In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
In this unit you will learn how the brain provides the foundation for all psychological processes and behaviour. Specifically, you will study the structure and function of the central nervous system, and how structures in the brain contribute to adaptive information processing. You will gain an understanding of the biological basis of a range of human psychological processes and functions, including perception, language, learning and memory. You will also learn how to critically evaluate the empirical literature and key research methods employed in the field in relation to contemporary theories of cognitive function.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
24 credit points including PSYC11010 or PSYC11008 or PSYC11009.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit evaluations
Students continue to report confusion and dissatisfaction with the essay, including its relevance to the unit content and the clarity of the instructions and expectations for the task.
Review the essay assessment to ensure it is meeting the unit learning outcomes and it integrates well with the unit content. Review the assessment instructions and rubric for clarity and appropriate detail. Provide support during tutorials for how to approach the essay.
Feedback from Unit evaluations
Improvements are needed to ensure the learning materials, including lecture slides and recordings, are helpful for students.
Review and refresh the unit content and explore strategies for delivering the complex content in the unit in more understandable and meaningful ways for students. This will include refreshing the lecture recordings and accompanying lecture slides, and developing tutorial materials, such as summary handouts, interactive online resources, or practice exercises, to enhance student engagement and understanding of lecture content.
Feedback from Unit evaluations
Students have requested more constructive feedback to understand their performance and improve their work.
Review current feedback processes at both the individual and class level to provide more constructive feedback on assessment tasks to students.
- Describe the structure and function of the central nervous system.
- Explain the neural bases of psychological processes and human behaviour, such as perception, language, learning and memory.
- Describe the features of key methods in physiological psychology, and how they are applied in empirical research.
- Critically evaluate empirical studies in psychophysiology.
This unit addresses Foundational Competencies as specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). The unit specifically aligns to the following APAC graduate competencies:
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: ii. individual differences in capacity, behaviour and personality; v. learning and memory; vi. cognition, language and perception; vii. motivation and emotion; viii. neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour.
1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.
1.6 Demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||