The Science and Practice of Wellbeing

The Science and Practice of Wellbeing will introduce you to the psychological science and practice of wellbeing. It will draw on psychological theory, research evidence, and practical techniques to help you understand the factors that create flourishing individuals, communities, and societies. Psychological models of wellbeing will be introduced and critically evaluated. The course will teach about empirically validated holistic methods of improving mental wellbeing. This course will provide you with an understanding of current theoretical models and research evidence regarding the factors that promote the capacity for people to thrive. This course diverts from a more traditional focus on illness to one on health, from what causes us to experience distress and suffering to what protects us against distress and assists with flourishing, and from a focus on eliminating problems to cultivating strengths.

15 points

PSYC105 and PSYC106; or 60 points at 100 level from any subject.

Sport Psychology

Sport Psychology is the study of how psychological processes affect sporting behaviour, and in turn, how participation and performance in sport affects psychology. This course introduces students to the relationship between sport and psychology. Fundamental sport psychology theories, methods, and findings are examined in terms of their implications for athletes, coaches, and the sporting environment, and principles for developing performance, participation, wellbeing, and enjoyment in sport are evaluated.

15 points

60 points at 100 level in any subject

SPCO103

Contemporary Issues in Family Psychology

This course will explore some contemporary and controversial issues in research and theory in Family Psychology. Topics covered may include matters such as child abuse; discipline and punishment; role of family in adolescent development and socialization; multi-systemic family therapy and other family interventions. The emphasis through will be on recent research and theorizing about the selected topics, on the critical evaluation of research and theory, and on its applications to policies and family therapies.

15 points

PSYC206 or 60 points at 200 level from the Health Sciences or Arts schedule.

Health Psychology

Health psychology is a rapidly emerging field of basic and applied research looking at the interplay between psychological processes and physical health. Health psychology seeks to understand the role behaviour plays in the development, treatment and prevention of disease. This paper provides an introduction to health psychology. Topics include: health behaviour change, community health promotion, biopsychosocial pathways of health and illness, stress and coping, psychological aspects of illness, patient care and chronic disease management.

15 points

PSYC206

PSYC339

Working with People - Introduction to Professional Skills in Psychology

This course provides students with an introduction to professional skills in psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand. Students learn about the ethical and legal context in psychology and practice ethical reasoning in case studies and role plays. Students develop cultural competence and confidence in professional settings as guided by the Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi and relevant Maori and other cultural models of engagement, wellbeing, and support. The course discusses core principles of working effectively with individuals and groups and reviews the evidence-base related to key interpersonal skills, for example reflective listening skills. Through experiential learning and self-reflection, students practice and refine their emerging skills.

15 points

PSYC206 and a further 30 points of 200-level Psychology

Risk and Resilience in Human Development

This course is designed to be an in-depth examination of psychological development and the developmental processes (normal and abnormal) that contribute to and protect against the expression of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Key developmental issues will be considered in relation to both typical and atypical patterns of development. The course will be presented by way of lectures, lab work, video clips, and selected readings.

15 points

P: PSYC206 RP: PSYC207

PSYC335

Learning and Behaviour Analysis

What is the science of behaviour? Is such a science even possible? The topic of this course is behaviour of individual organisms. The major goal is to understand how behaviour depends on events in the environment - what are the basic principles that allow us to explain and predict behaviour? However, we also consider applications - how can we modify behaviour, or reduce the occurrence of maladaptive behaviour? We seek general principles that govern all behaviour, regardless of its type, placing rather less emphasis on the specific types of behaviour concerned (such as social behaviour, abnormal behaviour, etc). By the end of the course, you may expect to have a thorough grounding in the principles of learning and behaviour analysis, and to be well prepared for postgraduate courses in related areas. In addition, learning is an important aspect of individual functioning and an understanding of the principles involved is an important part of your education in Psychology whether or not you proceed to graduate study in these areas. Lectures introduce topics to facilitate your own reading and study. The approach taken in the course is to introduce some principles of behaviour change, consider some of the experimental studies, and where applicable, to examine their implications for dealing with human problems of living. Laboratory work will illustrate selected principles of behaviour management from classwork using animal subjects working in controlled environments.

15 points

PSYC206