University Compulsory Subjects

ENG 1034 ENGLISH FOR PSYCHOLOGY

An important aspect of advancing professional education in the field of psychology is to be able to keep up-to-date with scientific publications. Many of these publications are in English. Hence, a strong foundation in English is necessary. This subject focuses on three aspects in the learning of English for psychological studies. The first aspect is to help students to improve their reading strategies for processing academic texts. Second, the subject develops the following areas of academic language use, namely, listening to lectures and making notes, writing essays and papers, and participating in small-group discussions.

ENG 2013 COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The subject introduces the basic elements of oral communication, the various factors that determine effective communication and the application of communication skills in a variety of academic, business and social contexts. A variety of communication activities in presentation and discussion formats are incorporated to allow for understanding, practice and the mastering of basic concepts in communicating.

YEAR 1

PSY 1014 INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY

This introductory subject covers methods, data, and theoretical interpretations in areas of learning, sensory psychology, and psycho-physiology. Developmental, social, personality and abnormal psychology are also included.

PSY 1024 SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Social Psychology looks at how individuals are affected by their social environment. Topics include attitude, conformity, friendship formation and group dynamics. Tutorials include projects that require students to research social situations in greater depth.

PSY 1034 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

This subject examines the different stages that humans go through in their development process. It also explores how some of these processes change during one's life span. This unit examines aspects of human development such as memory, attention, intelligence, speech and language, social and moral values, and motor abilities. In addition to lectures, there are tutorials and small projects that require students to pay attention to various aspects of human development.

PSY 1044 ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Topics include recruiting, selecting, appraising and training employees, motivation of work, work performance and its measurement, job satisfaction, occupational stress, leadership and group communication. It also includes a section on Occupational Health and Safety that considers the rights of the employee, safety and health programmes, effective communication and sexual harassment.

PSY 1054 MOTIVATION AND EMOTION

What keeps people motivated? This subject examines the various theories of motivation. The perspectives taken include: need theory, instrumentality theory, comparison theory, goal setting theory and reinforcement theory. In addition, the subject examines how emotions are formed and what affects them. In this context, the role of emotions in bringing about mental health disorders is similarly examined.

STA 1014 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS

This subject examines the nature of statistical data, ordering and manipulation of data, measures of central tendency and dispersion and elementary probability. Concepts of statistical inference, estimation and hypothesis testing are explored as well. Special topics include means, frequency tables, standard deviations, t-tests, correlation, analysis of variance and non-parametric methods.

RSM 1014 RESEARCH METHODS

The prerequisite to developing a thesis for students involves a thorough understanding of how experiments are developed. With this in mind, students are required to understand the construction of surveys and survey methodology, single case-study designs, matched subject designs and repeated measure designs. In addition, an understanding of the kinds of analysis employed in each experimental design is explored. This unit instructs students on how to write research reports in a systematic and standardised manner.

PSY 1064 PET BEHAVIOURAL STUDIES

Almost all theories of psychology originated with observations and studies of the animal world. The aim of this module is to introduce the student to the world of domesticated pets. During the course, the student will be exposed to a wide variety of topics on animals that are aimed at improving their sensitivity and awareness to the animal world. Through this course, they gain a healthy respect for these animals that also have feelings. The course covers a variety of topics, ranging from perception and cognition, health, abnormal behaviours, animal assisted therapy and education, to human-animal relationships.

PSY 1074 COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH

All professional psychologists will eventually contribute in some way towards educating the community on a wide range of mental health issues. This module introduces the student to a wide variety of general mental health issues. Many of the applications of these concepts are to family and working environment that the student may encounter in the future. Through a mixture of theoretical principles and public health information, this module intends to equip the student with a variety of positive mental health skills which they can eventually impart to the general audience.

Year 2

PSY 2014 PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND EDUCATION

This subject introduces the theoretical basis of learning to students. It begins with the study of classical Behaviourist theory and moves towards Operant Conditioning. In the context of the environment, the Social Learning theory is introduced and followed by more recent models of learning such as the Information Processing Model and the Cognitive Learning Theory. This course will also examine methods of curriculum design, motivating students, controlling class behaviour and maintaining students' attention.

PSY 2024 PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY

This subject concerns the study of personality. It examines each of the major theories of personality. In addition, it looks at the factors that affect personality development. There is also emphasis on measurement and practical applications of personality to medical and industrial settings.

PSY 2034 THEORIES OF COUNSELLING

An overview of the various theories of counselling is provided in this subject. Theories covered include: Cognitive theories, Behavioural theories, Rational Emotive therapy, Psychoanalysis, Family therapy (System's Theory), Client-Centred therapy, Gestalt therapy and Group therapy.

PSY 2044 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY

This subject studies the forms of abnormal behaviour, aetiology, development, interpretation and final manifestation. It is research based and provides students with an understanding of the current approaches to treatment. Topics covered include personality disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, mood disorder and DSM-IV. This unit also examines the importance of professional issues such as ethics and malpractice. The unit is essential for those intending to pursue Clinical Psychology at the graduate level.

PSY 2054 APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

This is a final year subject which introduces students to a range of applied issues in developmental psychology. It examines children in different settings (family, school, peer group and hospital) and discusses important influences on children's lives (the media, law, health and drugs). In addition, it examines the plight and predicament of the elderly when their physical and mental abilities begin to deteriorate. The prescribed readings, lectures and practical work cover applied aspects of normal and typical development from birth to old age.

PSY 2064 BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR

This subject focuses on the effects that biological and chemical processes have on behaviour. The topics covered include brain damage, sensory deprivation, psychopharmacology, attention deficit, visual system, memory, sleep, hormones and sex, and substance abuse. It also examines the chemical processes associated with motivation.

PSY 2074 PSYCHOLOGY TESTING

The purpose of this subject is to introduce students to psychological tests that are commonly used in applied settings: IQ tests, Adaptive tests, Language tests, Mathematics tests, Personality tests, tests of Affect and tests of Behaviour. It is also the intention of this unit to make sure that students clearly understand the meaning of concepts such as percentiles, standard deviations, means and clinical cut-off scores. Tutorials and practical work are designed to provide students with basic skills in interviewing, testing, systematic observation and report writing.

PSY 2084 COGNITION AND PERCEPTION

This subject is an introduction to Cognitive Psychology and Sensory Perception. Cognitive Psychology is concerned with how humans acquire, process and represent information. Lectures on cognition focus on theories, concepts, and empirical findings related to topics such as language and reading; contemporary models of memory; thinking and reasoning; and decision making. It also examines the structure and functions of the sensory systems such as vision, hearing and touch. The perception lectures address how sensory abilities are measured and their limitations. Attention is also paid to the use of measures of sensory capacity in understanding more complex problems such as reading disabilities.

PSY 2094 CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY

Understanding how local culture interacts with and subsequently affects human behaviour is crucial when trying to solve behavioural and emotional problems. This course examines the way culture differs, and how humans perceive, think, feel, strive and relate to others. During the lectures, the social and inter-personal interactions, industrial practices and values between Malaysian and other cultures are examined through project work, research and lectures.

Year 3

PSY 3014 ADVANCED TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY

This consists of a series of lectures on a wide range of topics that are topical to the field of psychology. These lectures examine the psychologist's perspectives on the following areas: aviation, divorce, health, and ethics.

PSY 3024 BEHAVIOURAL MANAGEMENT

Many things within the environment shape a child's behaviour. If behaviours are not brought under control, the result is Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This lecture series looks at the role that Operant Conditioning and Social Learning plays in shaping a child's behaviour. It then focuses on how behavioural techniques may be used to control the child's behaviour. These procedures include play, praise, rewards, ignoring, time out and logical consequences. In addition, it also looks at techniques that are used to shape the behaviour of an autistic child. The emphasis here is on techniques of Applied Behaviour Analysis.

PSY 3034 LEARNING DISABILITIES

Many things can result in a child having difficulties in assimilating and learning new information. This unit introduces the student to some of the most common causes of learning disabilities. Amongst the topics covered are visual-perceptual problems, attention deficits, memory deficits, fine and gross motor skill coordination deficits, sensory problems, family problems, teaching and learning styles.

PSY 3044 HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY

As an apparent independent science, psychology was established in the late nineteenth century. However, despite this relatively recent beginning, psychology is grounded in fundamental questions that dominate Western philosophical thought and the development of Western knowledge.

This programme examines the philosophical and historical development of knowledge within psychology and how these critical issues impact on the current beliefs concerning the objective nature of psychology as a discipline, together with its limitations. It also compares and contrasts the development of Western-based and Eastern-based knowledge, and their relevance for modern psychology. Topics will include philosophy of the mind, metaphysics and philosophy of science as they relate to the development of the various paradigms within psychology and across both Eastern and Western perspectives. Students will learn about most of the current approaches to the persistent questions and problems in psychology, including how and why they are developed. Through a series of intensive readings, class discussions / tutorials and assignments, students will get the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills and learn how to construct sound arguments.

PRJ 3026 RESEARCH PROJECT

All students enrolled in this subject will be required to undertake a small-scale research project that involves designing a study, writing an introduction, data collection and analysis, discussion and compilation of a reference list. The standards to which this report is written should abide with that of the American Psychological Association.

INT 3026 INTERNSHIP

Students are required to carry out a period of supervised practical work that applies the skills learnt throughout the psychology course. Practicals may involve clinical, community, child or human resource work.