Unit Synopsis
This unit provides an introduction to the primary philosophies and key theories and frameworks that are fundamental to the study of psychology. You will examine the interplay of biological and social factors that underpin our understanding of people and behaviour. The biological content of the unit explores the structures and functions of the brain and nervous system, sensory and perceptual processes, learning and behaviour, and states of consciousness. The social content of the unit introduces you to motivation and emotion, human lifespan development, social cognition and perception and cross-cultural psychology, personality, psychological disorders, and intelligence. This unit is applicable to students studying a psychology course and those students from a variety of courses.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Online Quiz(zes) | 10% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 40% |
| 3. Presentation | 40% |
| 4. Online Quiz(zes) | 10% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 85.71% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 21.3% response rate.
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.
Source: Student evaluation feedback and in-class comments.
Students appreciated extra learning materials such as videos and Ted Talks.
Provide extra learning materials such as Ted Talks and explainer videos.
Links to explainer videos and TED talks were provided to students.
Source: Student evaluation feedback and in-class comments.
Students stated discussing real-world examples of psychological concepts assisted learning.
Present case studies that show real-world examples of psychological concepts.
Information was provided about case studies that show real-world examples of psychological concepts.
Source: Student unit evaluation comments.
The requirement for students to include real-life examples in their written assessment helped enhance their understanding of the content.
Continue to require students to provide real-life examples in their written assessment.
In Progress
Source: Student unit evaluation comments.
Some students felt the quiz could remain open for longer.
Extend the duration for which the quizzes are open from two to five days.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Identify the biological and social contributors to human behaviour.
- Discuss the major principles and theories related to the study of human behaviour.
- Reflect on, and engage with, key psychological concepts in an objective manner.
Learning outcomes are linked to the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC, 2025) Standards - Foundational Competencies:
Students will be able to
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:
(i) the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology
(ii) critical thinking and identification or bias to promote inclusivity
(iii) psychological health and well-being
(vi) cognition, language and perception
(v) learning and memory
(vii) motivation and emotion
(viii) neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour
(x) social psychology
1.2 Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.
1.5 Demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork, including establishing and maintaining respectful and culturally safe working relationships with others.
Source:
Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (2025). Accreditation standards for psychology programs (p.11) https://apac.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/APACAccreditation-Standards-for-Psychology-Programs-effective-1-Dec
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | ||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| 3 - Presentation | • | • | • |
| 4 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |