Course coordinator
Professor Ross Cunnington
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- External
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Psychology School
This course covers key topics in psychology, understanding the biological and mental processes for human behaviour, including function of the brain, cognitive development, consciousness, perception, memory, and learning. The course has a scientific focus covering core research skills in psychology for studying human behaviour, including research design and analysis, and critical evaluation of research evidence. As a core course for the Psychology Education field-of-study, the course covers theoretical background and research skills in line with the QCAA (QCE) Psychology curriculum. More broadly, this course provides a thorough overview of psychology, in terms of the brain and cognition, as the scientific study of human behaviour.
The intention of this course is to give a foundation in key concepts in psychology relating to Cognition and the Brain through online lectures, and to develop and apply research skills in psychology through conducting and reporting a classic experiment-design study in psychology. Topics will cover basic brain structure and brain mapping, neurons and their communication, learning and memory, and attention and decision-making. Research investigations will develop skills in research experiment design, the application and interpretation of statistical analysis, and critical analysis of reliability and validity in research designs.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Ross Cunnington
Guest lecturer
Mr Samuel Armstrong
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
The primary goal of the postgraduate courses in psychology within the Masters/Graduate Certificate of Educational Studies program is to provide a foundation in psychology, in both theoretical knowledge and background and in research design and analysis skills, for students who either have no previous background in psychology or want to refresh and deepen their understanding. The goal of PSYC7901 is to introduce students to major research perspectives in psychology and to assist in gaining a firm foundation of understanding the terms and concepts, methodologies, basic findings and theories with behavioural, cognitive and biological perspectives.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Understand key areas in psychology related to the brain and cognition
LO2.
Apply core research skills in psychology for research design, data analysis and interpretation, and evaluation of reliability and validity of psychological experiments
LO3.
Communicate effectively for non-experts, in written and verbal forms, the background theory, results of scientific data, and evaluation of evidence from scientific literature related to key topics in psychology
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Module Quizzes
|
50% |
Quiz 1 14/08/2025 - 16/08/2025 Quiz 2 4/09/2025 - 6/09/2025 Quiz 3 18/09/2025 - 20/09/2025 Quiz 4 9/10/2025 - 11/10/2025 Quiz 5 30/10/2025 - 1/11/2025
Each Module Quiz will be open on Blackboard from 9am Thursday to 2pm Saturday in the final week set for each module |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Research Design Report | 25% |
12/09/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Research Project Report | 25% |
24/10/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Module Quizzes
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
Quiz 1 14/08/2025 - 16/08/2025
Quiz 2 4/09/2025 - 6/09/2025
Quiz 3 18/09/2025 - 20/09/2025
Quiz 4 9/10/2025 - 11/10/2025
Quiz 5 30/10/2025 - 1/11/2025
Each Module Quiz will be open on Blackboard from 9am Thursday to 2pm Saturday in the final week set for each module
- Learning outcomes
- L01
Task description
The course is divided into 5 topic modules and learning in each module is assessed via a Module Quiz that must be completed by Saturday in the last week assigned for each module (see the Learning Activities page for module dates). There are 5 module quizzes in total, each weighted at 10% of the total semester grade.
Each Module Quiz will be covering content from the online UQ Extend course videos only for the relevant module. The quiz must be taken on your own via Blackboard and can be completed anytime over the 3-day time period set. The quiz will be strictly timed so that, once you open the quiz on Blackboard, it must be completed within the set time limit. Each quiz will comprise 20 multiple-choice questions and must be completed within 30-minute time-limit.
Submission guidelines
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.
If you are unable to complete an online quiz over the time period specified for the quiz, you may apply for an Extension of the Module Quiz. Your documentation will need to cover the dates the online quiz is open. A deferred date will be set in advance by the Course Coordinator.
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.
Research Design Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
12/09/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03
Task description
For this assignment, you will prepare and submit a written Research Design Report of an experimental design research study on a research question of your choice relevant to psychology that you can conduct on "virtual" people on an online platform called "The Islands". The Research Design Report will be 800-1000 words describing the research question, relevant background theory, aims, hypotheses, research design, and methods, as well as explanation and justification of decisions made in the design and experiment procedures to minimize or control potential biases and confounding effects.
Submission guidelines
Learn.UQ via Turnitin
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.
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.
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.
Research Project Report
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
24/10/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03
Task description
For this assignment, you will prepare and submit a written Scientific Report of an experimental design research study on a research question of your choice relevant to psychology. This will be an experiment that you conduct on "virtual" people on the online platform "The Islands". Preferably, this will be the research project design that you use for your Research Proposal: Research Design Report, but it can be changed. This will involve collecting and analysing data collected on your experiment from the virtual people of "The Islands".
The Scientific Report will be between 1000 - 1500 words in length following the required structure of a research report with Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
Submission guidelines
Learn.UQ via Turnitin
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.
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.
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.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24.99 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 46.99 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84.99 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
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.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 3 |
Not Timetabled |
Module 1: Psychology as Science Module 1: Psychology as Science 1.1 The scientific method in psychology 1.2 Paradigms and research methods Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 1 |
Tutorial |
Course Introduction Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 5 |
Tutorial |
Experiment Design Learning outcomes: L02 |
Multiple weeks From Week 4 To Week 6 |
Not Timetabled |
Module 2: The Brain and Neurons 2.1 The anatomy of brain function 2.2 Neurons and their communication 2.3 Measuring brain function 2.4 Brain plasticity and learning Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 6 To Week 7 |
Tutorial |
Assignment Consultation Assignment Consultation Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Multiple weeks From Week 7 To Week 8 |
Not Timetabled |
Module 3: Sensation and Perception 3.1 Perception as a product of the brain 3.2 Vision and the visual cortex Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 8 To Week 10 |
Tutorial |
Data Analysis and Statistics Learning outcomes: L02 |
Multiple weeks From Week 9 To Week 10 |
Not Timetabled |
Module 4: Brain Disorders 4.1 Brain laterality and split brains 4.2 Memory and the hippocampus 4.3 Attention and the parietal lobes 4.4 Cognitive control and the frontal lobes Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 11 To Week 13 |
Not Timetabled |
Module 5: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 5.1 Classical and operant conditioning 5.2 Memory 5.3 Problem-solving and decision-making Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 11 To Week 12 |
Tutorial |
Assignment Consultation Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
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 for 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: