Students

PSYU2234 – Social and Personality Psychology

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Chair
Trevor Case
trevor.case@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
4FW Level 8
Lecturer
Simon Boag
simon.boag@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Level 2 AHH
Head Tutor
Matthew McAlister
matthew.mcalister@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
((PSYC104 or PSYU1104 or PSYX104 or PSYX1104) and (PSYC105 or PSYU1105 or PSYX105 or PSYX1105)) OR ((PSYU1101 or PSYX1101) and (PSYU1102 or PSYX1102) and (STAT1103 or STAX1103))
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This is an introduction to theory, research and applications in the scientific study of social and personality psychology. The personality section of the unit provides an in-depth background to the prominent theories of personality and examines recent developments in personality research. The section on social psychology covers foundational scientific research in social psychology, focusing on developments in the three general domains of social thinking, social influence and social relations. The objectives of this unit involve acquiring a basic understanding of the principal theories, key empirical research, and basic issues in the fields of social and personality psychology. Overall, the following specific knowledge and skills are expected to be acquired from this unit:- an understanding of how the scientific approach to personality and social psychology differs from common sense or lay understanding;- an awareness of research methods used in personality and social psychology research; an ability to construct an overall critical evaluation of current scientific knowledge within personality or social psychology;- an understanding of the principal personality theories, research, and the controversies that arise in this field; and- an understanding of the key theories and research in the domains of social cognition, social influence and social relations.

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:

  • ULO1: Conduct an analysis of a research topic within personality or social psychology.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories and research in social and personality psychology.
  • ULO3: Discuss the concepts attained in the lectures and readings in a small class forum

General Assessment Information

Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays, unless an extension has been granted through special consideration. No late submissions will be accepted more than 5 days after the submission deadline, unless special consideration has been granted. No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.

All extensions need to be formally requested in line with the special consideration policy.

The final exam for this unit is currently scheduled to occur on Macquarie University campus. Students are expected to make themselves available for the final exam, at the date and time set by the University, in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedure.

 Word count penalty: 5% of the possible mark will be deducted per 100 words over the word limit for the assessment task. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty.

Sitting the final exam is compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not attempt the final exam will be granted a Fail Absent grade.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Class participation 0% No Ongoing
Mid-session Examination 30% No Week 7
Assignment 20% No Week 8
Final Examination 50% No University Examination Period

Class participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 0%

 

Tutorial Participation and engagement with activities

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss the concepts attained in the lectures and readings in a small class forum

Mid-session Examination

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%

 

Online multiple choice mid-session exam, testing unit content.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories and research in social and personality psychology.

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 20%

 

Four short-answer questions of between 50 and 300 words each, based on a set journal article.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Conduct an analysis of a research topic within personality or social psychology.

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 50%

 

Final examination held within the University’s formal exam period, in accordance with relevant requirements.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories and research in social and personality psychology.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures: Delivered live and recorded

Tutorial Attendance: One 2-hour tutorial per fortnight; tutorial attendance/online participation is compulsory.

Prescribed text: Gilovich et al. (2019). Social Psychology (5th ed.). NY: Norton.

Suggested text: Feist, J., Feist, G., & Roberts, T. (2018). Theories of Personality (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Note that the 6th edition onwards is also acceptable.

 

This version of the unit is “In person scheduled weekday”. Students can enroll in either an on-campus lecture (space permitting) or an online/live-streamed lecture classes. This version of the unit has on-campus tutorial/practical classes only. Students should not attend on-campus classes if you are unwell or have any cold and flu-like symptoms. Ensure you follow the most recent University COVID-19 advice https://www.mq.edu.au/about/coronavirus-faqs/information-for-students

For general information on unit versions, see this website https://students.mq.edu.au/study/enrolling/choosing-units

Face-to-face tutorials and lab sessions are an essential part of PSYU2234 and these cannot be delivered online. All students are therefore required to come to campus to participate in these sessions and complete the associated in-class assessment tasks. If you are unable to attend a lab session in person due to unavoidable reasons (quarantine, illness, etc.), you should apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Reasonable adjustments will be made for students with approved special consideration.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Grading

Macquarie University follow standards-based assessment of student performance. All individual assessment tasks are subject to moderation, consistent with the Assessment Policy and Procedure. A student’s final mark for this unit, and associated grade, must reflect their attainment of the unit learning outcomes, and isn’t necessarily a simple summation of their individual assessment items.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

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

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook