NCEA Level 3 Psychology 301
PSYC301 Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Ms R. Lomax.
Recommended Prior LearningThe maturity to cope with all aspects of human behaviour in a classroom environment. In addition to this, gained level 2, with 12 or more credits from Achievement Standards in English or a Social Science course (i.e. History, Geography).
If you continue from PSYC201, you must have gained at least an Achieved grade in four of the five internals.
Social Sciences 301 Psychology
Psychology is the study of human behaviour. The emphasis of this course is on helping students understand the theoretical concepts and research methods associated with Psychology. The Year 13 Psychology programme will focus on
- Sleep - Sleep cycles, theories of sleep, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. Students take part in a 24 hours sleep deprivation experiment at school. Students participate and conduct experiments throughout the night. The experiment aims to test the impact of sleep deprivation on reaction time, memory, emotions and sociability. During the night, there is food supplied and a range of activities to keep students focused. All students are allowed to sleep if they feel they cannot continue with the experiment, and all students are excused from lessons the next day.
- Helping behaviour - we look at factors that impact whether we help each other. Students then apply theory to conduct their own investigation in Wellington. Students have to pass an ethical committee before they are allowed to conduct their investigations.
- Clinical Psychology -Students learn the theories of OCD and other mental health disorders and studies' ethical issues. Students will also learn about treatments and how they relate to theory.
Māori Psychology: The comparison of the definition of health between Māori and Pākehā, history of mental health in New Zealand, the ethnocentric nature of mental health diagnosis, and current psychological research around counselling in New Zealand.
UE Approved Subject
Course Overview
Term 1
Clinical Psychology -Students will discuss the definitions of abnormality and the history of the treatment of mental illness. They will also discuss the key idea of the reliability and validity of psychological diagnosis.
Psychology 3.2 - Analyse the significance of a key piece of research and its impact on society
Students will learn the Biological, Cognitive-Behavioural and Psychodynamic theories of OCD and the treatments and how they relate to theory. They will learn about how these theories interact to explain and treat OCD.
Psychology 3.1 - Analyse the interaction between psychological approaches
Term 2
Sleep - Sleep cycles, theories of sleep, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. Students take part in a 24 hours sleep deprivation experiment at school. Students participate and conduct experiments throughout the night at set intervals. The experiment aims to test the impact of sleep deprivation on reaction time, memory, emotions and sociability.
Helping behaviour - we look at factors that impact whether we help each other. Students then apply theory to conduct their own investigation in Wellington.
Psychology 3.3 - Conduct independent psychological research with consultation
Term 3
Māori Psychology: The comparison of the definition of health between Māori and Pākehā, the role of language, history of mental health, how Māori are represented in mental health statistics, the ethnocentric nature of mental health diagnosis, and current psychological research around counselling in New Zealand.
Psychology 3.4 - Analyse how theories are applied within a field of psychological practice
Term 4
Māori Psychology: The comparison of the definition of health between Māori and Pākehā, history of mental health in New Zealand, the ethnocentric nature of mental health diagnosis, and current psychological research around counselling in New Zealand.
Psychology 3.5 - Analyse a significant issue in psychological practice
Career Pathways
Advertising Specialist, Police Officer, Counsellor, Psychologist, Forensic Scientist, Psychiatrist, Market Research Analyst, Survey Interviewer, Secondary School Teacher, Social Worker, Career Consultant, Data Analyst
Contributions and Equipment/StationeryThere will be one or more psychology trips within the Wellington region during the year. Total time out could be up to 2 days.