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Personality and Social Psychology (PSYC20009)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 2
Dr Said Shafa
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject examines human individuality and relatedness, the core themes of personality and social psychology. Its focus is on how we are unique individuals but also connected to others. The personality section investigates the nature and structure of individual differences, how these differences are assessed, and how they can be explained psychologically and biologically. The social psychology section examines how individuals construct their sense of self and identity, how they perceive and evaluate other people, how they form relationships, and how their behaviour is influenced by their social groups and cultural context.
A quantitative methods component will be integrated into the lecture, tutorial, and assessment structure of this subject. The aim is to provide an understanding of, and practical experience with, the appropriate experimental design and statistical analysis techniques used to evaluate theories in Personality and Social Psychology.
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge
On completion of this subject students should demonstrate knowledge of:
- Cultural differences in social psychological and personality phenomena, processes and measurement
- Key concepts, theories and empirical findings relating to social psychology and individual differences in personality, capacity and behaviour
- Basic statistical tests of associations between variables
Skills
On completion of this subject students should have developed skills to:
- Critically review the literature in an area of social or personality psychology
- Conduct statistical tests of correlation and simple regression
- Evaluate and draw conclusions from research findings.
- Interpret data accurately on the basis of appropriate analytical methods.
- Communicate psychological research findings effectively in oral and written formats.
- Work collaboratively on a group presentation
Application of knowledge and skills
On completion of this subject students should be able to apply their knowledge and skills to:
- Reflect on important social, cultural and personal concerns from the point of view of empirical social and personality psychology, including applications to psychological health and wellbeing
- Critically reflect on research procedure and design in empirical research in personality and social psychology.
- Apply critical thinking and data analysis skills in writing a lab report
Generic skills
On completion of the subject students should have developed generic skills related to:
- Literature review and research methods;
- Critical thinking and analysis of arguments;
- Reflective thinking and self-evaluation;
- Giving and receiving feedback;
- Goal setting, time management and self-directed learning;
- Written and oral communication.
Last updated: 28 March 2024