School of Psychology

BEHV1018 Psychology: Human Behaviour

Autumn 2024
 Western Sydney University acknowledges the peoples of the Darug, Dharawal, Eora and Wiradjuri nations. We also
acknowledge that the teaching and learning currently delivered across our campuses is a continuance of the teaching
and learning that has occurred on these lands for tens of thousands of years.

Subject Details

Subject Code: BEHV1018

Subject Name: Psychology: Human Behaviour
Credit Points: 10
Subject Level: 1
Assumed Knowledge: Not Applicable

Note: Students with any problems, concerns or doubts should discuss those with the Subject Coordinator as early as they can.

Subject Coordinator
Name: David Caelum Arness
Email: d.arness@westernsydney.edu.au
Consultation Arrangement:
For support or queries, please consult the subject outline and vUWS site in the first instance. If your situation
is not addressed by the available materials, then please do reach out to the Subject Coordinator (Dr Arness) on
d.arness@westernsydney.edu.au.

All communications should be professional and clear, specifying the subject you are enquiring about, and providing
enough information to help us resolve the situation.

Deputy Subject Coordinator

Name: Tim Marsh
Email: t.marsh@westernsydney.edu.au
Consultation Arrangement:
Please contact the subject coordinator (Dr Arness) in the first instance, if you require support in the subject.

Edition: Autumn 2024

Copyright ©2024 University Western Sydney trading as Western Sydney University ABN 53 014 069 881 CRICOS Provider No: 00917K No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission from the Dean of the School. Copyright for acknowledged materials reproduced
herein is retained by the copyright holder. All readings in this publication are copied under licence in accordance with Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968.
Contents
1 About Psychology: Human Behaviour 2
1.1 An Introduction to this Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 What is Expected of You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Changes to Subject as a Result of Past Student Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Learning and Teaching Activities 4

3 Assessment Information 7
3.1 Subject Learning Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Assessment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.1 Summary x 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.2 Multiple Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.3 Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2.4 Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.2.5 Final Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4 Readings and Resources 24

4.1 Essential Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.2 Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.3 Other Teaching and Learning Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

5 Key Teaching and Learning Policies 25

Note: The relevant Subject Outline Companion supplements this document

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1 About Psychology: Human Behaviour

1.1 An Introduction to this Subject

Psychology is a field of scientific inquiry that uses a set of scientific techniques and methods to explain and understand
the causes of behaviour. As a profession, psychology applies its knowledge to practical problems in human behaviour.
This subject covers a range of topics in psychology at an introductory level including: the history of psychology, intelli-
gence, social psychology, developmental psychology, Australian Indigenous and cross-cultural psychology, personality,
and abnormal psychology.

1.2 What is Expected of You

Study Load

A student is expected to study an hour per credit point a week. For example a 10 credit point Subject would require
10 hours of study per week. This time includes the time spent within classes during lectures, tutorials or practicals.

Note for Summer Terms: As Summer subjects deliver the same content and classes over a shorter period of time,
the subjects are run in a more intensive mode. Regardless of the delivery mode, the study hours for each subject in
Summer will be around 30 hours.

Attendance

It is strongly recommended that students attend all scheduled learning activities to support their learning.

Approach to Learning

Delivery of lectures and post-lecture activities

There are no face-to-face lectures in this subject. All lectures are delivered via video through vUWS. Video lectures
will be released on the Friday of the week before your tutorial. It is expected that you have engaged in your online
lecture and post-lecture activities before attending your actual tutorial.

Delivery of tutorials

Tutorials provide the key forum for demonstration and discussion of subject content. Class time will also be dedicated
to preparing for the written assessment tasks. Tutorials will be held on-campus, facilitated by members of the teaching
team. As a core psychology subject, there is an expectation that you will attend your scheduled class (and maintain
a minimum 80% attendance rate). Please be advised that there will be some provision for online classes, for students
with extenuating circumstances that prevent on-campus attendance - please consult this link to submit an allocation
amendment request.

Online Learning Requirements

Subject materials will be made available on the Subject’s vUWS (E-Learning) site (https://vuws.westernsydney.
edu.au/). You are expected to consult vUWS at least twice a week, as all Subject announcements will be made via
vUWS. Teaching and learning materials will be regularly updated and posted online by the teaching team.

2
Special Requirements

Essential Equipment:
None
Legislative Pre-Requisites:
None

1.3 Changes to Subject as a Result of Past Student Feedback

The University values student feedback in order to improve the quality of its educational programs. The feedback
provided helps us improve teaching methods and Subjects of study. The survey results inform Subject content and
design, Subject Outlines, teaching methods, assessment processes and teaching materials.

You are welcome to provide feedback that is related to the teaching of this Subject. At the end of the semester
you will be given the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on Subject questionnaire to assess the Subject.
If requested by your Subject coordinator, you may also have the opportunity to complete a Student Feedback on
Teaching (SFT) questionnaire to provide feedback for individual teaching staff.

As a result of student feedback, the following changes and improvements to this Subject have recently been made:

– There is greater opportunity for feedback in written assessments to be used in future assessments within this
subject.
– There is now a continuing focus upon assessment tasks in the tutorials with selected tutorials devoted to the
academic summaries assessment task.
– There is a clearer rationale for the importance of topics covered in this subject. This is made clear to students
in the weekly materials on vUWS.
– The content of the tutorial program is aligned more closely to the lecture topic schedule (i.e., the same topic
in the same week).

3
 2 Learning and Teaching Activities

Teaching Lecture Tutorial Readings Activities Assessment Due

Weeks
Week 1 Introduction No tutorials this week Burton, L., Westen, D., &
04-03-2024 Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 1

Week 2 Critical Thinking Critical thinking and the https://nobaproject.com/ Reminder to complete: - Library Literacy Task
11-03-2024 Academic Summary task (Part 1 modules/thinking-like-a- Academic Literacy Quiz
of 2) psychological-scientist

Quiz 1 Opens Friday March 15

Week 3 Cross-Cultural Psychology Culture, context, and Burton, L., Westen, D., & Quiz 1 Due Friday March 22 - Quiz 1
18-03-2024 dimensions of human behaviour Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
4

Ltd. Chapter 2

Week 4 Indigenous Psychology Principles and practices of Burton, L., Westen, D., & Academic Summary 1 Due - Summary 1
25-03-2024 indigenous psychology Kowalski, R.M. (2023). Friday March 29
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 3

Week 5 Consciousness The roles and functions of Burton, L., Westen, D., &
01-04-2024 consciousness Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 8
 Teaching Lecture Tutorial Readings Activities Assessment Due
Weeks
Week 6 Personality Personality: changable mask, or Burton, L., Westen, D., & Quiz 2 Opens Friday April 12
08-04-2024 enduring traits? Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 14

Week 7 Intelligence Individual differences and the Burton, L., Westen, D., & Quiz 2 Due Friday April 19 - Quiz 2
15-04-2024 Academic Summary task (Part 2 Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
of 2) Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 12

Week 8 Intra-term break. No lectures or Intra-term break. No lectures or

22-04-2024 tutorials this week. tutorials this week.
5

Week 9 Developmental Psychology (1) Physical and cognitive Burton, L., Westen, D., & Academic Summary 2 Due - Summary 2
29-04-2024 development Kowalski, R.M. (2023). Friday May 3
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 15

Week 10 Developmental Psychology (2) Social and moral development Burton, L., Westen, D., & Quiz 3 Opens Friday May 10
06-05-2024 Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 16
 Teaching Lecture Tutorial Readings Activities Assessment Due
Weeks
Week 11 Social Psychology (1) The fundamental attribution Burton, L., Westen, D., & Quiz 3 Due Friday May 17 - Quiz 3
13-05-2024 error, cognitive dissonance, and Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
persuasion techniques Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 20

Week 12 Social Psychology (2) Conformity and helping Burton, L., Westen, D., &
20-05-2024 behaviour Kowalski, R.M. (2023).
Psychology (Sixth Australian
and New Zealand edition.).
John Wiley and Sons Australia,
Ltd. Chapter 21

Week 13 Positive Psychology The positive psychology lens Reading to be added to vUWS Quiz 4 Opens Friday May 31
27-05-2024
∗In-class Practice Exam∗
Week 14 Recap and review No tutorials Ensure you have signed up for Academic Summary 3 Due - Summary 3
03-06-2024 research participation: sign-ups Friday June 7 - Final Participation Date
end this week on June 7 at 5pm. - Quiz 4
6

Quiz 4 Due Friday June 7

Week 15 Stuvac Stuvac Stuvac
10-06-2024
Week 16 Exams Exams Exams
17-06-2024
Week 17 Exams Exams Exams
24-06-2024

The above timetable should be used as a guide only, as it is subject to change. Students will be advised of any changes as they become known on the Subject’s vUWS site.
3 Assessment Information

3.1 Subject Learning Outcomes

Outcome
1 Navigate information resources, to collect credible material.
2 Distinguish features of the major theoretical perspectives in psychology.
3 Describe scientific techniques and methods used in psychology research.
4 Identify key elements of Indigenous psychology in Australia.
Summarise key topics of psychology adhering to the current APA (American Psychological Association)
5
Publication Guidelines.

3.2 Assessment Summary

The assessment items in this Subject are designed to enable you to demonstrate that you have achieved the Subject
learning outcomes. Completion and submission of all assessment items which have been designated as mandatory or
compulsory is essential to receive a passing grade.

To pass this Subject you must:

The pass mark for the weighted items (i.e. the three Academic Summaries, the multiple-choice Library Information
Task, the Research Participation Task, the four in-semester Quizzes and the Exam) is 50%. This 50% pass mark is a
weighted cumulative mark - that is, you do NOT need to get 50% or more in each of the individual assessment tasks
(i.e., Academic Summaries, multiple-choice Library Information Task, Research Participation Task, Quizzes, AND the
Exam) to pass the subject; instead, you need to achieve a total mark of 50% or more across these items.

Please be reminded that ALL requests for extension should be submitted via the WesternNow Student Portal. This
process is suitable for short disruptions (up to 3 days) and/or extensions built into academic reasonable adjustments
plans.

For disruptions greater than 3 days, please follow the Disruption to Studies process instead.

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 Item Weight Due Date SLOs Assessed Manda- Threshold
tory
Academic Summary x 3 40% Academic Summary #1 (10%) 2, 4, 5 Yes No
is due 29th March. Academic
Summary #2 (15%) is due 3rd
May. Academic Summary #3
(15%) is due 7th June.
Library Literacy Task 5% Recommended to complete by 1, 5 Yes No
March 15th (must be complete
prior to the first academic
summary)
Research Participation 5% Last signup for research 3 No No
participation is 5pm Friday 7th
June, 2023
Quiz x 4 20% Quiz 1 (5%) released on Friday 2, 3, 4 No No
15th March. Quiz 2 (5%)
released on Friday 12th April.
Quiz 3 (5%) released on Friday
10th May. Quiz 4 (5%)
released on Friday 31st May.
Final Exam 30% Formal Exam Period 2, 3, 4 Yes No

Feedback on Assessment

Feedback is an important part of the learning process that can improve your progress towards achieving the learning
outcomes. Feedback is any written or spoken response made in relation to academic work such as an assessment
task, a performance or product. It can be given to you by a teacher, an external assessor or student peer, and may
be given individually or to a group of students. As a Western Sydney University student, it is your responsibility to
seek out and act on feedback that is provided to you as a resource to further your learning.

– You will receive comprehensive feedback on your main Assessments, namely the Academic Summaries and the
Quizzes.
– The Academic Summaries feedback will be provided in accordance with the marking criteria, and you can expect
this feedback within three weeks of submission. This feedback will be made available to you on the vUWS site.
Written feedback will be provided via Turnitin.
– Quiz feedback will be provided when the cohort has finished the quiz. After completing the quiz, the correct
answers will be provided on Gradecentre.

Academic Integrity and Student Misconduct Rule

Western cares about your success as a student and in your future career. Studying with academic integrity safeguards
your professional reputation and your degree. All Western students must:

– be familiar with the policies listed above;

– apply principles of academic integrity;
– act honestly and ethically in producing all academic work and assessment tasks; and
– submit work that is their own and acknowledge any sources used in their work.

Each time you submit an assessment, you will declare that you have completed it individually, unless it is a group
assignment. In the case of a group assignment, each group member should be ready to document their individual
contribution if needed.

The Student Misconduct Rule applies to all students of Western Sydney University including Western Sydney Univer-
sity programs taught by other education providers. You must not engage in academic, research or general misconduct

8
as defined in the Rule or you may be subject to sanctions. The University considers submitting falsified documentation
in support of requests to redo, resit or extend submissions, including sitting of deferred examinations, as instances of
general misconduct.

More information is available in the quick guide to academic integrity. It is your responsibility to apply these principles
to all work you submit to the University.

Disruption to Studies and Requests for Extensions

Western recognises that there may be times when things outside of your control impact your ability to complete your
studies.

You can complete the ”Request an extension or apply for a Disruption to Studies Provision” to request that you are:

– granted an extension,
– excused from a compulsory teaching activity,
– provided an alternate assessment such as a supplementary, or
– awarded another Disruption to Studies Provision.

Before you fill in the form, you should:

– Compile any documentary evidence that you have which demonstrates that you have been impacted by an
event outside of your control.
– The Supporting Documentation website outlines the type of documents that you can submit to substantiate
any impact.

Please note that if you don’t have documents, you should still submit the form but you may be asked for documentation
at a later stage.

Need help?

If you are having difficulties with understanding or completing an assessment task, contact your Subject Coordinator
as soon as possible. Western also has a range of academic support services, including:

– Library Study Smart: book a one-to-one Zoom consultation with a literacy expert. You can discuss how
to develop your assignment writing and study skills or seek assistance to understand referencing and citation
requirements. Check the Library Study Smart website for how-to study guides and tools.
– Studiosity: Upload your assignment draft to Studiosity within vUWS to receive writing feedback within 24
hours.
– Online workshops, programs and resources: From maths and stats help to academic literacy and peer support
programs, the University has a range of resources to assist.

Please also remember that there is a range of wellbeing support available - from counselling and disability services to
welfare.

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3.2.1 Academic Summary x 3

Weight: 40%
Type of Collabora- Individual
tion:
Due: Academic Summary #1 (10%) is due 29th March. Academic Summary #2 (15%) is due
3rd May. Academic Summary #3 (15%) is due 7th June.
Submission: Written summary submitted via Turnitin
Format: An academic summary (500 words) of a journal article. You will write three academic
summaries across the semester.
A journal article will be assigned for each academic summary task.
You must complete the academic summary to pass this subject. Students who do not
complete the academic summary will fail the subject irrespective of their marks on other
assessments.

Length: 1500 words (500 words for each Topic Summary)

Use of Artificial Intel- Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is not permitted in this assessment task without
ligence: appropriate acknowledgement. See advice on acknowledging the use of generative AI
on the Library web page. Working with another person or technology in order to gain
an unfair advantage in assessment or improperly obtaining answers from a third party
including generative AI to questions in an examination or other form of assessment may
lead to sanctions under the Student Misconduct Rule. Use of generative AI tools may be
detected. More information is available on the Library web page.

Instructions:

Overview

Because psychology is a science, conclusions about any topic are based on evidence, not personal opinion. Knowledge
in psychology comes from theories developed from research evidence, which is why research is so important in
psychology.

The academic summary tasks aim to develop your ability to read, understand, and critically summarise an academic
journal article (and use accurate referencing) following the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (APA).

Please note that some lecture and tutorial material will cover information related to the academic summary, and
provide support in completing the tasks (please see the Subject Weekly Schedule).

Details:

Assessment format:

Written report submitted via Turnitin.

Length/Duration:

The length of each Academic Summary is 500 words, excluding the reference list. The academic summary must also

10
have a proper title page (with an author by-line). There is no ’10% rule’ over the word limit. The academic summary
should be double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with 2.5 cm margins.

Late penalty:

Suppose the assignment is submitted (without an approved extension) after the due date and time. In that case,
it will attract a late penalty of 10% (of the maximum mark) per day (including weekends) up to a maximum of 10
days, at which time the penalty will be 100% of what the assignment is worth. In addition, assessments will not be
accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students who submitted the task on time.

Submission method:

The Academic Summary must be submitted electronically (to Turnitin through vUWS) before the due date. You will
only have access to the vUWS link for submitting your Academic Summary through Turnitin once you have completed
the online Library Literacy Quiz to mastery. Even if you do not complete the Library Literacy Quiz before the due
date of the Academic Summary, you will incur a late penalty until the task has been mastered and the Academic
Summary is submitted through vUWS. There is no hard copy submission for this assignment. Your assignment will
be marked electronically, and you can view the feedback via the Turnitin link in vUWS.

Is the assessment compulsory?

Yes, you must complete this assessment to be eligible to pass the subject, regardless of the aggregate mark you
achieve across assessments.

Is a Cover Sheet required?

No. You will be asked to declare your acceptance of the acknowledgements usually included on the cover sheet when
you submit.

Please note: You must refrain from using previous assignments that you have written, whether for this subject or
another. This will be counted as plagiarism.

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Marking Criteria:
Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Unsatisfactory
Introduction (20%) Succinctly states Good attempt at An adequate A beginner’s Very limited or no
Approx 100-150 the selected topic, stating the selected attempt at stating attempt to state attempt to state
words research question, topic, research the selected topic, the selected topic, the selected topic,
variables, and question, variables, research question, research question, research question,
hypothesis. and hypothesis. variables, and variables, and variables, and
hypothesis. hypothesis. hypothesis.
Method (20%) Clearly describes There is a good There is an A beginner’s There is very
Approx 100-150 the methods used attempt to describe adequate attempt attempt to describe limited or no
words to test the the methods used to describe the the methods used attempt to describe
hypothesis or to to test the methods used to to test the the methods used
seek an answer to hypothesis or to test the hypothesis hypothesis or to to test the
the research seek an answer to or to seek an seek an answer to hypothesis or to
question. the research answer to the the research seek an answer to
question. research question. question. the research
question.
Results (20%) Clearly describes There is a good There is an A beginner’s There is very
Approx 100-150 the findings and attempt to describe adequate attempt attempt to describe limited or no
words how the findings the findings and to describe the the findings and attempt to describe
relate to the how the findings findings and how how the findings the findings and
hypothesis. relate to the the findings relate relate to the how the findings
hypothesis. to the hypothesis. hypothesis. relate to the
hypothesis.
Conclusion (20%) Proficiently There is a good There is an There is a There is very
Approx 100-150 describes the attempt to describe adequate attempt beginner’s attempt limited or no
words strengths and the strengths and to describe the to describe the attempt to describe
weaknesses of the weaknesses of the strengths and strengths and the strengths and
study and the key study and the key weaknesses of the weaknesses of the weaknesses of the
implications and implications and study and the key study and the key study and the key
applications of the applications of the implications and implications and implications and
results reported by results reported by applications of the applications of the applications of the
the author. the author. results reported by results reported by results reported by
the author. the author. the author.
Reference list and Applies correct Applies correct An attempt towards Inconsistent use of Has not applied the
in-text citation referencing style referencing style consistently using the correct correct referencing
(5%). (e.g., reference list (e.g., reference list the correct referencing style style (e.g.,
and in-text and in-text referencing style (e.g., either reference list and
citation) to the citation) with a few (e.g., either reference list or in-text citations) to
summary article minor errors. reference list or in-text citations) to the summary.
with no errors in-text citations) the summary with a
with several errors. number of errors.
Academic style Applies correct Uses correct writing Uses correct writing Uses correct writing Has not applied the
(15%) - writing writing style (e.g., style (e.g., spelling, style (e.g., spelling, style (e.g., spelling, correct writing style
(e.g., spelling, spelling, grammar, grammar, grammar, grammar, (e.g., spelling,
grammar, punctuation, and punctuation, and punctuation, and punctuation) with a grammar,
punctuation, paraphrasing) to paraphrasing) with paraphrasing) with number of errors in punctuation,
paraphrasing) the summary. minimal errors in some errors in the the summary. and/or
the summary. summary. paraphrasing) to
the summary.

12
3.2.2 Library Literacy Task

Weight: 5%
Type of Collabora- Individual
tion:
Due: Recommended to complete by March 15th (must be complete prior to the first academic
summary)
Submission: The Literacy Quiz must be completed online through the subject’s vUWS site.
Format:
Length: 20 multiple choice questions
Use of Artificial Intel- In this assessment task, you will not be able to meet the learning outcomes related
ligence: to demonstrating academic literacy by using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Working with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in as-
sessment or improperly obtaining answers from a third party including generative AI to
questions in an examination or other form of assessment may lead to sanctions under the
Student Misconduct Rule. Use of generative AI tools may be detected. More information
is available on the Library web page.

Instructions:

Overview:

This task will be available in the first week of s emester. You should complete it online, through vUWS, well before
the due date of the first academic summary. We recommend completing it in week 2. This task is designed to develop
your skills in accessing relevant information and resources using the library and related databases, to provide
skills necessary for the completion of the required assessment tasks.

Details

Assessment format:

The task must be completed online, through the subject’s vUWS site.

Length/Duration:

This is a 20-question quiz that you can do as many times as you like. The quiz must be completed to 90%
accuracy before it is recorded as being ’MASTERED’ (i.e., you must give correct answers to at least 18 of the 20
questions). Your vUWS grade book will show ’Mastered’ next to the Literacy Quiz. Once you have mastered the
task you will be able to access the vUWS link for submitting your Academic Summary through Turnitin.

Due date and time:

We strongly recommend that you follow the recommended due date for the Literacy Quiz, so that you can gain
the most benefit from the task.

There are no penalties for completing it late. However, you must complete the Literacy Quiz before submitting
the first Academic Summary task. As such, mastering the Literacy Quiz early in the semester will help ensure that
your Academic Summary is submitted on time.

Late penalty:

The vUWS link for submitting your Academic Summary through Turnitin will appear after you have mastered
the
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Literacy Quiz. Normal late submission penalties will apply to the Academic Summary, if you are delayed due to
completing the Library Literacy Quiz.

Is the assessment compulsory?

Yes, you must complete this assessment to be eligible to pass the subject, regardless of the aggregate mark you
achieve across assessments. .

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Marking Criteria:

The library literacy task will consist of up to 20 questions (that are randomly drawn from a pool of questions).
You can attempt the Library Literacy Task as often as you like, and when you achieve mastery (over 80%), you
will receive your full grade for this assessment item.

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3.2.3 Participation

Weight: 5%
Type of Collabora- Individual
tion:
Due: Last signup for research participation is 5pm Friday 7th June, 2023
Submission: When you attend research participation the experimenter will update the SONA system
with your attendance.
Format:
Length: 5 hours of research participation
Use of Artificial Intel- In this assessment task, you will not be able to meet the learning outcomes related
ligence: to research participation by using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Working
with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in assessment
or improperly obtaining answers from a third party including generative AI to questions
in an examination or other form of assessment may lead to sanctions under the Student
Misconduct Rule. Use of generative AI tools may be detected. More information is
available on the Library web page.

Instructions:

Overview To facilitate your understanding of research in psychology, we provide you with an opportunity to participate
in real research projects that are undertaken by psychology staff members, postgraduate students, and honours
students. This participation enables you to directly experience research in the discipline of psychology; and it gives
you exposure to different areas of research, research methodology, and related theories. At the same time, the data
from your participation may contribute to science and may even be cited in future versions of psychology textbooks!
The research participation task is managed by a web-based Research Participation Management System (RPS), called
SONA, which is the product name for the online system. Through SONA you choose and signup for experiments in
which to participate. For more details, see the Using SONA attachment. Further details will be provided through
the vUWS site.

Details

Assessment format:

Research participation through the Research Participation System. Within the first week of Autumn semester, you
should be provided with a login and password for the Research Participation System or RPS (sometimes also called
the ’Experiment Management System/EMS’), or SONA.

You will be sent the account details via your student email account. If you lose your password, please click on the ”Lost
your password?” link at the SONA website. Your username is your student number and your email is your student
email address. Signing up to research occurs through Research Participation System (SONA) at http://uws.sona-
systems.com

Length/Duration:

Once you have logged in to the RPS, you will be able to select from a number of research participation tasks that
can be completed throughout semester. There is no set schedule for research studies. You need to check the system
regularly to check for new studies and new timeslots. Some studies will be conducted online. Initially, you will only
be allowed to obtain 10 of your 30 credit points from online studies.

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Late penalty:

There will be no extensions on research participation, so be sure to complete them well before the expiry time.

Is the assessment compulsory?

No, you do not need to complete this assessment to pass the subject, but it is a very good idea to do so as it is a
guaranteed 5% of your total mark.

Is a Cover Sheet required?

No, not applicable.

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Marking Criteria:

To receive full marks (i.e., 5% of the final grade), you must attain 30 credits worth of research participation. You
can achieve full marks for this assessment item in three ways.

1. You can receive full marks (i.e., 5% of the final grade) by obtaining 30 credits of participation in research
studies. This is the equivalent of 5 hours. In addition, partial completion will be awarded partial credits (e.g.,
2.5 hours = 15 credits = 2.5% towards the final grade).
2. Research participation is a valuable and practical learning experience for students, and it is expected that most
students will elect to complete the research participation task. However, it is an ethical requirement of research
with human participants that every participant must give their informed consent to participate in research.
Therefore, any student who declines to consent to participate in any research projects must contact the subject
coordinator before Week 10 of the semester to arrange an alternative assessment task. The alternative task
will consist of a 300-word summary of journal articles, with each summary worth six credit points. Partial
completion will be awarded partial credits (e.g., three reports = 18 credits = 3.0% towards the final grade).
3. If at the end of Week 13, there were insufficient studies to allow all students to achieve full marks, you can
receive full marks (i.e., 5% of the final grade) by completing the balance of credits through alternate research
tasks (similar to option two above). However, this decision will be made by the Subject Coordinator after
considering the supply and demand of studies across the first 13 weeks of the semester. If the supply of studies
has been deemed satisfactory, then alternate research tasks will not be opened to students.

You can only gain a maximum of 5% towards the final grade (i.e., participating in research tasks above 30 credits
will not contribute more than 5% of the final grade). For your research experience, however, you can participate in
as many tasks as possible.

Further details about this task will be available in lectures, tutorials, and on vUWS.

If there are reasons that you are not able to complete research participation, please get in touch with the Subject
Coordinator for alternate research tasks. You’ll need to contact the Subject Coordinator before week 10.

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3.2.4 Quiz x 4

Weight: 20%
Type of Collabora- Individual
tion:
Due: Quiz 1 (5%) released on Friday 15th March. Quiz 2 (5%) released on Friday 12th April.
Quiz 3 (5%) released on Friday 10th May. Quiz 4 (5%) released on Friday 31st May.
Submission: The quizzes are to be completed in vUWS and collaboration is not allowed.
Format:
Length: 20 multiple choice questions
Use of Artificial Intel- In this assessment task, you will not be able to meet the learning outcomes related to
ligence: knowledge acquisition and critical evaluation by using generative artificial intelligence (AI)
tools. Working with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in
assessment or improperly obtaining answers from a third party including generative AI to
questions in an examination or other form of assessment may lead to sanctions under the
Student Misconduct Rule. Use of generative AI tools may be detected. More information
is available on the Library web page.

Instructions:

Overview

There will be four quizzes spaced over the semester, assessing key knowledge from the subject. Correct answers can
be obtained by working through the readings and the lectures (i.e., the questions come directly from these sources,
unless otherwise explicitly mentioned). You will have one attempt on each quiz (within the 1-week opening time of
the quiz); so please make sure that you have completed all of the lectures and readings before you attempt the quiz!

Be sure also to complete each quiz well before the expiry time, and notify the subject coordinator by email - as soon
as possible - if you experience any technical problems, or problems that prevent you being able to complete quizzes
during the period they are available.

Details

Length/Duration:

Quizzes will be completed and submitted through vUWS. Each quiz is 20 questions in length, which will be drawn
from item pools.

Due date and time:

– Quiz 1 (5%) released on Friday 15th March at 5pm. It will be closed on Friday 22nd March at 5pm. You will
have 1 attempt to complete the quiz within this 1-week period.
– Quiz 2 (5%) released on Friday 12th April. This quiz will be closed on Friday 19th April at 5pm.You will have
1 attempt to complete the quiz within this 1-week period.
– Quiz 3 (5%) released on Friday 10th May. This quiz will be closed on Friday 17th May at 5pm.You will have
1 attempt to complete the quiz within this 1-week period.
– Quiz 4 (5%) released on Friday 31st May. This quiz will be closed on Friday 7th June at 5pm.You will have 1
attempt to complete the quiz within this 1-week period.

The questions are based primarily on the lecture and the textbook readings that are aligned to the lecture material

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(except for those weeks where there are no readings, and the questions are drawn from the lecture only).

Is assessment compulsory?

No, you do not need to complete any of the quizzes to be eligible to pass the subject, but it is a very good idea to
do so given that quiz completion is worth a maximum of 20% of your mark.

Is Cover Sheet required?

No, not applicable.

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Marking Criteria:

Each quiz will consist of up to 20 questions (that are randomly drawn from a pool of questions) that will be taken
directly from the lecture or the readings. If there are no readings for that week then the questions will come directly
from the lecture. You can attempt the quiz only twice and the highest graded attempt will be used.

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3.2.5 Final Exam

Weight: 30%
Type of Collabora- Individual
tion:
Due: Formal Exam Period
Submission: Refer to the University Examination Policy for all information about the formal examina-
tion process: http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00204
Format: 30 multiple-choice questions, and 5 open-response questions.
You must complete the final exam to pass this subject. Students who do not complete
the final exam will fail the subject irrespective of their marks on other assessments.
Length: 1 hour
Use of Artificial Intel- In this assessment task, you will not be able to meet the learning outcomes related to
ligence: knowledge acquisition and critical evaluation by using generative artificial intelligence (AI)
tools. Working with another person or technology in order to gain an unfair advantage in
assessment or improperly obtaining answers from a third party including generative AI to
questions in an examination or other form of assessment may lead to sanctions under the
Student Misconduct Rule. Use of generative AI tools may be detected. More information
is available on the Library web page.

Instructions:

Overview The examination consists of 30 multiple-choice questions (1 mark each) and 5 short-answer questions (4
marks each) to be completed in a 1-hour exam. For each of the multiple-choice questions you will be asked to indicate
the most correct answer from a choice of four alternatives. Each short-answer question will be based on a selected
research article (from a pool, which will provided before well in advance of the exam). The exam will be completed
and submitted in vUWS, and as such this will constitute an ’open-book’ exam.

DetailsLate penalty:
Students must ensure they are available throughout the Formal Examinations Period, so they can attend their subject
examinations at the time and place they are scheduled. For information about Deferred Examinations, refer to the
University Examination Policy at the link below.

Is the assessment compulsory?

Yes, you must complete this assessment to be eligible to pass the subject, regardless of the aggregate mark you
achieve across assessments.

Is a Cover Sheet required?

No, not applicable.

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Marking Criteria:

The multiple-choice exam questions will be drawn from the material presented in the lectures, online materials,
textbook, and tutorials throughout the subject. The open-response questions will be in a similar format to the
academic summary assessment questions - this part of the exam will test your ability to comprehend and critically
evaluate empirical psychological research.
Grades are assigned according to the percentage bands from your overall score, as follows:
Grade Criteria

High Distinction 51-60 (i.e. 85-100% correct)

Distinction 45-50 (i.e. 75-84% correct)

Credit 39-44 (i.e. 65-74% correct)

Pass 30-43 (i.e. 50-64% correct)

Fail 0-29 (i.e. 0-49% correct)

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4 Readings and Resources

4.1 Essential Readings

Prescribed Textbook

Burton, Westen, D., & Kowalski, R. (2023). Psychology (Sixth Australian and New Zealand edition.). John
Wiley & Sons.

Essential Reading

These will be added to vUWS

4.2 Recommended Readings

4.3 Other Teaching and Learning Resources

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5 Key Teaching and Learning Policies

The University has several policies that relate to teaching and learning. Links to important policies affecting students
are below. It is your responsibility to ensure you familiarise yourself with these policies so that you are aware of your
rights and responsibilities.

– Assessment Policy
– Assessment Policy - Review of Grade Procedures
– Bullying Prevention Policy
– Disruption to Studies Policy
– Enrolment Policy
– Examinations Policy
– Learning and Teaching Policy
– Progression Policy
– Student Code of Conduct
– Student Misconduct Rule

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