1 Semester

3 Hours per Week

Hawthorn

HMA278 Design and Measurement 2, HAY205 Cognition and Human Performance or HAY206 Developmental Psychology

Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

Aims & Objectives:

The unit of study is designed to introduce students to the ways in which human behavioural patterns have been conceptualised as 'abnormal' or dysfunctional. In examining such abnormal behaviours, students are introduced to major systems of classifying mental disorders, in particular the multiaxial system adopted in DSM-IV-TR. The unit focuses on major examples of psychological disorders in terms of their phenomenology and nosology, as well as theories about aetiology.

Teaching Methods:

Lectures and tutorials

Assessment:

Essays, examinations, class presentations

Generic Skills Outcomes:

• Development of theoretical thinking.
• Critical evaulation of research.
• Appreciate historical development of ideas.
• Written and oral communications skills.

Content:

The general approach taken to understanding disorders is multidimensional, seeking to integrate information from biological, sociocultural and psychological research. Specific disorders examined may include: schizophrenia; affective disorders; anxiety disorders; eating disorders; substance-related disorders; disorders first diagnosed in childhood and adolescence; dissociative disorders; intellectual disability and personality disorders. Additional topics covered may include suicide, violent behaviours, mental disorders and the law.

Reading Materials:

Barlow, DH & Durand, VM, Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, 3rd edn, Wadsworth, Belmont, Califonia, 2001.
Comer, RJ, Abnormal Psychology, 4th edn, Freeman, New York, 2001.
Davison, GC, Neale, JM & Kring, A, Abnormal Psychology, 9th edn, John Wiley, New York, 2003.
Nevid, JS, Rathus, SA & Green, B, Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2003.