Prerequisites
Minimum Level of Achievement required:
- Extension Science B result
- English C result
Corequisites
General English, General Mathematics
Subject Description
Psychology provides opportunities for students to engage with concepts that explain behaviours and underlying cognitions.
In Unit 1, students examine individual development in the form of the role of the brain, cognitive development, human consciousness and sleep. In Unit 2, students investigate the concept of intelligence, the process of diagnosis and how to classify psychological disorder and determine an effective treatment, and lastly, the contribution of emotion and motivation on the individual behaviour. In Unit 3, students examine individual thinking and how it is determined by the brain, including perception, memory, and learning. In Unit 4, students consider the influence of others by examining theories of social psychology, interpersonal processes, attitudes and cross-cultural psychology.
Weekly workload in hours
4+ hours
Structure
Individual development
|
Individual behaviour
|
Individual thinking
|
The influence of others |
Topic 1
Psychological science A
Data analysis
| Topic 1
Psychological science B
Data analysis
| Topic 1
Localisation of function in the brain | Topic 1
Social psychology
|
Topic 2
The role of the brain
| Topic 2
Intelligence
| Topic 2
Visual perception
| Topic 2
Interpersonal processes
|
Topic 3
Cognitive development
| Topic 3
Diagnosis
| Topic 3
Memory
| Topic 3
Attitudes
|
Topic 4
Human consciousness and sleep
| Topic 4
Psychological disorders and treatments
| Topic 4
Learning
| Topic 4
Cross-cultural psychology
|
Topic 5
Emotion and motivation
|
Assessment
Schools devise assessments in Units 1 and 2 to suit their local context. In Units 3 and 4 students complete four summative assessments. The results from each of the assessments are added together to provide a subject score out of 100. Students will also receive an overall subject result (A–E).
Summative assessment
Formative internal assessment 1 (FA1): Data test
| 10% | Formative internal assessment 3 (FA3): Research investigation | 20% |
Formative internal assessment 2 (FA2): Student experiment
| 20% |
Formative internal assessment (FA3): 50%
Examination
|
Summative internal assessment 1 (IA1):
Data test
| 10%
| Summative internal assessment 3 (IA3):
Research investigation
| 20%
|
Summative internal assessment 2 (IA2):
Student experiment
| 20%
|
Summative external assessment (EA): 50%
|