Graduate Diploma in Psychology

Unit Code: PSY4051

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Unit Code: PSY4131

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Psychology is a scientific discipline which spans a diverse range of areas. This unit provides a continuation of two psychology topics that you will have learnt about in the foundational units. Developmental psychology encompasses physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes across the life span and how these are shaped by macrosystems such as culture, and microsystems such as peers and the family. Biological psychology includes states of consciousness, mental disorders and addiction, mechanisms and disorders of learning and memory, and the regulation of emotional and motivated states. Unit activities provide further training in research techniques, report writing, oral presentations and teamwork.

Unit Code: PSY4032

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit develops your understanding of how human behaviour is classified as ‘pathological’ through examination of the historical influences and the theory of the aetiology, assessment, and treatment of psychological disorders.
Adopting a biopsychosocial-cultural perspective across the lifespan, this unit will provide broad and comprehensive knowledge of both scientific and professional aspects of psychopathology.

Unit Code: PSY4041

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Testing and assessment is a major component of psychological research and practice, which is why ‘Psychological testing and ethics’ teaches the underlying principles and processes of test development, administration and interpretation, as well as the ethical and legal responsibilities that underpin psychological research and practice. By investigating widely used psychological tests, critiquing various criteria including test reliability and validity, with a focus on theories of ability, and how our thinking about human abilities is influenced by our cultural framework. You will also learn how ethical principles apply to psychological research and practice by examining specific ethical dilemmas and case studies.

Unit Code: PSY4062

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

This unit will enhance your scientific aptitude and critical thinking abilities applicable to empirical research in psychology, and enhance your pragmatic problem-solving skills. In this unit, you will continue your training in psychological inquiry across three areas: theory, methods, and practice. In the theory component, you will learn about different theoretical perspectives on knowledge and research, including various quantitative and qualitative theories. In the methods component, you will develop your knowledge and ability to design complex research methodologies using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

In the practice component, you will undertake complex statistical analyses, such as parametric and nonparametric procedures that compare three or more variables, the use of planned and post hoc comparison techniques, as well as techniques that investigate relationships and predictions involving three or more variables. There are strong practical components incorporated into the unit designed to advance and showcase your competency in undertaking individual research. To bring together your knowledge and skills in research theory, methods, and practice, you will undertake a research project under the supervision of a staff member.

Unit Code: PSY4081

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Perception and cognition’, divided in two interrelated halves, covers both perception and cognition. Following a cognitive psychology methodology, you will learn about the sensory processes involved in vision, audition and speech perception, sensory coding mechanisms and perceptual processing. The second half of the unit encompasses the acquisition, organisation, and retrieval of knowledge, with an emphasis on contemporary research techniques, cognitive architecture, attentional processes, models of learning and memory, mental imagery, language and higher-order thinking.

Unit Code: PSY4151

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Investigate the history and philosophy of social psychology and personality, two fields that have radically altered our understanding of social identity, meaning and relationships. The first half of ‘Personality and social psychology’ will demonstrate how social psychology theories – such as behaviour in groups, aggression, attraction, dehumanisation and attitude change – are applied and critiqued in light of contemporary behaviour and new knowledge. In the second half of the unit, you will examine and compare distinct personality theories, including psychoanalytic, phenomenological, trait, and social learning approaches to personality.

Unit Code: PSY4111

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Discover psychology’s historical origins as you build your understanding of psychology as a scientific discipline, and acquire the ability to conduct rigorous literature reviews. In ‘Psychology foundations: The individual’ you will learn how scientific research supports contemporary psychological theory and practice, exploring psychological theories related to learning, development, sensation and perception, personality, and the neurobiological basis of behaviour. There is a joint emphasis on the important role of cultural competency in understanding human behaviour, and you will learn to apply an Australian Indigenous lens to psychological research and practice.

Unit Code: PSY4122

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Psychology foundations: The social self’ serves as an introduction to the scientific discipline of psychology, and provides foundational knowledge in key areas including theories of social behaviour, emotion and motivation, and the cognitive processes underlying human memory. You will learn about the psychological research methodology, using descriptive and inferential statistics to justify your research in the form of a formal research proposal. Weaved throughout the unit is an ongoing discussion of cross-cultural similarities and differences, and the potential pitfalls of applying mainstream understandings of psychology beyond the culture from which those insights were derived.

Unit Code: PSY4140

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Introduction to counselling’ is a broad overview of counselling psychology theory and practice, providing students the opportunity to contrast various perspective. You will learn about various counselling theories – evaluating how personal beliefs and values influence the counselling process – and build your awareness of the legal and ethical responsibilities that underpin counselling psychology.

Unit Code: PSY4180

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

In this elective unit you will develop your capacity to critically engage with contemporary issues, emerging trends and new directions in psychology. The unit will highlight the social, political, and cultural contexts that influence the discipline of psychology, as well as the contemporary challenges facing psychologists in both research and practice. Specific topics include: cutting edge developments in psychological treatment, challenges in psychological research, new directions in psychological theory and practice, and contemporary applications of psychology for individual, social, and environmental change. There is a focus on authentic assessment tasks designed to improve your critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and your ability to communicate effectively with key stakeholders in research, practice, and policy arenas.

Unit Code: PSY4405

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Ethical and professional issues in psychology’ takes a conceptual approach – grounded in theories and definitions – to focus on the pragmatic issues of psychological practice from an ethical, legal and professional perspective. You will learn about a range of topics, including legislation governing psychologists, professional organisations, codes of professional conduct, and ethical issues raised by: conflicts of interest, children as clients, using psychological tests, and the provision of psychological services to a multi-cultural population, managing the suicidal client, reporting child abuse, and service delivery over the internet.

Unit Code: PSY4406

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Psychological assessments and intervention’ provides students with a theoretical and practical overview of the assessment of individual difference, as a component of evidence-based practice. You will explore various classes of tests and classification tools – including a detailed examination of distinct models that measure ability and individual difference – and the role psychological assessment plays in evidence-based interventions for common clinical disorders. Another core focus of your study will be test evaluation methods, from a contemporary perspective that engages with recent trends in development theory, while covering the practicalities of test administration, scoring and interpretation.

Unit Code: PSY4407

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

The knowledge you gain studying psychology is relevant to a wide range of career pathways. ‘Psychology in industry: Pathways to employment’ will help you identify and enhance your employability skills, and provide a sense about the kinds of careers that are possible with a psychology qualification. You will familiarise yourself with the steps required to become a registered and licensed psychologist in Australia, and the various alternative career pathways available. The ways in which their knowledge and skills are relevant to other industries will also be explored.

Unit Code: PSY4401

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Statistical analysis is a key part of psychological research design. The first stage of your psychological research project will give you the opportunity to conduct a review of univariate statistics, and serve as an introduction to the philosophy of research design and analysis. Everything you learn will be contextualised in terms of the unique challenges of psychological research, which influence the research approach and statistical technique. By understanding the issues that arise around the choice of appropriate statistical technique and data preparation, you will be able to interpret your findings in a critical way.

Unit Code: PSY4403

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

Methodology and data collection is a vital part of psychological research. For this component of your research project, you will produce a project methods section, based on the data you collect. Under supervision, you will complete the accumulation component of the research project, in which you will accumulate data by conducting experiments, surveys, interviews, focus groups, textual analyses, and database access. You will then synthesise this data, and this will form a core part of your GDPA research thesis.

Unit Code: PSY4404

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

In the results component of the GDPA research thesis, you will elaborate on and write up the results of your statistical and/or qualitative analyses of data. By doing this you will be able to answer your original research questions, and test your research hypotheses. The discussion component of the GDPA research thesis involves relating your research results and methods to the research thesis introduction, including the literature review and hypotheses/research questions. You will also discuss how your results have contributed to the knowledge of the research area.

Unit Code: PSY4402

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

The literature review component of your research project is all about giving you the tools and guidance you need to source and synthesise appropriate research, and in doing so produce a high quality research proposal of your own. You will be supported as you undertake a literature review, which will form the basis of the introduction for your final research project, and provides training in both discipline-specific and generic research skills. The literature review/introduction component of the research thesis will consist of a description of your project, a detailed review of the relevant literature, and a statement of the research hypotheses to be tested.

Unit Code: PSY4409

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘21st century applications of psychology’ is a multi-disciplinary unit that draws together distinct strands of psychological theory and practice. Divided across 6 modules, you will study psychology from the following perspectives: the mind/body and self (e.g. body modification, embodied cognition, the ‘selfies’ epidemic), family and relationships (e.g. step-families, same-sex families), society and culture (e.g. modern racism, psychological perspectives in terrorism, acculturation and integration within multi-cultural Australia), health, stress and coping (e.g. resilience, positive education, cross-cultural approaches to therapy), ePsychology (e.g. cyber-bullying, virtual reality, artificial intelligences), and psychology of work (e.g. flow, flourishing).

Unit Code: PSY4408

Contact Hours: 20-24 hours of study per week

Duration: 6 weeks

Description:

‘Perspectives in clinical and developmental neuroscience’ takes a lifespan approach to examine elements of neuroscience, developmental psychology, and mental health and illness, Your study will focus on aspects of mental health and illness that integrate traditional clinical information (e.g. symptoms, prevalence, aetiology), neuroscience (both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders), and evidence-based treatments. The topics you explore will relate to specific psychopathologies (e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder), specific life stages (e.g. childhood and adolescence), broad issues in mental health that transcend specific disorders (e.g. sleep, social support), and examine mental health in numerous settings (e.g. clinical, medical, and occupational).