PSYCHOL 3021 - Health & Lifespan Development Psychology

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

This course builds on the material of the Foundations of Health and Lifespan Development (PSYCHOL 2005) course. The underpinning theme is: the psychological, behavioural and social origins of lifespan development, illness, well-being and health enhancing behaviours. Lectures will focus on advanced topics in child development, mental health and physical health, and will include developing skills in critical evaluation and knowledge applications.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PSYCHOL 3021
    Course Health & Lifespan Development Psychology
    Coordinating Unit Psychology
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites PSYCHOL 2004 and at least 3 more units of Level II Psychology Courses
    Course Description This course builds on the material of the Foundations of Health and Lifespan Development (PSYCHOL 2005) course. The underpinning theme is: the psychological, behavioural and social origins of lifespan development, illness, well-being and health enhancing behaviours. Lectures will focus on advanced topics in child development, mental health and physical health, and will include developing skills in critical evaluation and knowledge applications.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Nicole Nelson



    School of Psychology Office:
    Ph - +61 8313 5693; Email - psychology@adelaide.edu.au 



    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Details of the timetable are available in the Course Planner. See: https://access.adelaide.edu.au/courses/search.asp
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1.    Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the theoretical underpinnings and methodological issues that inform contemporary research and practice in health psychology, mental health, neuropsychology and child development
    2.    Demonstrate the ability to write a standard research report using American Psychological Association (APA) structure and formatting conventions.
    3    Write effectively in a variety of other forms (e.g. essay, short answer) for the purpose of summarising and critically reviewing the health and lifespan literature.

    These learning outcomes are consistent with the Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC) guidelines established for undergraduate training courses in the discipline of Psychology.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1,2,3
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1,2,3
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1,2,3
  • Learning Resources
    Recommended Resources
    The Library is a major resource centre for students. Library guides specific to psychology are available, and include a list of electronic databases, links to tutorials and help with searching methods.

    The following resources will also assist students with the written components of this course:

    American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association

    Findlay, B., Kaufmann, L., (2018). How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays (8th ed.). Vic, Australia: Pearson Australia  

    Smith, T.R., & LeCouteur, A. (2012). The principles of writing in psychology. Vic, Australia: Macmillan Education Australia    

    Online Learning
    This course will use MyUni for:

    - Communication with students via Announcements and Discussion Board
    - Submission of assessment
    - Access to lecture recordings
    - Access to tutorial materials
    - Additional readings
    - Self-directed learning activities
    - Exam preparation materials

    Link to MyUni ;
    https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course is taught in a combination of lectures, online modules, flipped classrooms and tutorials. Note for semester 2 2021 lectures will be available face-to-face and will be recorded, and tutorials will be face-to-face.

    Lecture content will include clinical scenarios to guide and trouble-shoot the application of different evidence-based treatments (e.g. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and theoretical models (e.g. biopsychosocial model) across the lifespan. Engagement in self-directed learning activities and additional reading is expected.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.


    Lectures: 2 x 1 hour lectures each week for 12 weeks = 24 hours
    Tutorials: 4 tutes x 1 hour each = 4 hours
    Self-directed learning and research = 56
    Assignments: 70 hours
    Final exam: 2.5 hours

    Total: 156 hours
    Learning Activities Summary

    Week Lectures
    Week 1 Welcome, Essay and Research Proposal Brief Child Development
    Week 2 Child Development Child Development
    Week 3 Child Development Child Development
    Week 4 Neuropsychology Neuropsychology
    Week 5 Neuropsychology Neuropsychology
    Week 6 Neuropsychology Neuropsychology
    Week 7 Mental Health Mental Health
    Week 8 Mental Health Mental Health
    Week 9 No Lecture (Labour Day Holiday) Mental Health
    Week 10 Health Psychology Health Psychology
    Week 11 Health Psychology Health Psychology
    Week 12 Health Psychology Health Psychology

    Disclaimer: This program is provisional and subject to change
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Not applicable
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment for the Health and Lifespan Developmental Psychology consists of the following:

    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning outcome(s) being addressed
    Essay Summative 30% 3
    Research proposal Summative 40% 2
    Exam Summative  30% 1, 3
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Please note that the research proposal requires an understanding of research methodology and design in psychology. Students who have not completed PSYCHOL 2004 Doing Research in Psychology will need to take steps to ensure they have competency in this area.

    Assessment Detail
    Assessment for Health and Lifespan Developmental Psychology (HLDP) consists of the following:

    An essay that allows the student to demonstrate written communication skills, including skills in critical writing. 

    A major research report/proposal that allows the student to demonstrate psychology writing skills, in accordance with APA formatting. 

    An exam to assess students’ ability to apply key principles taught in HLDP.


    Submission
    Details on submission process/requirements, penalties for late submission, the process of applying for extensions, and policy relating to re-submission/redemptive work are discussed in the Introductory HLDP lecture in week 1.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.