Students

PSY 352 – Appetite: The Psychology of Eating and Drinking

2014 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Dick Stevenson
Contact via dick.stevenson@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(PSY222 or PSY248) and PSY236
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
The need to eat and drink is essential to the survival of all animals. This unit examines the psychology of these activities, with a primarily human slant. In particular, the unit covers the anatomy and physiology of the whole ingestive system; what starts and stops eating; why we like and prefer some foods over others; and the psychobiology of dieting, starvation, obesity, and anorexia/bulimia. The unit adopts a broad perspective, so that the impact of human food choice on health, the economy and the environment, are constantly kept in focus.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Experimental Tutorial Reports 35% 19/11/14
Laboratory book 5% 19/11/14
Final examination 60% Examination period

Experimental Tutorial Reports

Due: 19/11/14
Weighting: 35%

Students engage in 5 experiments guided by their tutor.  These form the basis for the written reports that they prepare for submission, as part of their assessment for this course.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Laboratory book

Due: 19/11/14
Weighting: 5%

Students are asked to keep a laboratory book recording their experimental endeavours, the materials used, data collected, analysis and conclusions/notes.  These materials are assessed for completeness and adhering to the standards set out in the course outline.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Final examination

Due: Examination period
Weighting: 60%

Students have a 90 minute multiple choice examination to test their knowledge of the course materials.  Example questions are presented in the unit outline.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Delivery and Resources

All materials necessary to complete the unit are described in the unit outline.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment tasks

  • Experimental Tutorial Reports
  • Laboratory book
  • Final examination

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment task

  • Final examination

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment tasks

  • Experimental Tutorial Reports
  • Laboratory book
  • Final examination

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment tasks

  • Experimental Tutorial Reports
  • Laboratory book
  • Final examination

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment tasks

  • Experimental Tutorial Reports
  • Laboratory book

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment tasks

  • Experimental Tutorial Reports
  • Laboratory book

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment task

  • Final examination

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • The generic skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Logical analysis 2. Problem solving 3. Time management 4. Written and oral communication skills. The specific skills that you should acquire from this course are: 1. Designing experiments and surveys to address questions in a scientific manner 2. The ability to report experimental and survey results in a scientific manner 3. The ability to plan and execute a project 4. The ability to analyse data with specific hypotheses in mind 5. The ability to distinguish cause and effect from association 6. To be sceptical and data driven in your appraisal of everything. The learning objectives of this course are: 1. To understand basic concepts of anatomy, nutrition, physiology, learning, motivation & perception as they apply to ingestive behaviour 2. To understand how human ingestive behaviour is controlled 3. To understand how human ingestive behaviour can break down 4. To understand the social context in which our ingestive behaviour takes place 5. To understand the crucial role that social context plays in combination with biological and psychological factors, in shaping ingestive behaviour 6. To understand the stigmatisation of the obese and to learn that much of the obesity epidemic is driven by factors beyond an individual’s control.

Assessment task

  • Final examination

Changes since First Published

Date Description
16/07/2014 Somehow I put in Sunday 16th Nov for submission of the written work. I have now changed this to Wed 19th Nov. My apologies Dick