School of Psychological Science
Bachelor of Psychological Science

Some of the topics covered by the Bachelor of Psychological Science Degree

Abnormal Psychology. Sometimes things go wrong with behaviour and it may be labelled “abnormal”. Examples include schizophrenia or severe depression. Psychologists need to understand what can go wrong and why and how the individual affected might be helped.

Biological Bases of Behaviour. As well as having social influences, behaviour is also influenced by our biology. Psychologists need to underststand how memories are stored in the brain and what is going wrong in diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Psychologists also need to understand how drugs exert a physiological effect and might influence behaviour. Many behaviours have a strong biological basis that needs to be understood by psychologists.

Individual Differences in Capacity and Behaviour. Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we were all the same? But, how is it that we differ. Do we differ due to having different genetic make-up or it is because we have been exposed to different environments? Psychologists are interested in assessing and understanding the differences that exist between individuals in behaviour and constructs like intelligence and personality.

Testing and Assessment. To be able to study anything, the first requirement is the ability to measure it. Psychologists face challenges in measuring many of the things they are interested in studying. For example, how could you measure love, or fear, or intelligence? Psychologists need to be expert in testing and assessing individuals.

Personality. We all have different personalities. But, what are the dimensions of personality and how do differences between people emerge? an differences in the way people behave be due to differences in their personality? Psychologists are interested in personality and how it influences the way we behave.

Learning. It could be argued that what makes us unique is the sum of all the things we have learned during our lifetimes. Much of our human behaviour is learned (unlike other species). Psychologists are interested in how we learn to behave in particular ways and also in how we can un-learn maladaptive behaviours, like smoking.

Lifespan Developmental Psychology. We tend to focus on differences between people and being fascinated by these. But, think about the changes in behaviours that can be seen in the same person across the lifespan, from birth to death! This area of psychology focussed on behaviour at different ages and how these differ and change over time.

Social Psychology. Humans are very social animals and much of our behaviour occurs in social groups and is influence by the social setting in which we find ourselves.

Health Psychology. Illness is much less commonly caused by infectious organisms than in the past and is much more related to the lifestyle and behaviour of an individual. Health psychology is concerned with the relationships between how we behave and our health and also with psychological adjustment to ill health.

Intercultural and Indigenous Psychology. Behaviour varies enormously across cultures. What is acceptable in one culture may be considered totally inappropriate in another. In a multicultural society like Australia it is important to recognise and understand cultural differences in behaviour, especially in our own indigenous groups.

Research and Professional Ethics. Psychologists are scientists as well as practitioners and therefore need to know how to conduct research to generate new knowledge and to test ideas. They also need to understand research so as to evaluate the claims of other. Of course, behaving ethically is crucial and the practice of psychology involves a number of potential ethical dilemmas.

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