Measurement in Psychology (PSYC3020)

Course overview

Measurement is fundamental to both civilisation and science. In particular, the ability to evaluate people provides arguably one of the most challenging and yet potentially world-changing applications of measurement theory. This course will provide introductory training in the application of measurement techniques and principles required for research and practice in psychology. Diverse examples of practical applications of this knowledge within psychology and beyond will be provided in order to demonstrate its universal relevance. Topics that will be introduced include psychometric theory, measurement in behavioural research, competent and appropriate use of psychological tests, clinical neuropsychological assessment, personnel assessment, educational testing, intelligence testing, and personality testing. Students will receive hands-on training in how to create and validate their own behavioural measurement instrument. The aim of this course is to provide students with a foundation in how to apply measurement theory in their future careers, whether in the field of psychology or elsewhere.

Thanks for enrolling in PSYC3020 – I hope you enjoy the course! My aim is to help you develop the skills to be able to measure human behaviour effectively and use these skills to increase your future success both in your career and any future education. The course is also designed to help you improve the general graduate skills that your future employers will want. I am also using a number of strategies to minimise the number of students who fail this course, without undermining the value of your degree.

Course requirements

Assumed background

See course recommended pre-requisites above. In particular, a 2nd year level knowledge of statistics is required.

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PSYC2010

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

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Aims and outcomes

The course provides an introduction to psychometric knowledge which underpins the competent use of psychological tests and which also relates to the conduct of research.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Tutorial worksheets

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

20%

Due date

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 29/07/2024 - 2/08/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 5/08/2024 - 9/08/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 19/08/2024 - 23/08/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 26/08/2024 - 30/08/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 2/09/2024 - 6/09/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 9/09/2024 - 13/09/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 16/09/2024 - 20/09/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 30/09/2024 - 4/10/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 14/10/2024 - 18/10/2024

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in your designated tutorial 21/10/2024 - 25/10/2024

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Submission guidelines

You will complete the tutorial worksheets in each tutorial. Your tutor will provide you with access and submission instructions.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

If you miss a tutorial for an appropriate reason (e.g., illness, carer duties, SAP, or unexpected transport catastrophes) then you can complete an alternative online tutorial worksheet. This is to be submitted within four days of the last tutorial session for that worksheet (click on the “I missed a tutorial” link in the Blackboard menu). The alternative tutorial worksheets are different from the weekly quizzes. You do not need to obtain advanced permission to complete an alternative worksheet, but you will be asked to complete a statutory declaration statement at the beginning of the worksheet, confirming your appropriate reason for missing the tutorial. Note that completing the alternative worksheet will probably be a more difficult option than coming to the tutorial, because your tutor will not be present to guide you through the activities, and you will have to do activities on your own that otherwise would be distributed throughout your team.

Late submission

If you miss a tutorial for an appropriate reason (e.g., illness, carer duties, SAP, or unexpected transport catastrophes) then you can complete an alternative online tutorial worksheet. This is to be submitted within four days of the last tutorial session for that worksheet (click on the “I missed a tutorial” link in the Blackboard menu). The alternative tutorial worksheets are different from the weekly quizzes. You do not need to obtain advanced permission to complete an alternative worksheet, but you will be asked to complete a statutory declaration statement at the beginning of the worksheet, confirming your appropriate reason for missing the tutorial. Note that completing the alternative worksheet will probably be a more difficult option than coming to the tutorial, because your tutor will not be present to guide you through the activities, and you will have to do activities on your own that otherwise would be distributed throughout your team.

10 online quizzes

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

40%

Due date

1/08/2024 - 2/08/2024

8/08/2024 - 9/08/2024

22/08/2024 - 23/08/2024

29/08/2024 - 30/08/2024

5/09/2024 - 6/09/2024

12/09/2024 - 13/09/2024

19/09/2024 - 20/09/2024

3/10/2024 - 4/10/2024

10/10/2024 - 11/10/2024

17/10/2024 - 18/10/2024

You can complete the online quizzes at any time between Thursday 9am and Friday 4pm on the designated week.

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Submission guidelines

The online quizzes are run via the PSYC3020 Blackboard site. Click on "Assessments" and "Quizzes" to access them.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

If you miss the two-day window for a quiz for an appropriate reason (e.g., extended illness or extended technical problems), then you can take a make-up quiz the following week instead (click on the “I missed a quiz” link in the Blackboard menu). You do not have to obtain permission to take a make-up quiz. However, when you do take it, you MUST submit an online declaration (accessed via a link in Blackboard) explaining the reason for taking the relevant make-up quiz, or your attempt will not be accepted. Acceptance of your reason’s legitimacy is up to the discretion of the course co-ordinator.

Late submission

If you miss the two-day window for a quiz for an appropriate reason (e.g., extended illness or extended technical problems), then you can take a make-up quiz the following week instead (click on the “I missed a quiz” link in the Blackboard menu). You do not have to obtain permission to take a make-up quiz. However, when you do take it, you MUST submit an online declaration (accessed via a link in Blackboard) explaining the reason for taking the relevant make-up quiz, or your attempt will not be accepted. Acceptance of your reason’s legitimacy is up to the discretion of the course co-ordinator.

Main assignment - test development proposal

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

40%

Due date

11/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L03

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Assessment should be submitted online via the 'Assignment Submission' link on the PSYC3020 Blackboard page. NOTE: You will no longer receive an automatic submission receipt from Turnitin confirming your assignment has been received. You should download a copy of the digital receipt from the Assignment Dashboard and keep this as a record. NB: This is the last major assessment piece for the course. As such, marks for the Research Proposal assignment will be withheld until Grade Release.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

• You’ll notice that the grade cut-offs for PSYC3020 are higher than is typical. However, raising these cut-offs has led to students achieving higher grades than before (that is, you are more likely to get a HIGHER grade than students of this course before cut-offs were raised).
• This is because it is now easier to achieve a higher course mark, thanks to our mastery learning approach. For instance, I would expect most people to score close to 100% for their tutorial worksheets (worth 20% of the course mark) – as these are primarily intended as formative activities.
• Also, the written assignment marks are automatically scaled to take the grade cut-offs into account. The tutor scores the written assignment by assigning grades to a number of marking criteria (rather than marks), which are converted into an overall mark by a spreadsheet formula that takes account of the grade ranges. This means that, if grade cut-offs are higher, assignment marks will also automatically become higher to compensate.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

The main assignment is compulsory. ﾠYou need to submit a reasonable attempt at this to pass the course (otherwise, the maximum grade you can receive is 3, even if your course mark reflects a higher grade).

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Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

All learning resources for this course are available from our Blackboard website at learn.uq.edu.auﾠwhich you should check at least weekly. This includes lecture and tutorial slides, quizzes, quiz preparation materials, assignment materials, and much more.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• School of Psychology Student Guidelines