 79
C Credit 60 – 69
P Pass 50 – 59
P Pass after 50
Supplementary
Assessment
N Fail Below 50
N Fail after Supplementary The lesser of 49 and the original mark
Assessment
DNS Fail Fail, the student failed to participate in
assessment components that had a
combined weighting of 50% or more of the
final mark.

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