Brain and Behaviour
Hawthorn On-campus: 36 hours face-to-face Hawthorn Online/OUA: 13 hours Swinburne Online: 12 hours
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn, Online
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
This unit introduces students to the structure and function of the brain and how it interacts with the external world to generate thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Applications in health and mental illness are also introduced as well as ethical practice in psychological research.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
10-March-2025
08-June-2025
08-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-March-2025
Census date
04-April-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-May-2025
Results released date
Winter
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
23-June-2025
03-August-2025
03-August-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-June-2025
Census date
04-July-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
18-July-2025
Results released date
19-August-2025
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
07-July-2025
05-October-2025
05-October-2025
Last self-enrolment date
20-July-2025
Census date
01-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
22-August-2025
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Explain the general methods of investigation employed in psychological research, and show an appreciation of the main issues in research ethics
- Explain key concepts from major content areas in psychology. These include: biological underpinnings of psychology; sensory processes, perception, and consciousness; motivation, emotion, health, and abnormal psychology
- Locate, organise and integrate information from various sources concerning topics and problems relating to psychology
- Communicate in a logical and clear manner the results of investigating a topic or problems relating to psychology
- Apply psychological theories, methods, and data to explain everyday experiences and behaviours
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Specified Activities Various | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 7.50 | 12 weeks | 90 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Class | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 11.50 | 12 weeks | 138 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | Individual | 35% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Assignment 2 | Individual | 25% | 1,3,4 |
| Examination | Individual | 40% | 2,5 |
Content
- Sensation and perception
- Biological aspects of psychology
- Consciousness
- Motivation and emotion
- Neuropsychology
- Health and abnormal psychology
- Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
- Graduate Attribute 5 (Digital Literacies 1 - Information literacy)
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.