PSYC13022 - Learning & Behaviour Modification

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit will provide you with an understanding of the environmental and cultural factors that control and modify behaviour. Theories of behaviour including Classical, Operant and Social/Observational Learning approaches are examined and discussed in relation to both animal and human research. Theories of behaviour modification will also be considered within the health context. There is a focus on applying theory to real-world situations and critically evaluating published research relevant to each topic. The latter half of the unit takes the theoretical approaches covered in the first 8 weeks and applies them to modifying behaviour within real-world situations such as intimate partner violence, drug use/abuse, and psychological disorders (e.g., Eating Disorders).

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Minimum of 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

There are no availabilities for this unit on or after Term 3 - 2024

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).

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 30%
2. Written Assessment 20%
3. Online Test 50%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2021 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 93.75% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 39.34% 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: Emails, Forum posts, Have your say student evaluation.
Feedback
Students appreciated the differing due dates for the Focus Questions so that they could choose which assessments to submit depending on their workload.
Recommendation
Continue to offer staggered due dates for the Focus Questions.
Action Taken
Staggered due dates continued.
Source: Emails, Have your say student evaluation.
Feedback
Students appreciated the applied and real-life examples given to illustrate the concepts being taught.
Recommendation
Continue to use applied and real-life examples to illustrate the concepts and ideas being taught.
Action Taken
Applied and real-life examples incorporated.
Source: Have your say student evaluation.
Feedback
Some students felt that the time provided for the online test was too short.
Recommendation
Review the number of questions in the online test.
Action Taken
The number of long answer questions in the online test was reduced from 10 to 2, allowing students to focus on high quality longer answers.
Source: Have your say student evaluation.
Feedback
Some students felt that the instructions for the essay were too long.
Recommendation
Review the amount of information given on the requirements of the essay, as well as producing a checklist.
Action Taken
A checklist was made and more support was given in tutorials as to how to approach the essay.
Source: Informal student communication
Feedback
Students expressed disappointment that the unit will not run again as a stand-alone unit.
Recommendation
Since this unit has been discontinued and will therefore not be included in the core structure of the revised psychology courses being implemented in 2022, learning and behaviour modification content will be incorporated into relevant locations in other units within the new structure.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain the major principles and theories of learning
  2. Apply the major principles and theories of learning to explain behaviour within 'real world' contexts
  3. Employ advanced communication skills to demonstrate depth of understanding of learning and behaviour modification.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Written Assessment • •
3 - Online Test • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Communication • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10