PY033 - Psychology 3

Unit code: PY033 | Study level: TAFE

Credit points

N/A

Location

Footscray Nicholson

Prerequisites

N/A

Overview

The nervous system influences behaviour and the way people experience the world. In this unit students examine both macro-level and micro-level functioning of the nervous system to explain how the human nervous system enables a person to interact with the world around them. They explore how stress may affect a person’s psychological functioning and consider the causes and management of stress. Students investigate how mechanisms of memory and learning lead to the acquisition of knowledge, the development of new capacities and changed behaviours. They consider the limitations and fallibility of memory and how memory can be improved. Students examine the contribution that classical and contemporary research has made to the understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system, and to the understanding of biological, psychological and social factors that influence
learning and memory.

This unit is delivered in Year 12.

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

Assessment tasks will be designed to reinforce and extend knowledge in accordance with each unit’s learning outcomes, including the setting of practical application tasks designed to provide evidence of competence outcomes, within periodic and scheduled timelines. Students will be expected to demonstrate the following knowledge:

Outcome 1
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain how the structure and function of the human nervous system enables a person to interact with the external world and analyse the different ways in which stress can affect nervous system functioning.

Outcome 2
On completion of this unit the student should be able to apply biological and psychological explanations for how new information can be learnt and stored in memory, and provide biological, psychological and social explanations of a person’s inability to remember information.

Assessment will follow the requirements set out in the VCE Psychology Study Guide:

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT

Satisfactory completion
The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on whether the student has demonstrated the set of outcomes specified for the unit. A variety of assessment tasks will provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate the key knowledge and key skills in the outcomes.
Assessment of levels of achievement
The student’s level of achievement in Unit 3 will be determined by School-assessed Coursework (SAC). SAC will be completed mainly in class and within a limited time-frame.

SAC for Unit 3 will contribute 16 per cent to the study score.
SAC for Unit 4 will contribute 24 per cent to the study score (PY034 Psychology 4).

Practical work is a central component of learning and assessment. As a guide, between 3½ and 5 hours of class time should be devoted to student practical work and investigations for each of Areas of Study 1 and 2.

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
The level of achievement for Units 3 and 4 is also assessed by an end-of-year examination, which will contribute 60 per cent to the study score.

Required reading

The qualified trainer and assessor will provide teaching and learning materials as required in the form of workbooks produced by the Polytechnic and/or via the Polytechnic e-learning system.