CQUniversity Unit Profile
PSYC13020 Individual Differences and Assessment
Individual Differences and Assessment
All details in this unit profile for PSYC13020 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit will introduce you to the principles, processes, applications, and issues pertaining to the development and use of psychological assessment. This unit is presented through a number of themes, covering topics such as origins, ethics and uses of psychological testing; testing in adults, children and vulnerable populations; neuropsychological testing and testing for industry and career development. The psychometric basis of psychological assessment and testing is emphasised. You will focus on a variety of common psychological procedures and tests measuring individual differences. Consideration of individual differences and assessment in an Australian context will be a key component of your studies in this unit.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 3
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

96 credit points

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 2 - 2021

Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville

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).

Class and Assessment Overview

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

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Online Quiz(zes)
Weighting: 40%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 40%
3. Presentation
Weighting: 20%

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.

Previous Student Feedback

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 Student feedback via 'Have Your Say' survey and on discussion forums.

Feedback

Students requested that the topics/questions for the Long-Answer Questions (Written Assessment) be released earlier so that they could better plan their assessment priorities across the term.

Recommendation

Release the topics/questions for the Long-Answer Questions (Written Assessment) earlier in the term.

Feedback from Student feedback via 'Have Your Say' survey and in class.

Feedback

Students requested that information and resources for the Long-Answer Questions (Written Assessment) and Oral Presentation be provided earlier in the term in a way that is more readily accessible (i.e. rather than clarifying information provided on the Moodle forum, which can be difficult to navigate).

Recommendation

Develop an information pack for the Written Assessment and Oral Presentation that expands on the current information, includes examples from past students and a video explainer of the task and its expectations. Provide this information as early as possible in the term directly within the Assessment tile in Moodle.

Feedback from Student feedback and personal observations.

Feedback

Several students had difficulty with the technological requirements of the Oral Presentation (e.g., using video-recording technology, condensing video files for uploading to Moodle).

Recommendation

Within the Oral Presentation information pack, include clear step-by-step instructions and advice on how to record their presentation within Zoom and how to use Camtasia (or similar) to condense the file to upload into Moodle.

Feedback from Student feedback via email, in class and in the 'Have Your Say' survey.

Feedback

Students indicated that they enjoyed the applied focus and learning opportunities provided by the Oral Presentation task, which involved a role play. However, several students indicated that they found it difficult to find a person to conduct the role play with.

Recommendation

Continue to offer the oral presentation as an assessment task but use Moodle (or other suitable technology) to allow students to form small groups early in the term. This will enable students to work together to practice the task and develop their final submission.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Articulate the purposes and principles of psychological assessment and testing
  2. Identify and articulate the knowledge of test construction processes and basic statistics to develop and validate a test of a psychological construct
  3. Apply knowledge of psychometric principles to evaluate the reliability, validity and other relevant features of psychological assessment processes and tests
  4. Locate and use professional standards, ethical codes and sources of information relevant to developers and users of psychological assessments and tests.
Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Presentation - 20%

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

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 40%
3 - Presentation - 20%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Prescribed

Psychological testing and assessment

3rd Edition (2017)
Authors: David Shum, John O'Gorman, Peter Creed, Brett Myors
Oxford University Press
Melbourne Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 9780190305208
Binding: Paperback
Supplementary

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)

7th Edition (2019)
Authors: American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Washinton Washinton , DC , USA
ISBN: 9781433832161
Binding: Paperback

Additional Textbook Information

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • Zoom (both microphone and webcam capability)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Cassy Dittman Unit Coordinator
c.dittman@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 12 Jul 2021

Module/Topic

Introduction to Psychological Testing and Assessment

Chapter

Chapter 1 (pp. 14-19)

Chapter 2 (pp. 22-26)

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 19 Jul 2021

Module/Topic

Origins, Ethics and Best Practice

Chapter

Chapter 1 (pp. 3-13)

Chapter 2 (pp. 27-45)

Events and Submissions/Topic

Long Answer Questions Part 1 released Friday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Quiz 1 opens Friday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Week 3 Begin Date: 26 Jul 2021

Module/Topic

Norms and Reliability

Chapter

Chapter 3: Test Scores and Norms

Chapter 4: Reliability

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 02 Aug 2021

Module/Topic

Validity and Test Construction

Chapter

Chapter 5: Validity

Chapter 6: Test Construction

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 09 Aug 2021

Module/Topic

Intelligence Testing

Chapter

Chapter 7: Intelligence

Events and Submissions/Topic

Vacation Week Begin Date: 16 Aug 2021

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 23 Aug 2021

Module/Topic

Educational Testing and Assessment

Chapter

Chapter 13: Educational Testing and Assessment (pp. 294-304)

Events and Submissions/Topic

Long Answer Questions Part 1 due Monday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Quiz 1 closes Friday at 5:00PM [AEST]

Week 7 Begin Date: 30 Aug 2021

Module/Topic

Clinical Psychology Assessment

Chapter

Chapter 9: Clinical and Mental Health Testing and Assessment

Events and Submissions/Topic

Long Answer Questions Part 2 released Friday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Quiz 2 opens Friday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Week 8 Begin Date: 06 Sep 2021

Module/Topic

Neuropsychology Assessment

Chapter

Chapter 11: Neuropsychological Testing and Assessment

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 13 Sep 2021

Module/Topic

Assessment of Children and Adolescents

Chapter

Chapter 13: Educational Testing and Assessment (pp. 306-315)

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 20 Sep 2021

Module/Topic

Personality Testing

Chapter

Chapter 8: Personality

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 27 Sep 2021

Module/Topic

Occupational Assessment

Chapter

Chapter 10: Organisational Testing and Assessment

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 04 Oct 2021

Module/Topic

Unit Overview and Wrap-Up

Chapter

No Reading

Events and Submissions/Topic

Long Answer Questions Part 2 due Tuesday at 9:00AM [AEST]

Quiz 2 closes Friday at 5:00PM [AEST]

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 11 Oct 2021

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Oral Presentation video due Friday at 5:00PM [AEST]


Oral Presentation - Feeding Back Assessment Findings Due: Review/Exam Week Monday (11 Oct 2021) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week Begin Date: 18 Oct 2021

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Online Quiz(zes)

Assessment Title
Online Quizzes

Task Description

This assessment task requires the completion of 2 online quizzes, conducted via the PSYC13020 Moodle site.

Each quiz contains 40 multiple-choice questions. You will have 120 minutes (2 hours) to complete each quiz. Only one attempt per quiz is permitted. Please see below details of content and due dates for each quiz:

  • Quiz 1 assesses weeks 1 to 5. It opens Friday 23rd July at 9:00AM [AEST] and closes Friday 27th August at 5:00PM [AEST].
  • Quiz 2 assesses weeks 6 to 11. It opens Friday 3rd September at 9:00AM [AEST] and closes Friday 8th October at 5:00PM [AEST].


Number of Quizzes


Frequency of Quizzes


Assessment Due Date

Quiz 1 closes Week 6, Friday 27th August at 5:00PM [AEST]. Quiz 2 closes Week 12, Friday 8th October at 5:00PM [AEST].


Return Date to Students

Students will be able to view their grade for each quiz upon completion. Correct responses to each quiz will be released as soon as possible after the quiz has closed.


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

For each quiz, one (1) mark will be awarded for each quiz question answered correctly. There will be no negative marking penalty for incorrect answers.

Each quiz is marked out of 40 and weighted at 20% of the final unit grade.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify and articulate the knowledge of test construction processes and basic statistics to develop and validate a test of a psychological construct
  • Apply knowledge of psychometric principles to evaluate the reliability, validity and other relevant features of psychological assessment processes and tests


Graduate Attributes
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Long Answer Questions

Task Description

You have been commissioned by Central Queensland University Press to assist in the development of a new textbook titled, Psychological Testing and Assessment: A User-Friendly and Practical Resource for Undergraduate University Students. At two points during the term, you will be provided with a list of possible textbook sections and asked to write a response to two (2) topics from the list. That is, over the course of the term, you will be required to submit a total of four (4) sections for the 'new' textbook. Your goal will be to provide an informative textbook section for students that describes difficult concepts and processes in psychology in a way that is easy to understand, practical and user-friendly. That is, you need to think about how you can describe difficult testing and assessment concepts in a way that is engaging and understandable for a student.

The topics will be released on Moodle, and you are to submit your response in a word document on Moodle. Please see below for release dates and due dates for these topics:

  • Week 2: Long Answer Questions Part 1 released Friday 23rd July at 9:00AM [AEST]
  • Week 6: Long Answer Questions Part 1 due Monday 23rd August at 9:00AM [AEST]
  • Week 7: Long Answer Questions Part 2 released Friday 3rd September at 9:00AM [AEST]
  • Week 12: Long Answer Questions Part 2 due Tuesday 5th October at 9:00AM [AEST]

Important points about this assessment:

  1. Each response will be marked out of 10 and will be worth 10% of your final grade.
  2. There is no set word count for each question, but please aim for approximately 500-600 words per response.
  3. You should be able to write your response based on the lecture content and the associated sections in the textbook.
  4. You may, however, engage in some limited additional or outside research to enhance your response with examples or relevant research.
  5. You should use academic language that is accessible and understandable to a non-expert audience.
  6. Your references should be provided in APA 7th format.


Assessment Due Date

Long Answer Questions Part 1 due Week 6, Monday 23rd August at 9:00AM [AEST]. Long Answer Questions Part 2 due Week 12, Tuesday 5th October at 9:00AM [AEST].


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will be available 2 to 3 weeks after the due date for each set of questions.


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

A marking rubric will be available on Moodle. 

Briefly, marks for each question will be allocated based on:

  • Content coverage and clarity of explanation: 6 marks
  • Incorporation of elements to engage reader and enhance learning: 2 marks
  • Quality of written communication skills: 2 marks


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Write the response to each question in a word document and submit via the Moodle assessment submission portal.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Articulate the purposes and principles of psychological assessment and testing
  • Identify and articulate the knowledge of test construction processes and basic statistics to develop and validate a test of a psychological construct
  • Apply knowledge of psychometric principles to evaluate the reliability, validity and other relevant features of psychological assessment processes and tests
  • Locate and use professional standards, ethical codes and sources of information relevant to developers and users of psychological assessments and tests.


Graduate Attributes
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking

3 Presentation

Assessment Title
Oral Presentation - Feeding Back Assessment Findings

Task Description

An important final step in completing a psychological assessment is to feedback the assessment results to the client, patient or employee you have been working with. In this assessment task, you are required to share and integrate a series of assessment findings with a client in a simulated role play. You will be presented with a case study comprising results from a number of assessments. Your job will be to interpret these results, integrate them into a summary, and present this to a person using language and a communication style that is warm, professional and appropriate to the individual who has been assessed.

To assist you with this process, you will be allocated into small groups at the start of the term. You will be provided with example case studies and a skills checklist that will give you clear steps to follow in feeding back assessment findings. Using the skills checklist and example case studies, you can work in your small group to practice the process of feeding back assessment findings via role plays. You can also practice the role play for the case study allocated for the assessment. You will then need to video record the final role play for the assessment, with one of your group members acting as the 'client', and submit this via Moodle (ensuring the audio and video is of an acceptable quality).


Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Monday (11 Oct 2021) 9:00 am AEST


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will be available 2 weeks after the due date.


Weighting
20%

Assessment Criteria

The role play will be marked out of 20 and will be worth 20% of your final grade. Your mark will be based on:

  • Adherence to skills checklist (15 marks)
  • Communication and interpersonal skills (5 marks)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submit video recording in suitable format (i.e., MP4) via the Moodle assessment submission portal.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Articulate the purposes and principles of psychological assessment and testing
  • Locate and use professional standards, ethical codes and sources of information relevant to developers and users of psychological assessments and tests.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Ethical practice

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?