Psychology

This course teaches how to design ethically and culturally responsive psychological experiments in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. It covers the analysis of data collected using common experimental designs and the reporting of results according to the conventions of scientific writing.

This course examines biopsychology, sensation and perception, and cognitive processes. Topics will include sensation and perception, learning and memory, executive function and motor control. It considers these abilities and their underlying brain mechanisms across the developmental spectrum (from infancy to advanced ageing), as well as in populations with neurological conditions.

This course provides an introduction to the milestones of human development from conception to childhood. It focuses on how children change as they progress through life and how differences among children come about. The content is drawn from research and theories in developmental psychology. Topics include prenatal development, perceptual and cognitive development in infancy, language development, preschool, temperament, attachment, and moral development. Text: Martha Lally and Suzanna Valentine-French, LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. Assessment: class attendance and activities (20%), exams (80%).

This course focuses on diagnosis and evaluation in clinical and educational psychology. Topics include: clinical interview; clinical psychology evaluation process; diagnosis and clinical psychological evaluation; detection of disorders; commonly used instruments; evaluation of health, disability, and dependency; educational evaluation-- concept, evaluation contexts, and purposes; psychopedagogical evaluation-- instruments, reports, and advice to teachers.

This course surveys the major approaches of human personality, covering classical and contemporary themes, such as psychodynamic theories, behavioral models, humanistic theories, trait theories, social learning theories and personality perspectives indigenous to cultures in Asia.

This course focuses on the application of knowledge about basic psychological processes (attention, perception, memory, and related processes) to the collection and evaluation of testimonial evidence. Topics include: the accuracy of witness statements; obtaining statements; false statements; statement evaluation; processes in the identification of persons; lineups; identification evaluation procedures; applied aspects of psychology of testimony.

This course is a general introduction to contemporary theory and research in perception, including an analysis of philosophical and biological issues. Students explore the representational nature of knowledge and establish links between principles of perception and developments within the visual arts, music, and literature. 

This course covers foundational topics in cognitive science from the perspectives of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, and computation. Topics may include how minds are defined, how they represent the world, how they communicate, and how they support adaptive behavior.

The course explores theories of drug use and abuse, the neurobiological effects of drugs, and drug policy and law in New Zealand and the world. 

This course discusses the concept of psychological disorder and contributions of psychology, preventative psychology, and health psychology. It examines models of prevention and well-being. Other topics include: research methods and models; gnoseology and classification of mental disorders; assessment and treatment.