School of Psychology Honours Handbook 2018 · Psychology Honours Handbook 2018 2 ... Dr Rebecca Pinkus Room 444, Brennan MacCallum; ... Minor in-class assessments 30%

SchoolofPsychology

HonoursHandbook

2018

PsychologyHonoursHandbook 2018

2

TableofContents

1. HONOURSADMINISTRATION....................................................................................................................41.1 CONTACTS.....................................................................................................................................................................................41.2 MAKINGENQUIRIES.................................................................................................................................................................4

2. PSYCHOLOGYHONOURSPROGRAM........................................................................................................52.1 COURSEOBJECTIVES................................................................................................................................................................52.2 *CHOICEOFTHEORETICALTHESISORSPECIALFIELDSCOURSEWORK.......................................................52.3 COURSESTRUCTUREANDASSESSMENT.......................................................................................................................52.4 ASSESSMENTSUMMARY........................................................................................................................................................62.5 HONOURSSCHEDULEFOR2018........................................................................................................................................62.6 IMPORTANTDATES2018......................................................................................................................................................72.7 EMPIRICALTHESISTIMELINE.............................................................................................................................................7

3. COURSEWORK.................................................................................................................................................93.1 RESEARCHMETHODS..............................................................................................................................................................93.1.1 ResearchMethodsLectureAndTutorialSchedule...............................................................................................................10

3.2 ETHICSANDPROFESSIONALISSUES.............................................................................................................................113.3 SPECIALFIELDSSEMINARS...............................................................................................................................................113.3.1 SpecialFieldSeminarTopics..........................................................................................................................................................12

3.4 SUPPLEMENTARYCOURSEWORK..................................................................................................................................174. THEORETICALTHESIS...............................................................................................................................18

4.1 NATUREOFTHETHEORETICALTHESIS.....................................................................................................................184.2 PREPARATIONOFTHETHEORETICALTHESIS........................................................................................................184.3 WRITINGTHETHEORETICALTHESIS..........................................................................................................................194.4 POSSIBLETHEORETICALTHESISTOPICS...................................................................................................................19

5. EMPIRICALTHESIS.....................................................................................................................................215.1 GENERALREQUIREMENTS................................................................................................................................................215.2 SUPERVISIONOFEMPIRICALRESEARCHPROJECTS.............................................................................................215.3 EMPIRICALRESEARCHPROPOSAL................................................................................................................................225.4 RECRUITMENTANDETHICS.............................................................................................................................................245.5 CONSULTATIONSFORRESEARCHDESIGNANDSTATISTICS............................................................................245.6 WRITINGTHEEMPIRICALTHESIS.................................................................................................................................245.7 FORMATOFTHEEMPIRICALTHESIS...........................................................................................................................245.8 INTELLECTUALPROPERTYISSUESANDPOTENTIALPUBLICATIONOFRESULTS.................................26

6. SCHOOLFACILITIES,RESOURCESANDSERVICES............................................................................266.1 ACCESSTOSPACEANDBUILDINGS...............................................................................................................................266.2 TECHNICALANDFINANCIALSUPPORT.......................................................................................................................266.3 COMPUTINGRESOURCES....................................................................................................................................................276.4 LIBRARYRESOURCESANDSERVICES...........................................................................................................................296.4.1 SchoolofPsychologyLibraries......................................................................................................................................................296.4.2 TheUniversityOfSydneyLibrary.................................................................................................................................................29

7. GENERALINSTRUCTIONSFORSUBMITTINGWRITTENWORK...................................................307.1 FORMATMAJORASSESSMENTSANDTHESES..........................................................................................................307.2 INSTRUCTIONSFORBINDINGANDSUBMITTINGTHESES.................................................................................307.3 PLAGIARISM..............................................................................................................................................................................307.4 PENALTIESFORLATESUBMISSION..............................................................................................................................317.5 APPLYINGFOREXTENSIONSOFTIME.........................................................................................................................327.6 APPLYINGFORASUPPLEMENTARYEXAM................................................................................................................327.7 APPLYINGFORSPECIALCONSIDERATION.................................................................................................................32

8. SCHOOLASSESSMENT&EXAMINATIONPROCEDURES.................................................................338.1 COURSEWORKMARKINGPROCEDURES.....................................................................................................................338.1.1 MarkingSpecialFieldMajorAssessments................................................................................................................................338.1.2 ExamMarking........................................................................................................................................................................................33


3

8.2 THESISMARKING...................................................................................................................................................................338.3 CALCULATIONOFFINALHONOURSMARK................................................................................................................338.3.1 ProcedureAtExaminers’Meeting................................................................................................................................................338.3.2 FacultyRequirementsandTranscriptsofResults.................................................................................................................34

8.4 HONOURSPRIZESANDAWARDS....................................................................................................................................349. POSTGRADUATESTUDYATTHEUNIVERSITYOFSYDNEY...........................................................35

9.1 RESEARCHONLYPOSTGRADUATEDEGREES(PhD&MPhil)............................................................................359.2 MASTEROFCLINICALPSYCHOLOGY(MCP)andcombinedMCP/PhD..........................................................359.3 OTHERCOURSEWORKPOSTGRADUATEDEGREESANDDIPLOMAS.............................................................369.4 POSTGRADUATEFEESANDSCHOLARSHIPS.............................................................................................................36

APPENDIXA–EMPIRICALTHESISPROPOSALREVIEWMEETINGFORM........................................38APPENDIXB–EMPIRICALTHESISPROGRESSREPORT.........................................................................43APPENDIXC–EMPIRICALTHESISASSESSMENTCRITERIA..................................................................44APPENDIXD–EMPIRICALTHESISSUPERVISOR’SREPORT.................................................................46APPENDIXE–EMPIRICALTHESISEXAMINER’SREPORT......................................................................50APPENDIXF–THEORETICALTHESISSUPERVISOR’SREPORT...........................................................52APPENDIXG–THEORETICALTHESISEXAMINER’SREPORT...............................................................54APPENDIXH–SUPERVISIONRECORDTEMPLATE..................................................................................56


4

1. HONOURSADMINISTRATION

1.1 CONTACTS

HonoursCo-ordinatorDrAlexHolcombeRoom504,GriffithTaylor;Phone93512883Email:alex.holcombe@sydney.edu.auEmpiricalThesisCo-ordinatorDrRebeccaPinkusRoom444,BrennanMacCallum;Phone86274641Email:rebecca.pinkus@sydney.edu.auTheoreticalThesisCo-ordinatorDrFionaHibberdRoom451,BrennanMacCallum;Phone93512867Email:[email protected],BrennanMacCallum;Phone93517327Email:[email protected]

1.2 MAKINGENQUIRIESBeforeyoumakeanenquiry,pleasecheckwhethertheinformationyouneedisinthisHandbook,ontheSchoolofPsychologywebsite,ortheHonourseLearningsite.AdministrativeEnquiries:Canbemade inpersonatRoom332,BrennanMcCallumbetween1:00pmand3:00pm,MondaytoFridayduringsemester,andbyappointmentoutsideofsemester.AcademicEnquiries:Ifyouneedmoreassistance,pleasedirectyourenquiryasfollows:

EmpiricalThesis:DrRebeccaPinkusAllotheracademicinquiries:DrAlexHolcombe

Youmustcheckyouruniversityemailaddressonaregularbasis(orhaveitredirectedtoanaddressyoudocheck).Emailistheprimary way we communicate with students. Important reminders andmessages are often sent to your university email.Informationaboutemailforwardingcanbefoundat:http://sydney.edu.au/ict/student/email/index.shtmlContactdetailsforallSchoolofPsychologystaffcanbefoundat:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/phoneDB/index.php


5

2. PSYCHOLOGYHONOURSPROGRAM

2.1 COURSEOBJECTIVESThedistinctivefeatureofthePsychologyHonoursprogramattheUniversityofSydneyisitscriticalapproachtoresearchandscholarship.Sinceitsinceptionearlylastcentury,theSchoolhasvaluedandnurturedconceptualinquiryaswellasempiricalinquiry. The Honours program is designed to develop and evaluate students’ ability to demonstrate conceptual clarity intheorisingandmethodologicalclarityintheconductofempiricalresearch.ToachievethesebroadobjectivesandtosatisfytheAustralianPsychologyAccreditationCouncil’s(APAC)requirementsforanaccredited fourth year program that provides “for the completion of an integrated and comprehensive education in thediscipline of psychology, to permit advanced level study in a range of areas, and to develop competence in conductingresearch”(APACAccreditationGuidelines,June2010,p.43),theHonoursprograminvolves:

(i) theplanning,conduct,andreportingofasubstantialEmpiricalResearchproject;

(ii) thedevelopmentandwritingofeitheraTheoreticalThesisORessaysrelatedtotwoSpecialFieldseminarsandotherassessments*,and

(iii) theroundingoutofscholarship,methodologicalunderstandingandcriticalanalysisthrough lectures,seminars,and

readingonarangeoftopicsinEthicsandProfessionalIssues,andResearchMethods.

2.2 *CHOICEOFTHEORETICALTHESISORSPECIALFIELDSCOURSEWORKTheoreticalThesisandSpecialFieldsoptionsdifferinmanyrespects.TheTheoreticalThesisoption:

• attemptstosolveaconceptualproblemthathasempiricalimplicationswiththeguidanceofasupervisorandwithoutthestructure/constraintsofweeklyclasses,presentations,etc.

• involvesconsultingregularlywithyoursupervisor,andsubmittingasingledissertationTheSpecialFieldsoption:

• involvesattendingweeklyclasses• involvescompletingmultiple,separatepiecesofassessment

Note that youareno less likely to receive a goodmark if you complete a Theoretical Thesis rather than the Special Fieldsoption.

2.3 COURSESTRUCTUREANDASSESSMENTTheHonoursprogramisoneacademicyearindurationandincludesthefollowingcomponents:

a) EmpiricalThesis(50%)

PlanningandimplementationofaresearchprojectunderthesupervisionofamemberoftheUniversity’sacademicstaff in Psychology, and presentation of this research project as a dissertation (9000 – 12000words). Details areprovidedinSection5.

b) TheoreticalThesisORSpecialFieldscoursework(30%)

(i) TheoreticalThesis–written(max.8000words).DetailsareprovidedinSection4.

OR

(ii) SpecialFieldscoursework–completingtwoSpecialFieldsseminarsthroughoutSemester1only,andcompletion

ofthespecifiedassessmentsforeachSpecialField.DetailsareprovidedinSection3.3.


6

c) Compulsorycoursework(20%)

(i) ResearchMethods(15%)Thecourseconsistsofacorecomponent,andachoiceofworkshops.DetailsareprovidedinSection3.1.

(ii) EthicsandProfessionalIssues(5%)

One lecture per week during Semester 2, ending before Empirical Thesis submission, and participation inworkshops.EthicsandProfessionalIssueswillbeassessedinaformalexam.DetailsareprovidedinSection3.2.

d) Supplementarycoursework(notassessed)

YouareencouragedtoattendtheSchoolResearchColloquium(Fridays3pm,weeklyduringSemesters1and2)

2.4 ASSESSMENTSUMMARYThetablebelow listsallassessmentrequirementsandweightingsofeachof thecomponentsthatareusedtocalculatethefinalHonoursmark.Theproceduresusedtocombinethecomponentmarks,andtheprocessesusedtoassignHonoursgradesonthebasisoftheweightedscoresaredescribedinSection8.

AssessmentName AssessmentType

AssessmentDetails

Weighting

EmpiricalThesisWrittenAssessment(HonoursEmpiricalThesis)

9000–12000words;Submittedforassessmentby2independentexaminers

50%

TheoreticalThesisWrittenAssessment(HonoursTheoreticalThesis)

8000words;Submittedforassessmentby2independentexaminers

30%

OR

SpecialFieldsSeminars WrittenAssessment(Essay)

MajorwrittenassessmentforeachSpecialField;Submittedforassessmentby1examiner,PLUSMinorin-classassessments

30%(15%eachSpecialField)

EthicsandProfessionalIssues Exam Oneformalexamination 5%

ResearchMethods Exam Twoformalexaminations 15%

2.5 HONOURSSCHEDULEFOR2018TheHonours program is very different in structure from your earlier undergraduate years. Although your studies are nowconcentratedinoneSchoolonly,andyouhavefewerclasscontacthoursthaninearlieryears,theworkloadishighandyoumayneed toworkmore independently thanyouareused to. Youwill need towork continuouslyonyourEmpirical Thesiswhilealsocarryingoutthereading,attendanceinclasses/seminars,andwritingrequiredforyourcourseworkandTheoreticalThesis(ifyoutakethatoption).TheHonoursprogramwilltestyourabilitytoorganiseefficientlyandpaceyourworkloadtomeetthevariousdeadlines.


7

ItisstronglyrecommendedthatyoubegindatacollectionfortheEmpiricalThesisinMaytoJune.

2.6 IMPORTANTDATES2018

Date Component

Wed14FebruaryHonoursOrientationDay(HeydonLaurenceLectureTheatre217)HonourseLearningsiteavailableonline

1stMarch BeforeYouFormulateYourResearchHypothesesseminar(Carslaw173,2-4pm)

Fri16March Duedateforsubmittingyourempiricalthesisprojectdetailssoasuitablereviewercanbeallocated

Mon26March SpecialFieldsMajorAssessmentdetailsavailable

19Marchto9April CompleteEmpiricalThesisProposal,emailtoreviewerandarrangereviewmeeting

Tues10April ResearchMethods(Part1)examination

Mon23April FinaldaytosubmitEmpiricalThesisProposalandproposalreviewmeetingform(AppendixA)

Fri11May ResearchMethods(Part2)examination

Mon25June LastdaytosubmitTheoreticalThesisdraft

Tues26June SubmittwoSpecialFieldsMajorAssessments

Tues17July LastdaytosubmitTheoreticalThesis

Mon17September EthicsandProfessionalIssuesexamination

Fri28September SubmitEmpiricalThesisProgressReport(AppendixB–willbeanonlineform)

Wed17October SubmitEmpiricalThesis

2.7 EMPIRICALTHESISTIMELINEPlanningwellandearlywillleadisimportanttosucceed.TheEmpiricalThesisisyourongoingprojectandrequiresyoutoworkconsistentlythroughouttheyear.Tohelpyouplanyourworkload,theflowchartsuggestsageneraltimelineforthevariousactivitiesassociatedwithconductingyourempiricalthesisproject.Youshoulddiscussthistimelinewithyoursupervisorinthelightofthespecificdemandsofyourproject.FromearlyFebruary

• Arrangetomeetwithyoursupervisortodiscussyourproject


8

• BeginreadingthematerialrelevanttoyourproposedtopicFebruary–MarchMeetregularlywithsupervisorto:

• Developresearchquestionsandhypotheses• SetupeNotebookssite• Discusstheliteratureyouhavereadonthetopic• Developandrefineresearchdesign• WriteadraftoftheIntroductiontoyourthesis• Designresearchtools(e.g.,questionnaires,experimentalprotocols,etc.)• WriteadraftoftheMethodsectiontoyourthesis• PrepareDraftResearchProposalandsubmittosupervisorforfeedback• CompleteonlineResearchProposalReviewerAllocationForm• SubmitEthicsapplicationtoUniversityEthicsCommittee• SubmitEmpiricalThesisResearchProposalandarrangereviewmeeting(March–April)

April-May

• Finaliseresearchinstrumentsandmethods• AttendaResearchProposalReviewmeeting• Discussanyissuesraisedbyreviewerwithsupervisor• Respondtoreviewer’sfeedback(revisedesign/proceduresifappropriate)andsubmittheResearchProposalReview

Form

• Pilotprocedures• Startconductingresearchstudy

June-August

• Continueconductingresearch• Collatedataandbeginanalyses• Continuetoreviewrelevantliterature• Fine-tuneIntroductionandMethodsectionsofthesis• BegindraftofResultssection• Youshouldhavestarteddatacollection

Note:theexactorder inwhichyouconductthesetaskswilldependontheparticipantsyouaretestingandtheiravailabilityduringthesemesterbreak.If data collection is to commence after August 1, or continue beyond August 31, please notify the Empirical Thesis Co-ordinatorimmediately,explainthecircumstancesindetail,anddescribethebackupplanthatisinplace.September

• Finaliseanalysis• Updateliteraturereview• PreparefinaldraftofIntroduction,MethodandResultstosubmittosupervisorforfeedback• BegintodraftDiscussion• Preparerawdataandothermaterialsforappendices

October

• Complete the Empirical Research Progress Form (online) confirming that Introduction,Method, Results have beensubmittedtoSupervisorforfeedback

• Reviseearlythesissectionsonthebasisofsupervisor’sfeedback• FinaliseDiscussionsection(s)(nottobereadbysupervisor)• Writeabstract• Finaliseappendices• PROOFREADTHESIS• SubmitEmpiricalThesis• CELEBRATEendofHonoursyear


9

3. COURSEWORKCOMPULSORYCOURSEWORK

3.1 RESEARCHMETHODSCo-ordinator:DrDamianBirney([email protected])Otherteachingstaff:DrFionaHibberd([email protected])DrSabinaKleitman([email protected])DrStesonLo([email protected]) WorkshopsCo-ordinator:DrFionaHibberd([email protected]) ResearchMethodsComponents(worth15%ofHonoursmark)ResearchMethodsconsistsofaCorecomponent(A)andaWorkshopscomponent(B).A)CORECOMPONENTLectures:13lecturesand5tutorials(seeLecture/TutorialOutlinebelowfordurations)runinSemester1onlyAssessment:TwoexaminationsinSemester1(inWeek6and9)worth50%each.Theaimofthiscourseistoexpandthemenuofstatisticalandanalyticaltoolsandtechniquesavailabletostudentsfortheirresearch,whethersurvey-orquestionnaire-based,observationalorexperimental,andtodevelopstudents’understandingofcertain conceptual issues surrounding statistics and psychometrics. It is assumed that students are familiar withmaterialcoveredinPSYC2012andPSYC3010(includinganalysisofvariance,contrastsandmultipleregression).TheLearningHubcomputersacrosscampushaveSPSSinstalled.StudentsmaywishtopurchaseacopyofIBMSPSSStatisticsfromtheCo-Opbookshop.Version23forMacandPCisthelatestversion,butearlierversionsaremorethanadequate.PleasenotethattheSPSSBaseGradpackisalimitedversionthatDOESNOTallowyoutorunalltheanalysesyouneed(i.e.,itisnotsuitableforthiscourse).Itisyourresponsibilitytocheckversion/operatingsystemcompatibility.StudentsmaywanttoconsiderR(andR-Studio)asanalternative(free)statisticalanalysispackage.TheSchoolcurrentlydoesNOTprovidesupportforR,howeverthereismuchavailableonline.TeachingOutcomes

• developmentofacriticalandanalyticapproachtowardsmeasurementandpsychometrictheories• understandingofconceptualissuesrelatingtoprobabilityandnullhypothesissignificancetesting• anunderstandingoftheempiricalmeaningofparametersinstatisticalmodels• an understanding of experimental design issues: control of unwanted variability, confounding and bias, increasing

powerwithcovariatecontrol• understandingofindicesofeffectsize• abilitytousedummycodingandcontrastcodingtoteststatisticalhypotheseswithintheGeneralLinearModel• an ability to evaluate themethods, instruments used, and data gathered in non-experimental research, including

surveys• abilitytoundertakeappropriateitemanalysisasapartofscaledevelopment• abilitytointerpretexploratoryandconfirmatoryfactoranalytictechniques• abilitytoapplyvalidityandreliabilityconceptstopracticalapplicationsoftesting• abilitytoanalysedataandinterpretoutputinascientificallymeaningfulway• understandingofthelimitationsandshortcomingsofpsychometric/statisticalmodels,packages,andinferences


10

3.1.1 ResearchMethodsLectureAndTutorialSchedule

2018

Week Lecture Date Staff LECTURES (2hr) Tutorial (2hr)

1 1 6-Mar FJH Measurement: Conceptual Issues

2 9-Mar FJH Statistics: Conceptual Issues A

2 3 13-Mar FJH Statistics: Conceptual Issues B

4 16-Mar SK EFA/CFA and Reliability A

3 5 20-Mar SK EFA/CFA and Reliability B and Data screening

6 23-Mar DB Structural Equation Modeling: Path analysis & Mediation

4 7 27-Mar DB Test Theory: Item Response Theory

30-Mar DB Public Holiday

3-Apr

6-Apr

5 10-Apr Mid-Semester 1.5 hr Exam on Lectures 1-7

8 13-Apr DB Multifactor designs & Effect Sizes

6 9 17-Apr DB GLM: Hypothesis testing, Contrasts

10 20-Apr DB Interactions: Categorical & Continuous Variables

7 11 24-Apr DB Interactions: Mixed designs

12 27-Apr DB Extension 1: Multi-level models

8 13 1-May DB Extension 2: Logistic Regression

4-May DB Revision Exercises

9 8-May

11-May End-Semester 1.5 hr Exam on Lectures 8-13

** Modified Tutorial Program due to public holiday (students with tutorials on Friday should attend another tutorial)

Assessment:Mid-semester 1.5hr Exam on Lectures 1 – 7 (in week 5)End-semester 1.5hr Exam on Lectures 8-13 (in week 9)

5. Mixed Designs

No Tutorials

Break

Break

3. ANOVA

No Tutorials

No Tutorials

No Tutorials

1. EFA & reliability

2. Mediation with SPSS & AMOS**

4. Interaction in GLM

B)WORKSHOPSCOMPONENTLectures:2-hourworkshopsusuallyscheduledinWeek14(STUVAC)ofSemester1,somemaybeheldatothertimes–detailswillbesentviaeLearningannouncements.Assessment: attendance.Failure toattendworkshopswill result inapenaltyofup to4% (that is,4outof the15availablemarks).


11

Workshop topics may include: (1) Effect size and power analysis (2) Contrasts, simple effects and ANCOVA for factorialdesigns,(3)Logisticregressionandcontrasts,(4)Exploratoryandconfirmatoryfactoranalysis,(5)Confirmatoryfactoranalysis,(6)Datamanagementandsecondarydataanalysis.Theaimoftheworkshopsistoextendstudents’skillsandknowledgeinareasconsideredrelevanttotheirresearchinterests.Studentscanchoosewhichworkshopstheyattend.Workshopswillnotbeformallyassessedbutattendanceiscompulsory.A2%penaltyforeachworkshopnotattendedwillbedeductedfromyour15%forResearchMethods.Additionalworkshopsofinterestmaybeattended,withoutanycredit,ifspaceisavailable.Workshopsformatmayvaryfromsmallgroup(tutorial)tolargegroup(lecture)formatdependingonthecontent/presenter.

3.2 ETHICSANDPROFESSIONALISSUESCo-ordinator: ProfessorCarolineHunt([email protected])

BrainandMindCentreRoom316Phone:91144340

Otherteachingstaff:DrHaryanaDhillonLectures:One2-hourclassperweekover8weeksAssessment:One1-hourExaminationThisunit coverscurrentethicalandprofessional issues inPsychology includingethical conduct in researchandprofessionalsettings, and the principles of evidence –based intervention and personality and cognitive assessment. The regulatoryenvironment for registered psychologists, including National Practice Standards and the Professional Code of Conduct forPsychologistswillbediscussed.Avarietyofethicalissueswillbecovered.Thecoursewillprovideopportunitiesforstudentstopractice key communication, interviewing and assessment skills as a foundation for the development of professionalcompetencies.LearningOutcomesBytheendoftheunitofstudythestudentshouldbeableto:

(i) Describe, explain, evaluate and apply the principles of ethical conduct that apply to psychologists working inprofessionalpracticeandresearchcoveredinthelectureseries;

(ii) Considertheimportanceofthecodeofconductinpsychologypractice;(iii) Reflectonethicaldilemmasthatarelikelytobefacedbypracticingpsychologistsinavarietyofareas;(iv) Describeandapplybasiccommunicationandinterviewingskillsneededinpsychologypractice;(v) Describeandapplybasicassessmentskillsinpersonalityand/orcognition;(vi) Considertheempiricalfoundationsforevidencebasedinterventions.

TextAPSCodeofConductforPsychologists:Israel,M.&Hay,I.(2006).ResearchEthicsforSocialScientists.SagePublications:LondonForeachtopicavarietyofreadingswillbeprovidedanditisexpectedthatstudentswillinitiateindependentreading.

3.3 SPECIALFIELDSSEMINARSLectures:2-hourseminarsduringweeks1-13inclusiveMajorAssessment:foreachSpecialFieldstopicstudentsmustsubmitoneMajorAssessment–asubstantialessayorcriticalreviewofat least2,500words.EachoftheSpecialFieldsmajorassessmentsmustbewrittenondistinctlydifferenttopics–there should beminimal or no overlap in the literatures and reference lists. Similarly, if the potential reference list for astudent'smajorassessmentquestionweretooverlapsubstantiallywiththereferencesfortheEmpiricalThesis,thenthattopicisnotappropriateasamajorassessmentforthatstudent.TopicsforthismajorassessmentwillbeavailableatseminarsorsenttoyouviaemailonthedatespecifiedintheImportantDates(Section2.6).BothSpecialFieldsMajorAssessmentsaredueonthesameday.


12

Formatofeachmajorassessmentmustcontainanabstract(maximum200words),andareferencelist,andmustnotexceedtheword length specified for that Special Fieldmajor assessment (excluding abstract and references, but including in-textcitations).SeeSection7.PenaltieswillapplyifyousubmitNOabstractorthewordlengthisexceededbymorethan5%.OtherwrittenAssignments:assessmentrequirementsforeachSpecialFieldSeminararelistedbelow.Note that if you donot choose the Theoretical Thesis option, youMUST attend theweeklymeetings for your two SpecialFields seminars over the entire semester and contribute to the required seminar presentations or other nominatedassessments.Studentsmissingmorethan20%ofseminarsduringsemesterbecauseofillnessormisadventuremustapplyforspecialconsiderationthroughtheSchoolofPsychology.You are strongly advised to set personal deadlines and pace your Special Fields seminar work, preparation and writingthroughoutthetimeavailabletosubmitbothmajorassessmentsbythedeadline.SubmissioniselectronicviaTurnitinontheHonourseLearningsite.TeachingObjectives

• Todevelopin-depthknowledgeofcurrentdevelopmentsinresearchand/ortheoryintheareacoveredbytheSpecialFieldseminars

• Totakeacriticalstanceinevaluatingempiricalevidenceand/orpsychologicaltheoriesintheSpecialFieldarea• TodevelopanappreciationofmethodologicalissuesintheSpecialFieldarea• TodevelopanappreciationofethicalissuesintheSpecialFieldarea• TobeabletogiveanoralpresentationoftheoreticalorempiricalmaterialrelevanttotheSpecialFieldarea.

TheseobjectivesapplytoeachoftheSpecialFieldareas,butspecificareasmayhaveadditionalobjectivesuniquetothatfield.

3.3.1 SpecialFieldSeminarTopicsYouhavebeenenrolledintwooftheSpecialFieldsseminarslistedbelow.Language

Convener:ProfessorSallyAndrews

Description:Languageisaremarkablecapacitythatis,arguably,uniquetohumans.Thisseminarwillfocusoncurrenttheoriesandresearchonthepsychologicalandneurobiologicalprocessesthatenablehumanstocomprehendandproducelanguage.Specifictopicswillbetailoredtostudents'interestsbutpotentiallyincludelanguageacquisition,languagedisorders,reading,bilingualism,theneuralbasisoflanguageprocessingandtherelationshipbetweenlanguageandthought.

Theformatofthecoursewillprimarilyconsistofstudent-ledseminarsdesignedtodevelopcriticalthinking,communicationand presentation skills. Completion of PSYC3012 Cognition, Language and Thought or PSYC3014 Cognitive and BehaviouralNeurosciencewouldprovideusefulbackground,butisnotessential.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:2500-wordessayonaquestionspecifiedbytheconvener(50%)

Minorassessment:Seminarpresentation,summariesoftargetpapers,contributionstodiscussion(50%)

GenderandSexuality

Convener:DrIlanDarNimrod

Description: Sex and sexuality have fascinated people throughout the ages. Ample literary works, theological and moralmusings,philosophical accounts, socialdiscourse,andpopularpresentationsof variousaspectsofdifferentaspectsof theirrelatedbehaviourandtheirunderlyingmeaninghavebeendepicted,communicatedforawidevarietyofpurposes.People’scuriosityaboutsexseemstoknownobound.Theseaccountsarefascinatingfromatheoreticalandconceptualpoint-of-viewandthepresentSpecialFieldwillonlyprovideasampleoftherichpsychologicalresearchonsexandsexuality,withaspecialfocus on social psychology perspectives. It will be structured around reviewing recent theoretical and empirical research


13

spanningintrapersonal,interpersonal,inter-groupandsocietaleffectsofvariousrelevantresearchrelated,amongothers,tosexualorientation,varioussexualbehaviours(e.g.,aggression),sexdrive,andothers.

Assessment:

Majorassignment:2000-wordessay(60%)

MinorIassessment:Seminarpresentations:2seminarpresentationsevaluatedbyDrDarNimrod(30%)

MinorIIassessment:Weeklythoughtpapers:150-200words(10%)

Sourcemonitoring:developmentalpsychologyand"fakenews"

Convener:DrCarolineMoul

Description: The translation of scientific findings into palatable information for general consumption has always been achallenge. In today's climate of "fake news", it is even more important to accurately translate research into generalknowledge.Developmentalpsychologyisoneareaofresearchwhichisparticularlyvulnerabletoshiftsinculturaltrendsandinwhichdifferencesinopinioncanleadtoheateddebate.Take,forexample,currentpopulardifferencesinopinionregardinghowababyshouldbeputtosleep."Attachmentparenting"claimsyoushouldletthebabyfallasleepinyourarmsorwithyouinthebed.Proponentsofthe"cryitout"methodclaimyoushouldhelptrainababytofallasleepbyitselfbylettingitcryforperiodsatatime.Whatisthescientificevidencetosupportthesedifferentbeliefs?Isthereany?Howdoesthemediapresenttheresearchoncontroversialtopicsindevelopmentalpsychology?

This coursewill ask you to look in depth into one (selected from a list provided by the convener) topic in developmentalpsychology.Youwillneedtouncoverthehistoryandaccuratescientificbackgroundofthetopicandconsiderhowwell it isrepresentedbythemedia.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:Writtenassignment(60%)

Minorassessment:Classpresentationandparticipation (each studentwill presenteachweekona topic chosen froma listprovidedbytheconvener)(40%)

Brainrepresentations:thespacesinsideourheads

Convenor:A/ProfThomasCarlson

Description:Theconstructofarepresentationisfundamentaltounderstandingperception,emotion,cognition,memory,anddecision making. In this seminar, we will discuss issues associated with representations in the brain, e.g., what is arepresentation?Howdoesthebrainconstructrepresentations?Howinformationisrepresenteddifferentlybydifferentbrainregions?Andhowinformationis“readout”fromabrainrepresentation?Eachweek,studentswillgiveapresentationbasedon a selected article and lead the class discussion. The assessment for the coursewill consist of amajorwritten essay, apresentationtotheclass,andparticipationinclassdiscussions.

Assessment:

MajorAssessment:Writtenessay(70%)

MinorAssessment:Combinationofpresentationandclassparticipation(30%)

IndividualDifferences

Convener:AssociateProfessorSabinaKleitman

Description:

This Special Field seminarwill explorevarious contemporary issues in individualdifferences research.Thecoursewill coversubstantive as well as methodological issues. Topics explored will include intelligence, decision-making, metacognition,personality,self-beliefs,humanfactorsandpracticalapplicationsofindividualdifferencesresearch.


14

Theformatofthecoursewillbemostlyaseriesofstudent-leadseminarsbasedonkeycontemporaryreadings.Allstudentswillpresentaseminarbasedaroundonekeypaper,submitabriefsummaryofthepaperandpostulatekeyquestionsforclassdiscussion.Thesepresentationsshould includeacriticalevaluationofthepaperwithrespecttootherrelatedresearch.Themajorassessmentwillinvolvea2500wordessay/reviewonatopictobespecifiedbytheconvener.

Note:Papersexamining individualdifferencescanandoften involvecomplexstatisticssuchasstructuralequationmodeling.Whiletheconvenerwillprovideguidanceininterpretation,studentswhoarenotconfidentincorrelationalstatisticsmayfindthismaterialchallenging.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:Writtenwork(approx.60%)

Minorassessment:Presentationandcontributionsto(approx.40%)

Neurobiologyofappetiteandexercise

Convener:IanJohnston

Description:Thisseminarserieswillexplorethevariousneurobiologicalsystemsimportantforbehavioursrelatedtoappetiteandexercise,andhowbreakdownsof theseprocesses can lead todisorders.This seminar serieswill coverkey topics fromgenes to synapses to neurobiological systems, and the major techniques used in researching learning and memory inbehaviouralneuroscienceandcognitiveneuropsychology,astheyrelatetoappetiteandexercise.Theseminarwillconsistofdiscussionsofkeyresearchpapersthatrepresentthemajorareasofresearchinthisfield.Eachstudentwillpresentatleastone research paper for discussion. Note that this seminar series will cover some technical aspects of neurobiology andbehaviour.

Assessment:


Minorassessment:Seminarpresentationandcontributionstodiscussion(30%)

Religion,Spirituality,andPsychologicalHealth

Convener:NikoTiliopoulos

Description:Inthiscourse,themajorpsychologicalapproaches(cognitive,developmental,personality,social,etc.)Toreligionandspiritualitywillbecriticallydiscussed.Studentswillbeexposedtothemainphilosophicalandtheoreticalargumentsinthefieldofthepsychologyofreligion,aswellastherelevantevidence.Finally,themanifestationandfunctionsoftheidentifiedrelationsbetweenreligion/spiritualityandpsychologicalhealthwillbeanalysed.

Assessment:


Minorassessment:Seminarpresentation/sandcontributionstodiscussion(30%)

Wordreadingthrillsandscienceskills

Convener:AlexHolcombe

Description:Tomany,readingseemseasy.Attimes,itmayevenfeeleffortless.Butifyoucouldpeekunderthehoodofthemind, you’d see that recognisingevena singleword involves sophisticatedgrouping, spatialprocessing,object recognition,andattentionalshifts,allhappeningextraordinarilyrapidlyandautomatically.Inthisseminarwewilllearnaboutsomeoftheprocessingunderlyingreading.Someofthediscussionwillrevolvearoundjournalarticles,whileotherdiscussionwillbebasedonhands-onengagementwithexperimentdesign,methods,data,andinterpretation.

In addition to reading and presenting readings, you will create an experiment based on a topic of your choice. Using aphenomenon called illusory letters, we will be able to rapidly prototype your experiment. This project will improve yourscientificskillsandprovidefreshinsightsintohowthebrainsofreaderscombinelettersinordertoreadaword.

Assessment:



15

MinorIassessment:Seminarpresentations(30%)

MinorIIassessment:Submissionofveryshortweeklyreactions(ungraded,markbasedonsubmissiononly)(10%)

Clinicalandapplied:Unravellingtheimpactoftheonlineenvironmentonrisktaking

Convener:SallyGainsbury

Description:This seminarwill seek tounderstand thepsychologicalprocessesunderlying risk takingonline, focusingon theimpactofsocialcues.Theonlineenvironmentcanbeaccessedanonymously,withasynchronousinformationbetweenusers,two factors that can contribute to behavioural disinhibition. Risk taking online can be highly detrimental, with real-worldconsequences,suchasexcessivespendingononlinegamblingsitesorrevealingtoomuchpersonalinformationleadingtotheexperience of cyber abuse or scams. This seminar will critically examine new research to understand how specific onlineenvironmentalcuescanimpactrisktaking.Theformatofthecoursewillprimarilyconsistofstudent-ledseminarsdesignedtodevelop critical thinking, communication and presentation skills. There are no pre-requisites for this seminar, however,studentsshouldhaveagoodunderstandingofabroadarrayofonlineactivities,includingsocialinteractionsandtransactionsonline.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:2500wordessayontopicquestionspecifiedbytheconvener(70%)

MinorIassessment:Seminarpresentationandfacilitationofgroupdiscussion(20%)

MinorIIassessment:Contributionstogroupdiscussions(10%)

Genesormemes:Unravellingtheparadoxofeatingdisorders

Convener:StephenTouyz

Description: Our understanding of anorexia nervosa is currently undergoing a rapid metamorphosis. New pioneeringexperimentallaboratoryresearchcoupledwithexcitingfindingsfromgenetics,neuroscienceandimagingstudiesarestartingtochangethewaythatpatientswithanorexianervosaarebothbeingconceptualizedandtreated.Over thepast fewyearsthere have been a number of seminal randomized controlled trials that have incorporated new discoveries into theirtreatmentdelivery.Furthermore,a25-yearlongitudinalstudyundertakeninBostonhasshednewlightastohowthisillnessprogressesovertime.Comeandjoinusonourjourneyofdiscoveryintoanillnesswhichstillhasoneofthehighestmortalityratesinpsychiatry.

Assessment:


Minorassessment:Seminarpresentation/sandcontributionstodiscussion(30%)

Notguilty:theSydneyexonerationproject

Convener:CelinevanGolde

Description:“Iamheretotellyouthatyoucangetjusticeevenwhenyouthinkthatallislost!”(MichaelChamberlain,FatherofAzaria)

MiscarriagesofjusticecananddooccurincountrieslikeAustralia;NotGuiltyisaresearchprojectinwhichcasesofpossiblewrongful convictions are reviewed. In addition to the significant social justice implications of the project, Not Guilty alsoprovidesaneducationalexperienceinwhichstudentswillneedtoapplytheknowledgeacquiredduringtheircourses.Whileinvestigatingareal-lifecasestudentswillberequiredtousepsychologicaltheoryandresearchinrelationtounderstandingoftopicssuchaseyewitnessmemory,accuracyofeyewitnessevidence,mistaken identifications,andrepressedandrecoveredmemories.

Assessment:

Essay:a2500-wordessay(70%)

Presentation:a30-minutecriticalappraisalofresearchrelatedtothecasedeliveredtotheresearchgroupfollowedbya20-minutediscussionledbythepresenter(20%)


16

Class participation: Includes attendance and participation in the seminars in which you do not present. NB: If you do notparticipateinanydiscussions,thenyouwillreceivezero(10%)

QualitativeResearch

Convener:PaulRhodes

Description: This Special Fields program will serve as an introduction to the breadth of methods available in qualitativeinquiry.Wewill focus on grounded theory, narrative inquiry, participatory action research, arts-basedmethods, discourseanalysis,auto-ethnographyandmoreandthetypesofquestionsthatthesemethodsaremostsuitablefor.Classeswillfocusfirst on the philosophical basis of each approach to research, then discuss howmethods are operationalised and includespecificexamplesfrompsychology.Eachweekonestudentwillpresentaverbalsummaryofonemethod(noPowerPoint)andfacilitatediscussion.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:Designahypotheticalstudy:60%

Minorassessment:Presentation/Participation:40%

LGBTIQpeopleandthehealthcaresystem

Convener:HaryanaDhillon

Description: Sexual and genderminority groups are known to experiencehealth disparities as a result of a rangeof socio-cultural factors.LGBTIQpeopleexperiencehigherprevalenceofphysicalandmentalhealthconditions,barrierstoaccessinghealthcare,andlikelypoorerqualityoflife.Inthisspecialfieldsgroupwewillexplore:

WhatisknownaboutLGBTIQpeoples’healthandexperienceofthehealthcaresystem,

HowLGBTIQpeopleexperienceandrespondtoexistingmeasurementtools,

HowtoengagewithLGBTIQpeopleinresearchco-design

More broadly the concepts discussed will be relevant to research design, interpretation, and clinical care in marginalizedpopulationswithinthehealthcaresetting."

Assessment:

Majorassessment:2,500-wordessayonaquestionregardingaparticularaspectofLGTBIQpeopleandthehealthcaresystem(60%)

Minor I assessment: Seminar presentation critically appraising research related LGBTIQ people and the healthcare system(30%)

MinorIIassessment:Classparticipation,includesattendanceandparticipationintheseminarsyoudonotpresent(20%)

Psycho-oncology:adjustingtolifeaftercancer

Convener:IlonaJuraskova

Description:Cancerisalife-changingdiagnosis,withmanysurvivorsdescribingtheendoftreatmentasatransitiontoanewworldwheretheyhavetoadjusttonewfeelings,newproblemsanddifferentwaysoflookingatlife.Familymembersoftenaccompanysurvivorsonthislife-changingexperience.Thisseminarwillexplorecurrentunderstandingsoffundamentalissuesfaced by many cancer survivors, including changes to relationships and sexuality, dealing with fear-of-cancer-recurrence,cognitive impairment, and the specific challenges of being a child/young cancer survivor. Drawing on the latest researchfindingsandalso clinicalpractice,wewill criticallyevaluate current interventionsandmodelsof care tohelp survivorsandtheirfamilyadjusttolifeaftercancer.

Assessment:


Minorassessment:Seminarpresentationandcontributionstodiscussion(30%)


17

Mindfulness:thegood,thebadandtheugly

Convener:MariannaSzabo

Description:

Mindfulness-basedinterventionsarebeingofferedasasolutiontoawiderangeofproblemsinhospitals,schools,prisons,andincorporateandprivatesettings.Mindfulnessisofferedtotreatpsychologicaldisorders,toincreasewellbeinginpeoplewithphysicalillnesses,improvethequalityofparentingandofintimaterelationships,contributetoworksatisfaction,andreducestress ineverydaylife.Suchawideuptakeisnotalwayssupportedbyresearchevidence,however.Thiscoursewillcriticallyexamine theconceptofmindfulnessas it isunderstood inwestern society today,and review themanyapplicationsof thisapproach. A critical appraisal of the current scientific evidence regarding the usefulness of mindfulness practice will bepresented, and contrasted with media reports. Critiques about the use of this approach in western contexts will also beconsidered. To enable students to integrate experiential learning with their academic understanding of mindfulness, theseminarswillincludeanintroductiontomindfulnesspracticesviaguidedmeditations.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:2,000-wordessayonaquestionspecifiedbytheconvener(60%)

MinorIassessment:Seminarpresentationanddiscussion(30%)

Minor II assessment: Submissionof150-200word reflectiononmindfulnesspracticeeachweek (ungraded,markbasedonsubmissiononly)(10%)

PaediatricNeuropsychology

Convener:SunnyLah

Description:Paediatricneuropsychology is concernedwithdiagnosisand treatmentofcognitiveandbehavioural/emotionaldifficulties that arise in childrenwith acquiredbrain injuries or neurodevelopmental disorders.Wewill examinehowbraininsultssustainedduringchildhoodimpactsubsequentdevelopmentofachild.Theoriesandfactorsthatinfluenceoutcomes,such as the state of CNS development, psychological/cognitivematurity at the time of insult, plasticity (vulnerability) andenvironmental influences will be discussed. We will also examine principles and evidence for efficacy of paediatricneuropsychological rehabilitation.Moreover, issues relating to practice of child clinical neuropsychology will be discussed.Studentswillbeexpectedtoreadtherecommendedtextsinpreparationforinclassdiscussions.Furthermore,eachstudentwill leadoneoftheseminarsonatopicof theirchoice,withinthesubjects included intheseminars.Oncompletionofthisseminarseries,studentswillgainanoverviewofpaediatricneuropsychologyandunderstandingofcoretheoreticalissuesandclinicalapplications.

Assessment:

Majorassessment:2500-wordessay(70%)

Minorassessment:Seminarpresentation(30%)

3.4 SUPPLEMENTARYCOURSEWORKYou are encouraged to attend the School of Psychology Research Colloquium. The colloquia are held on Fridays duringsemesterbetween3:00pmand4:00pminHeydonLaurenceRoom217.PapersarepresenteddealingwithcurrentresearchinarangeofareasinPsychology,somebyresearchersinotherAustralianandoverseasuniversities,andsomebymembersofourownstaff.Presentationsarefollowedbyaquestionsession.AttendanceattheColloquiumwillprovideyouwithavaluableopportunitytohearpsychologists–ofteninternationallyrenowned–presenttheir ideasandresearch.Aswellasexpandingyourawarenessofresearchandprovidingyouwithinsightsintoeffectivepresentationtechniques,attendingtheseseminarswillexposeyoutoarangeofideas,whichmaybeofdirecthelpinyourHonourswork,andwillallowyoutomakecontactwithpeople in the field. The Colloquium program is available on the School’s website:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/colloquium/.Youmayalsobenotifiedofthetimesofpostgraduatesymposia,whichyouarealsowelcometoattend.


18

4. THEORETICALTHESIS

4.1 NATUREOFTHETHEORETICALTHESISTheoreticalresearchinvolvesquestionsthatcannotbeansweredbyanyempiricaltestoftheresearchquestion,thoughthesequestionshaveempiricalconsequences. Itsmethodisconceptualanalysis.Mostcommonlyatheoreticalthesis isconcernedwithsomewell-knowntheoreticalconceptthatisinfluencinglinesofempiricalresearchinanareaofPsychology.Theaimofyourthesisshouldbetodisentanglethetheoreticalpresuppositionsfromthefactualmaterialthatissupposedtosupportorexemplifythem,andthentoexaminethetheoreticalcomponenttoseewhetheritislogicallycoherent,whetheritcan be expressed without necessarily leading to self-contradiction, whether it could eventually be put to any conceivableempiricaltest,whetheritcanpossibly increaseourunderstandingofthephenomenonunderstudyoronlyappeartodoso,andsoon.Most of the topics suggested in Section 4.4 below refer to theoretical concepts of that kind. Others deal with aspects oftheory-building,e.g.thenatureofexplanation,confirmationanddisconfirmation,thetypesandusesoftheoreticalconstructs.These should alwaysbeworkedout taking actual psychological theories as examples.A thesiswhich surveys some fieldofresearchandcontendsthatresearchershaveneglectedtocontrolforempiricalvariableswhichmayhavebeenaffectingthedependentvariable(ineffectsuggestinganewexperiment)isnotatheoreticalthesis—itisaliteraturereview.Generally,then,thetheoreticalthesisshouldbeconceivedasanexerciseinpurifyingexistingtheories.Thethesis isassessedontheextenttowhichastudentcancarryoutthesortofproblemoutlinedabovebyexercisingtheirowncriticaljudgement.Youshouldguardagainst:

(i) adoptingaparticulartheoreticalpositiononsomecontentiousissuewithoutrecognisingthatitisasubjectofdispute;(ii) acceptingtheory-loadeddefinitionsasiftheywerestatementsoffact;(iii) drawingconclusionswhichdonotfollowfromthematerialcited;(iv) treatingtheorieswhichcontradicteachotherasiftheyweretalkingaboutdifferentpartsofthesubject-matter,and

socouldpeacefullyco-exist;(v) notbeingawareofrelevantclassicstudies,where'classic'means‘widelyinfluentialstudieswhichestablishedanew

trendofthought’;(vi) takingonestatementasdefinitiveofanauthor'spositionwhenithasbeenmodified ina laterwork,assometimes

happens;(vii) padding,irrelevancies,obscuritiesoflanguage.

Inthefinalassessmentoftheyear'swork,thetheoreticalthesiscanearnagoodmarkifithassomerealdepthandsubstance.Serious intellectualworkof this kind takes time.Studentsareadvised tomake theirdecisionabouta topicandbegin theirreadingearlyintheyear,thusallowingtheirideasanadequateperiodofgestation.

4.2 PREPARATIONOFTHETHEORETICALTHESISCo-ordinator of Theoretical Thesis: Dr Fiona Hibberd (Room 451, BrennanMacCallum Building; Phone: 9351 2867; Email:[email protected])Pleaseconsultwithherregardingatopic.TopicSelectionA theoretical thesismay dealwith any conceptual topic in Psychology,with the restriction that itmay not be in the samespecific area as that in which you are carrying out empirical research. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure thatstudents' work is not too narrowly specialised. Topics in the same general area of Psychology (e.g., Learning, Social,Neuroscience)arenotspecificallyexcluded,butpermissionmustbeobtainedfromDrHibberd.Permissionwillonlybegrantedwhere it is clear that the studentwillbeundertakingwork in substantiallydifferent topicareasand there isminimalornooverlapintheresearchliteratures.ConsultingwithyourSupervisorYoursupervisorshouldbeconsultedatleastonceafortnightwithmorefrequentconsultationslikelyintheearlystagesandtowardstheend.Ingeneral,thefrequencyofconsultationisamatterforthesupervisorandthestudenttodetermine,butitisthe student's responsibility to ensure that s/hemakes proper use of the supervision facilities and inform theHonoursCo-ordinatorifproblemsarise.


19

Supervisor’sReportAfterthethesissubmissiondate,aspartofthethesisexaminationprocess,yoursupervisorwillbeaskedtoprovideareportofyourwork,includingratingsoftheamountofconsultation,theextentofthesupervisor'sinvolvementinchoiceanddefinitionofthetopic,theextentofeditorialassistance,theextenttowhichthesisdraft(s)wereread,theextentofanyoutsidehelp,and any special circumstances which may be relevant (see a copy of the Supervisor’s Report form in Appendix F). TheSupervisor'sReportwillnotaffecttheExaminer'sfinalassessmentunlessanyoftheseaspectsfalloutsidethenormalrange.Examiner'sReportThePsychologyHonoursTheoreticalThesis ismarkedbytwoExaminers.TheExaminer’sReport form,whicheachexaminercompletesaspartoftheexaminationofthefinalthesis(seeAppendixG),givesaclear indicationoftheassessmentcriteriaused.

4.3 WRITINGTHETHEORETICALTHESISSubmissionofDraftThe Theoretical Thesis draft must be submitted directly to your thesis supervisor no later than the date specified in theImportant Dates (Section 2.6). Your supervisor will provide extensive comments on your draft only if it is written inconsecutiveprosestyle,i.e.,adraftshouldnotbeinnoteform.SubmissionofFinalTheoreticalThesisTheduedateforsubmissionoftheTheoreticalThesisisspecifiedintheImportantDates(Section2.6).PleaserefertoSection7fordetailedinstructionsonhowtosubmityourTheoreticalThesis.WordLimitThetheoreticalthesisMUSTNOTEXCEED8000WORDSINLENGTH(includingin-textcitations,butexcludingabstract,tables,captions,references,andappendices).Penaltieswillbeappliedifthewordlengthisexceededbymorethan5%.Thereisnopenaltyforthesesthatarelessthan8000words.

4.4 POSSIBLETHEORETICALTHESISTOPICSRecentissuesofjournalsthatyoumaywanttoconsultfortheoreticalresearchinPsychology:

AmericanJournalofPsychoanalysis AmericanJournalofPsychologyAmericanPsychologist BehaviorandPhilosophyHistoryoftheHumanSciences HistoryofPsychologyInternationalJournalofPsychoanalysis JournalfortheTheoryofSocialBehaviourJournaloftheHistoryoftheBehaviouralSciences JournalofMind&BehaviorJournalofTheoreticalandPhilosophicalPsychology MindMind&Language NewIdeasinPsychologyPhilosophyoftheSocialSciences Philosophy,Psychiatry&PsychologyPhilosophicalPsychology PerspectivesonPsychologicalSciencePsychologicalScience PsychologistTheoryandPsychology SocialStudiesofScience

Possible topicsare listedbelowasexamplesbutyoumayprefer to specifyyourowntopic inconsultationwithDrHibberd,bearinginmindtherestrictionthatyourthesismaynotbeinthesamespecificareaasthatofyourempiricalresearch.Note:sometopicscouldfitundermorethanoneoftheareasofpsychology.Abnormal&HealthPsychology

(i) The“scientist/practitionermodel”inclinicalpsychology(ii) Theconceptualassumptionsofhealthpsychology(iii) Theconceptofmindfulness(iv) Positivepsychology(v) DSM-V:definitionandclassification


20

CognitiveProcesses(i) Theconceptoferror(ii) Theconceptofrepresentation:causalorsemantic?(iii) Memory(iv) Theconceptofmetacognition(v) Rationalintuition

ConceptualFoundationsofQualitativeandQuantitativeMethods

(i) Theconceptofmeasurement(ii) Nullhypothesissignificancetestingandconfidenceintervalestimation(iii) Meta-analysis

IndividualDifferencesandPersonality

(i) Theconceptofemotionalintelligence(ii) Ability,capacity,potential,andothersimilardispositionalconcepts(iii) Thecontributionoffactoranalysistothestudyofindividualdifferencesinabilitiesorpersonality(iv) Theconceptofpersonalitytraitincontemporaryandrecentpsychology(v) Theconceptofmentalenergyinpsychoanalytictheory

Motivation/HumanPerformance

(i) Emotionasamotivationalconceptincontemporaryandrecentpsychology(ii) Thedistinctionbetweenenergyanddirectioninbehaviour(iii) Currentconceptsofmotivation(iv) Themotivationalcomponentoferror

Perception

(i) Thelogicalstatusofemergentpropertiesinperceptionand/orcognition(ii) ThelogicalstatusofGibson'sconceptof"affordance”

PhysiologicalPsychology

(i) Reductionism(ii) Theconceptofemergence(iii) Therelationshipbetweenpsychoanalysisandneuroscience

SocialPsychology

(i) Thelogicofsocio-biologicalexplanations(ii) Whatisevolutionarypsychology?(iii) IsWesternsocialpsychologyreallysocial?

GeneralPsychology

(i) Model-buildinginpsychology(ii) Phenomenologyvsdirectrealism(iii) Thecontributionsfrompsychologicalresearchtotheoriesinthephilosophyofscience(iv) Meta-theoriesinpsychology(v) Qualitativeresearchinpsychology(vi) Teleologicalexplanation(vii) Theconceptofagency


21

5. EMPIRICALTHESIS

5.1 GENERALREQUIREMENTSStudentsconductaresearchprojectunderthesupervisionofastaffmemberandreportthisproject inathesisofbetween9000and12000words (main textonly;excludesabstract, tables,captions, references,andappendices,but includes in-textcitations).Studentsareevaluatedontheirabilityto:

(i) identifyaresearchproblemtobeinvestigated;(ii) demonstrateunderstandingofrelevantbackgroundliterature, includingboththeoreticalandmethodological issues

relevanttothatresearchproblem;(iii) designastudythattakesaccountoftheseissuesandhasthepotentialtoanswerthequestion(s)posed;(iv) conductthestudywithdueregardtoethicalandmethodologicalissues,includingappropriatenessoftheprocedures

andcomparisongroups;(v) selectandconductappropriatestatisticalanalysisofthedata(orqualitativeanalysisifapplicable);(vi) accurately interpret the data and relate the findings to the issues raised in the literature review, taking into

considerationanylimitationstothestudy;(vii) reporttheresultsofthestudyclearlyandconciselyaccordingtoAmericanPsychologicalAssociationconventionsfor

publications.TheaspectslistedabovearereflectedintheEmpiricalThesisAssessmentCriteria(AppendixC)andtheExaminer’sReportformthateachexaminercompletesaspartoftheassessmentofthefinalthesis(AppendixE).

5.2 SUPERVISIONOFEMPIRICALRESEARCHPROJECTSAllocationofSupervisorsSupervisionofempiricalresearchprojectsisusuallycarriedoutindividually.Onveryrareoccasions,studentsmayworkinpairsorcollaboratewithotherstudentsonaspectsofaresearchproject.Insuchcases,studentsarestillrequiredtodevelopandinvestigate individual research questions. Once allocated to a supervisor, the student and supervisor discuss and refine aresearchtopicanddecideonthemostappropriatesupervisionarrangements.NotethatwhilestudentsenteringHonoursareaskedtosubmittheirempiricalresearchareapreferencesandcanindicateapreferred supervisor, it is never possible to accommodate all requests. A variety of factors constrain the allocation ofsupervisorsandresearchareas.IndependenceandOriginalityofResearchStudentsmust investigate and report on independent researchquestions. TheAustralianPsychologyAccreditationCouncilguidelinesforfourthyearprogramsspecifythateachstudentmust“participateinallofthestepsinvolvedinresearchincludingformulationofresearchquestions,thedesignofthestudyincludingselectionofappropriatemethodology,thecollectionandanalysis of data to test the research question, the interpretation of findings and the writing up of the report” (APACAccreditation Guidelines, June 2010, p. 45). Each student’s research questionmust be independent in the sense that it isneither a direct replication of an existing study, nor a project already designed by the supervisor. The supervisor may,however,pointstudentsinaparticulardirectionorsuggestabroadissuethatneedsinvestigation.Notethat these independencerequirementsdonotpreventstudents fromworkingonrelatedprojectsandsharingaspectsinvolvedindatacollection.Forexample,studentsmight investigatedifferentaspectsofthedatatheyhaveobtainedfromasingle survey or questionnaire, or investigate the effect of different variables on a phenomenon under study, or conductdifferentexperimentsonthesameorcloselyrelatedtopic(possiblyevenusingthesameapparatus,techniques,participants).However,eachstudentwouldstillneedtoselectaspecificresearchquestionfortheirprojectandindependentlydevelopanappropriate design andmethodology to investigate it. Such cases might involve joint supervision sessions because of theoverlapping areas of relevance in the twoprojects, but the projectsmust remain distinct and separable. Studentsworkingwithinsucharrangementsmaycollaborateinthecollectionofdatawhereappropriate(e.g.,largesurveys),buttheirempiricalreportsmustaddressdifferent subsetsofdataandmustbewrittenupcompletely independently.Note thatanydeviationfrom these requirementswould be obvious during assessment since the sameexaminerwould normallymark both thesesundersuchcircumstances.


22

IdentifyingaResearchQuestionIn consultation with your supervisor, identify a research question that is broadly within your supervisor’s expertise bythoroughlyreadingrelevantexistingliteratureonthetopic.Withtheadviceofyoursupervisor,youmustrefinetheresearchquestion into one that can be practically addressedwithin the available time. You should not expect your supervisor toanswer the question "what should I do?". Rather you should develop specific questions and possible hypotheses, designs,procedures,etc.foryoursupervisortocommenton.Thereadingprocessisaboutacquiringimportantbackgroundknowledgein your area and narrowing the scope of your project’s central question to somethingmanageablewithin the brief periodavailableforanHonoursproject.Notethattheresearchquestionshouldbenewtoyou,thatis,notacontinuationofworkyouhave done previously either with your supervisor or other researchers. If you have previous research experience, pleasediscuss thiswith your supervisor. Similarly, if your supervisor is alsooneof your Special Fields conveners, youwill need tomakesurethattheempiricalthesisfocusesonatopicthatisdistinctfromyourSpecialFieldsassessment;alternatively,ifyouarecompletingatheoreticalthesisinsteadofSpecialFields,youwillneedtomakesurethattheempiricalthesisaddressesasubstantiallydifferentquestionfromthetheoreticalthesis.Although the emphasis is on you generating your own research ideas andmethodologies, most students will not do thisentirelyindependently.Youareanapprenticeintheresearchprocessandyoursupervisorhastheexpertisetoguideyou,withexperience of the practical constraints that limit the scope of Honours research projects. Thus, while supervisors expectstudentstogeneratetheirownideasaboutpossibleresearchprojects,studentshavetherighttoguidancefromsupervisorsandadviceregardingpotentialconceptual,methodological,oranalyticalissues.ConsultingwithyourSupervisorMeetingswith thesupervisornormallyoccurapproximatelyweekly,especiallyearly in theyear,andmay lastup to1hour.Studentsworkingonrelatedtopicsmaymeetthesupervisoratthesametime.Duringcertainperiodsoftheyear,meetingsmaybemorefrequentwhileatothertimes,forexampleduringtesting,theymaybe lessso.Bothstudentsandsupervisorsneedtoagreetoandattendregularsupervisionmeetings.However,itisyourresponsibilitytoproactivelyseekmeetingtimeswithyoursupervisor.Supervisorsarebusy,sodonotsitbackandwaitforyoursupervisortocontactyou.Bothyouandyoursupervisor are responsible for notifying the Honours Empirical Thesis co-ordinator of any problems that are impeding thesupervisionprocess.Itisagoodideatosetagendasformeetingsandtokeeparecordofthegoalssetforthenextmeeting(bothbythestudentandthesupervisor–e.g.,agreementstoreadandcommentondraftsorassistancewithaspectsoftheanalysis).AnexampleofsuchaformisgiveninAppendixH.FeedbackonaDraftoftheEmpiricalThesisSupervisorshavearesponsibilitytoreadandprovidedetailedfeedbackononedraftoftheIntroduction,MethodandResultssectionsofyourEmpiricalThesis.Supervisorsmaybewillingtoprovidemorelimitedfeedbackonarevisionofthesesections.Please ensure that you check with your supervisor ahead of time how it might take your supervisor to provide you withfeedback. Supervisors are not permitted to read your written Discussion, although you can discuss the ideas for yourDiscussionwithyoursupervisor.TheDiscussionisacrucialsectionwherestudentscanshowtheirabilitytointerpretdataandtheoriseabouttheirfindings.Keepingitfreeofthesupervisor’sdirectinputprovidesanopportunityforexaminerstoevaluateyourability independentlyof the supervisor’s influence.Notealso thatno research staffor studentswithin theSchoolorassociated laboratories (e.g., your supervisor’s PhD students or post-doctoral researchers) are permitted to providecommentaryonwrittenDiscussionsections.Breachesofthisrulewillbepenalised.Supervisor'sReport(seeAppendixD)AfterthesubmissionoftheEmpiricalThesis,thesupervisorwillreportontheindependenceofeachstudent’scontributiontothevariouscomponentsoftheresearchprocesswhichisonepartoftheassessmentprocess.Thereportcoverstheextentofthesupervisor'sinvolvementinchoiceoftopicandexperimentaldesign,theamountofconsultation,theextentofstatisticalassistance,amountofeditingassistanceondrafts,andtheextentofanyoutsidehelp.Thereportisanimportantpartoftheassessmentprocessas it takesaccountofdifferencesbetween students in thedegreeofhelp received.Remember thatallstudents need advice from their supervisor at various times so you should not over-emphasise the importance ofdemonstrating independence. Your finalmarkwill notbe adversely affectedunless the level of assistancewasoutside thenormalrange.Conversely,veryhighratings for independencewillnotguaranteeyouahighmarkas failurestoseekadviceoftenresultinmajorflawsintheresearch.

5.3 (EMPIRICAL)HONOURSRESEARCHPROPOSAL


23

Onceyouandyoursupervisorhavefinalisedyourresearchtopicandexperimentaldesign,youarerequiredtocompleteanHonoursResearchProposal.YoucandownloadtheResearchProposalformfromtheHonourseLearningsite.ResearchProposal(2000words)Outlinethetheoretical,empiricaland/orconceptualbasis,backgroundevidenceandmethodologyfortheresearchproposal(withreferencetotherelevantliterature).Todothis,youneedtoprovide:

• abriefsummaryoftherelevantbackgroundliterature• aclearstatementoftheresearchhypothesestobetested• theresearchdesign,methodsandprocedurestobeused• astatementoftherequiredsamplesize,howparticipantswillberecruited,andanoutlineofhowthedatawillbe

analysedIt is recommended thatyourproposal considerdifferentpotentialoutcomes.What resultswouldconfirmyourhypothesis?Whatalternativeoutcomesmightarise?Carefully consideringhypotheticaloutcomesand their implicationshelpsyou thinkclearlyaboutyourhypothesesandwhetheryourplannedexperimentsreallyaddressthem.Youmayincludehypotheticaldataplotstosummariseyourpredictions.Checklists forEthicsandLocalWHS Induction:Theproposal form includessomesimplequestions toensure thatyouhavefulfilled (or have appropriate plans to fulfil) your obligations regarding research ethics andwork, health and safety (WHS)induction.Pleasenotethattheresearchproposal isNOTasubstituteforgainingapprovalforyourresearchfromarelevantresearchethicscommitteeandfromfulfillingyourobligationsregardingWHSinduction.Yourresearchmustbeapprovedbytherelevantethicscommittee,andyourlocalWHSinductionmustbecompletedandsignedoffbyyoursupervisorPRIORTOCOMMENCINGYOURRESEARCH.ResearchProposalReviewASchoolstaffmember(notyoursupervisor)fromyourgeneralresearchdomainwillbeassignedasyourreviewer.YouwillbeinformedoftheircontactdetailsinmidtolateMarch.Weexpectthatyouwillhavecompletedyourproposalandsentittoyourreviewerwithinathree-weekperiodbetweenlateMarchandearlyApril.PleaserefertoImportantDates(Section2.6).YouareresponsibleforarrangingtheResearchProposalReviewMeetingwithyourreviewerandsupervisorandyoushoulddothiswhilstcompletingyourproposal(i.e.,donotwaituntilyouhavefinisheditbeforearrangingthemeeting;yourreviewermayhaveseveralstudentstomeetwithinadditiontotheirothercommitments).Afteragreeingonadateandtimeforthemeeting,youneedtoemailyour reviewer the full researchproposalat least5daysprior to themeetingdate togiveyourreviewertimetoreadit.In theResearchProposalReviewMeeting, the reviewerwill discuss theproposalwith youandprovide feedback.Asnotedabove,youwillbe toldwhoyour reviewer is,and it isyour responsibility tocontact themandorganiseameeting tooccurwithintwoweeksofsendingthemyourproposal.Ifitisatallpossible,yoursupervisorshouldalsoattendthismeeting.Atthemeeting, the Research Proposal Review Form (Appendix A) should be completed, detailing the issues identified by therevieweranddiscussedatthemeeting.Thereviewershouldemail theformtoyouandyoursupervisor (itmightbeagoodideatomakeaphotoorphotocopyofitatthetimeofthemeeting).Youcanthenaddressthereviewer’sfeedbackinthefinalsectionoftheProposalReviewForm.Onceyouhaveaddressedthereviewer’sfeedback,youshouldsubmitbothyourproposalandthecompletedreviewform(youwillreceiveanemailinformingyouhowtodothis).Youwillbeemailedinstructionsclosertothedate.NOTE:weexpecttoreceiveallproposalandreviewformsbylateApril.PleaserefertotheImportantDates(Section2.6).Ifyourreviewerisawayorunable tomeet in the twoweeksafteryouhavesent themtheproposal, thiswillbe taken intoaccount (pleasecontactHonoursSupportandtheEmpiricalThesisCo-ordinatorifyouhaveanyconcerns).TheResearchProposalisnotassessable.Itsmainpurposeistoprovideyouwithindependentinputfromanotherexpertwhomaybeable toobserveshortcomingsand/orsuggest improvements.Veryoften there isnosingle“rightanswer” regardingdesignandmethodology,sothereviewerwillnotnecessarily“approve”or“disapprove”oftheprojectbutmayinsteadofferalternativeapproaches.Thereviewalsogivesstudentsapreliminaryexperienceof thepeer reviewprocesses that theyarelikelytoencounterintheirprofessionallivesaspsychologists.


24

5.4 RECRUITMENTANDETHICSYou cannot conduct human or animal researchwithout ethics approval.Aswell as detailed information provided on theUniversity of Sydney Ethics website (http://sydney.edu.au/research_support/ethics/), there is detailed information in thePsychologyHonoursRecruitmentandEthicsManualthatyouneedtoreadcarefully.ThiscanbefoundontheeLearningsite.

5.5 CONSULTATIONSFORRESEARCHDESIGNANDSTATISTICSYour supervisor is your first point of consultation for research design and statistics. However, there may be somecircumstancesinwhichbothyouandyoursupervisorneedadviceregardingtheseissues,forexample,whentheanalysesarecomplicated.Inthesecircumstances,youmaywishtoconsultoneoftheHonoursstatisticsadvisers.Yoursupervisormustattendanyconsultationwithoneofthestatisticsadvisersalongwithyourself.Beforeseekingadvice,youshouldmakesureyouhaveaclearunderstandingofyourintended(oractual)designandbeabletosummarisethisontheonlineformfortheadvisers.PleasecompletetheResearchDesignandStatisticsConsultationRequestformfromtheHonourseLearning site tomake an appointmentwith oneof the advisers. It is unusual for a student to be grantedmore thanoneconsultationandonepossiblefollow-up.

5.6 WRITINGTHEEMPIRICALTHESISSubmissionofEmpiricalThesisDraftsArrange with your supervisor a timetable for writing drafts of the various thesis sections so that you pace yourselfappropriately and receive feedbackon thenon-Discussion sections in time to incorporate them into your final submission.SomesupervisorsprefertoreadacompletedraftoftheIntroduction,Method,andResultswhileothersprefertoreadeachsectionseparatelyasyoucompleteit.Regardless,itisimportanttoworkoutawritingscheduleandkeeptoit(seeEmpiricalThesis Timeline in Section 2.7). Thesis drafts should be in legible form, written in consecutive prose style, not note form.Supervisorsmay,legitimately,refusetoreaddraftsthatdonotsatisfythesecriteria.Tomonitoryourwritingprogressandtoidentifyanyfactorsthathaveimpededyourprogress,youarerequiredtosubmitanEmpiricalThesisProgressReport(AppendixB;onlineform)bythedateoutlinedinImportantDates(Section2.6).ThisprovidesyouwiththeopportunitytoinformtheHonoursEmpiricalThesisCo-ordinatorofanyfactorsthathaveimpededtheprogressof your research project. These factorsmust be noted if they are to provide the basis for Special Consideration or for anextensionrequest.

5.7 FORMATOFTHEEMPIRICALTHESISThebodyoftheEmpiricalThesisshouldcontain:

(i) anabstract(asingleparagraphwithamaximumof300words);(ii) aclearstatementofthestudy’saimandacriticalreviewoftherelevantliterature,providingarationaleforthestudy

tobeconducted;(iii) astatementofthedependentandindependentvariables(asapplicable),andthehypothesesbeingtested;(iv) descriptionsofparticipants,stimulusmaterials,apparatus,procedure,instructionsandmethodofdatacollection;(v) a description and justification of statistical (and/or qualitative) methods, demonstrating an understanding of the

scientificappropriatenessofthosemethods;(vi) anappropriatesummaryofdescriptiveresults,withtablesand/orgraphs;(vii) anappropriatesummaryofthestatisticalanalyses(asapplicable);(viii) adiscussionofyourfindingsinrelationtotheproblemaddressedandthefindingsofothers;(ix) adiscussionofyourproject’sshortcomingsandtheimplications/suggestionsforfutureresearch;(x) ahighlevelofpresentation,aswellasclarityandconcisenessofexposition;(xi) evidenceoforiginalityandanindicationofabilitytoconductandreportresearchwork.


25

Itisagoodideatofollowtheformatofthemajorjournalsinyourareaofresearchwhenstructuringvarioussectionsofyourthesis.Thiswillensurethatthesectionsareappropriatelylaidoutandwillreducethelikelihoodofchangesbeingsuggestedbyyoursupervisor.AppendicesAppendicesshouldbecomprehensiveandincludeallback-updocumentation,including:

(i) copyofethicsapproval,participant information statementand consent form (taking care to remove references toyourname,intheinterestsofanonymityduringthemarkingprocess);

(ii) questionnaires,testsandothermaterials;(iii) fulldetailsofinstructions,equipmentusedetc.;(iv) detailsof statisticalanalysesnot included in themainbodyof the thesis.Be intelligently selective in thestatistical

outputyouincludefromstatisticalpackages.Youshouldmakeclearinthebodyofyourthesiswhathasbeendone;relevantbutincidentaldetailshouldbeplacedinanappendix;

(v) rawdatainelectronicform(seeguidelinesbelow).There is no specificword limit for appendices, and they arenot included in the thesisword count.However, note that anappendixisnotanappropriatewayofaddingextratexttoyourthesis.Examinersarenotimpressedbythesheerbulkofanappendixandyourappendixwillnotbeexaminedaspartofyourthesis,butratherusedbytheexaminertoclarifyaspectsofyourproceduresoranalysis.Notethatitisunlikelythatbothofyourmarkerswillbespecialistsinyourresearcharea:besureto include sufficient details of experimental procedure so that a psychologist who is not a specialist in your area canunderstand what you have done. If you have a large number of appendices, a contents page at the beginning of theappendicessectionisstronglyadvised.GuidelinesforSubmittingRawDataYoumustsubmittherawdatafromyourthesisexperiments,andyouwill receive instructionsforhowtosubmitthem.The“raw data” are the data you used for your analyses. For example, if your research required you to assess a given subjectseveral times to calculate a stable average response for your analysis, your raw data in such a case would be the meanresponsemeasures (for each subject and condition). Alternatively, youmay have created a difference score between twovariablesonwhichyoudidyouranalysis.Thenyoushould includethedifferencescoreasavariablealongwith theoriginalvariablesfromwhichthedifferencescoreswerederived.Inshort,thedatayouanalysedaretherawdatatobesubmitted.Ensurethatanyonewhoopensthefilewillbereadilyabletoaccessandanalyseyourdata.ThedatamustbeineitheranExcelorCSVfile (preferable,asthesetwoformatsarethemostversatile)oranSPSSdatafile.SPSSfilescanbetransformed intoExcelfilesbyselectingtheappropriateoptionintheprogram’sSavemenu.Youneedtoincludeanappendixwithintheprintedthesisdescribingthenatureandstructureoftherawdatafile.Thatis:(a)identifyallthevariablesandtheorder inwhichtheyappear,(b) ifnecessary,makeclearwhateachvariablenamesignifies,and (c) indicate thecodingused foreachvariable (e.g., “Variable ‘gender’:biological sexofeachparticipant:0=male;1=female”).APAFormatYourthesisshouldbeapolishedpieceofworkthat iseasytoreadandwellpresented.TheheadingsyouuseshouldfollowthoserecommendedintheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationGuidelinesforPublication(i.e.,sections,ratherthanchapters).Ifyouhavemultipleexperiments, it isagood ideatogroupmethodsandresults together foreachexperiment, ratherthanhaveaMethodsectionforallexperimentsandaResultssectionforallexperiments.Thiswillmakeiteasierforexaminerstokeeptheinformationpertainingtoeachexperimentinmindastheyreadthethesis.Yourempiricalthesiswilldeviatefromtypicaljournalarticlesinseveralways.TheIntroductionwillusuallybelonger,asyoudemonstrate your scholarship through a thorough literature review, followed by clear statements of rationale, researchquestions, and specific hypotheses. Other sections are also likely to be longer than the typical journal paper (includingstatistics and methods). In journal papers, there is a less stringent requirement to demonstrate in detail the author’sunderstanding of the concepts underlying the research reported. In a thesis, you need to give clear evidence that you


26

understandthescientificappropriatenessoftheanalysesyouareperforming.Therefore,usejournalarticlesasmodelsonly,butbeawarethatmoredetailisrequiredinathesis.Remember, too, that theword limit isnotagoal.The12000-word limit isanabsoluteupper limit,NOTATARGET,andthequalityofanempiricalthesisdoesnotdependonitslength.Concisereportingispartofthemarkingcriteria,andisahallmarkofallgoodtheses.However,theAustralianPsychologicalSociety’sminimumlengthrequirementis9000wordsofmaintext.

5.8 INTELLECTUALPROPERTYISSUESANDPOTENTIALPUBLICATIONOFRESULTSThe work you complete under the supervision of a staff member is your intellectual property. The University of Sydneyrecognisesthatstudentsownanyintellectualpropertythattheycreateunlessthereisalawthatsaysotherwiseorthestudentagreesotherwise.Also,theCopyrightAmendment(MoralRights)Act(2000)recognisestherightofauthorstobeidentifiedastheauthorofawork,totakeactionagainstfalseattributionofauthorship,andtoobjecttoderogatorytreatmentofhis/herwork that prejudicially affects his/her honour or reputation. For more information and detailed policy, see:http://sydney.edu.au/research_support/output/intellectual_property/index.shtmlIt is, therefore, important to clarify with your supervisor issues of authorship if you are planning to publish any of yourHonourswork.Itisagoodideatodiscusstheseissuesearlyoninthelifeoftheproject,evenifthereislittlelikelihoodthatapublicationwouldeventuate,toavoidpotentialmisunderstandingslateron.IfyouplantopublishyourHonoursworkasaself-containedarticle,andgiventhattheUniversitypolicystatesthattheworkisthestudent’sintellectualproperty,theexpectationwouldbethatyouwouldtakeprimaryresponsibilityforthewrite-upandbefirstauthoronsuchanarticle.However,undercertaincircumstances(e.g.,ifthestudentisnotinterestedinwritingupthearticle, or cannotdo it in a reasonable time-frame), then the supervisormay takeprimary responsibility forwritingup theresearchandbefirstauthoronthepublication.Thisshouldbedonefollowingdiscussionandwithagreementfromallparties.If yourprojectwill formpartofa largerprojectwithyour supervisororothercollaborators,besure todiscuss the issueofauthorshipandtheorderofauthors,sothateveryoneisclearontheexpectationsandagreesonacourseofaction.

6. SCHOOLFACILITIES,RESOURCESANDSERVICESFormattersconcernedwiththetechnicalandcomputingresourcesavailableattheUniversity,contact ICTSupporton93512000orseehttp://sydney.edu.au/ict/student/get-help/index.php

6.1 ACCESSTOSPACEANDBUILDINGSResearchLaboratoriesStudents requiring laboratory space for projects should approach their supervisorwhomay be able to arrange laboratoryfacilities.TheuseandallocationofallSchool research laboratoryspace issupervisedbytheTechnicalandResources team.Therequestmustclearlystatethecommencingandanticipatedfinaldatesofyourstudies.YouarealsoabletobooktheOldTeachers’CollegePsychologytutorialroomstorunexperimentswithmultipleparticipants.Detailsonhowtobooktheroomsareavailableat:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/current_students/honours/booking_otc_tutorial_rooms.shtml once all the tutorialbookingshavebeenfinalisedinWeek1ofeachsemester.KeysandAccesstoSchoolFacilitiesHonoursstudentsmayonlybeissuedwithakeytothelaboratoryinwhichtheyareconductingtheirproject.Afterspeakingtoyour supervisor about whether it is appropriate to get a key an/or after-hours building access, apply at:https://sydneypsy.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a5JoBrJ8qHSkzSlPlease note that itmay take up to 5 business days to arrange the issue of a key and/or after-hours access.Staff areNOTpermittedtolendkeystostudents.

6.2 TECHNICALANDFINANCIALSUPPORTTechnicalAssistance


27

There are many students in Psychology Honours and the School’s technical staff have a heavy workload. The School haslicenses formany experimental and statistical computer applications andmost supervisors have apparatus appropriate fortheirresearcharea.Ingeneral,Honoursstudentsshouldusetheseexistingprogramsandapparatustoconducttheirresearch.AnyrequestsforextraprogrammingorITrelatedworkmustbemadeviathesupervisordirectly.

6.3 COMPUTINGRESOURCESSchoolofPsychologyHomePagehttp://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/current_students/honours/index.shtmlTheHonourseLearningsiteandtheonlinethesis libraryareavailable from late-February. InformationforHonoursstudentswillbedisplayedonthewebsite,eLearningsite,and/orsenttostudentsviaemail.Itisinyourowninteresttologonregularlyandcheckthewebandyouremailtoensureyouhavenotmissedanannouncement.UniversityLearningHubsTherearemultiplelearningspacesavailabletouseattheUniversity,includingtheLearningHub,atthefrontoftheBrennanMacCallumbuilding.TheLearningHubcontainsgoodcomputingfacilities,includingcomputers,spaceforyourpersonallaptopandwifi.Moreinfo(includinglinkstoinfoaboutotherLearningHubsacrosscampus)isavailablehere:http://sydney.edu.au/ict/student/computers-and-spaces/index.shtmlResourcesonPCsandMacintoshComputersThe personal computers throughout the School offer word processing (Microsoft Word), spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel),presentation (MicrosoftPowerPoint),statisticalanalysis (SPSS),webaccess (Firefox,Safari),andemailsoftware. Inaddition,thereissoftwarefordatacollectionandexperimentalcontroltowhichthestudentmaybedirectedbytheirsupervisorastheyareneeded.SomedatacollectionandexperimentalcontrolsoftwareavailableattheUniversitybelow(moreinformationis/wasdescribedinanoralpresentationandsomeinfowillbelinkedfromeLearning):

InquisitInquisitisapsychologicalexperimentgeneratorthatallowstheresearchertocreatecustomquestionnaires,reactiontimetasks,signaldetectiontests,attitudemeasures,andexperimentsincognitionandperception.

QualtricsQualtricsisasophisticatedonlinesurveyresearchsoftwarethatallowsyoutocollectandanalysedata.DonotcreateafreeQualtricsaccount,asitisverylimited;insteaduseonecreatedthroughtheuniversity.

UseofeNotebooksAll Honours students are required tomaintain an electronic notebook for their Honours empirical project. The Universityrecommendsand supports theuseofeNotebooks software for thispurpose. Studentswill begiven instructionsonhow tocreate their own account and project file, and to maintain the eNotebook with updates of important documents, data,protocols,etc.ThisinformationwillbemadeavailableontheHonourseLearningsite.SomesupervisorsmaypreferstudentstojoinanexistingeNotebookprojectoncetheyhavesetupanaccount.YoushoulddiscussthiswithyoursupervisorwhenyoubeginplanningyourprojectinFebruary.TologintoeNotebooks:http://sydney.edu.au/enotebooks/login


28

TheUniversity has a support team for eNotebooks. You can contact them for assistanceusing eNotebooks andother datamanagementquestionsusingthisemail:enotebook.support@sydney.edu.auSomeimportantpointstonoteinrelationtotheuseofeNotebooksforHonoursresearch:

(i) Yourempirical supervisorshouldalwayshaveaccess to theeNotebookprojectpage thatdocumentsyourHonoursproject,eitheras theowneroranadministrator.Note thatownershipof thiseNotebookspage isnot thesameasintellectualownershipoftheresearch(seeSection5.8forinformationaboutIntellectualProperty).

(ii) IfthestudentistheowneroftheeNotebooksproject,itisexpectedthattheywilltransferownershipofthepagetotheirsupervisorbeforesubmissionofthethesis.Honoursmarksmaybewithhelduntilstudentshavecompletedthisstep.

(iii) Students should never upload to eNotebooks any information that personally identifies participants or has thepotential to re-identify anonymous participant data. As is the case with any context involving data storage andcommunication, researchers should always be careful to adhere to procedures outlined in an approved ethicsprotocolwhenitcomestodatastorageandtheanalysisandcommunicationofresults.TheUniversityhasaResearchDataStore (RDS) forarchivingdata securely.Pleasediscussyourdatamanagementoptionswithyour supervisor ifyouareuncertainaboutwhatcanandcannotbeuploadedtoeNotebooks.

(iv) Information stored on eNotebooks is stored permanently and cannot be deleted easily. Moving files to theeNotebookstrashdoesnotdeletethosefiles. IfyouuploadsomethingthatshouldnotbethereforethicalreasonsthenpleasetellyoursupervisorimmediatelyandcontacttheeNotebookssupportteamforfurtherassistance.

KnowledgeofSoftwareKnowinghow tooperate standard software, suchasMicrosoftWord,Excel, andSPSS, isassumed,andyouwillneed theseskillsforyourdataanalysisandwrittenwork.YouareencouragedtoobtainmanualsfromtheUniversityInformationServices(http://library.sydney.edu.au/) and to use the online help that accompanies the software. Your supervisor is the primarysource for help about relevant software and fellow studentswill be another excellent resource. Some expert helpmay beavailable.Formorespecialisedsoftware,assistancemaybeavailablefromthecomputersupportstaff.Back-upsIt isimportantnottoleaveyourfilesontheSchool’scomputers:allsuchfilesonharddisksonthesecomputersaredeletedeachnight.Alwayskeepgoodbackupsofyourfilesinatleasttwoplaces.Formahabitofcopyingyourfilefromyourmemorystickontotheharddiskofthecomputeryouareworkingon,andworkononlytheharddiskcopy.Afteryoufinishworkingonthefile,copyitbacktotwoseparateplacesunderanewname,sothatyoudonotoverwritetheolderversion.Then,deletethefilefromtheharddisk.YourResponsibilitiesregardinguseofComputerResourcesDonotabuseyourprivileges!StudentsusingtheSchool'scomputingfacilitiesmustproducetheirSIDcardifrequestedtodosobyamemberofthePsychologystafforaSecurityOfficer.Nofoodordrinkispermittedinthecomputerrooms.Pleaseclosewindowsandturnofflightsifyouarethelastpersontoleavetheroom.Useoftheinternetismonitored,andisstrictlyforpurposesrelatedtoyourHonourswork.Aswecantraceusers,studentswithunjustifiedusage (e.g., in the nature of usage, orwith extremely high network traffic)may be denied access to the system or asked to pay actualcharges.WhenusingSchoolorUniversitycomputingfacilities,youmustobservetheUniversity’sConditionsofUse,andalsoitsCodeofConduct.See:http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2011/140&RendNum=0Itisacriminaloffenceto:

(i) Obtainaccesstodatawithoutauthority(Penalty:2yearsimprisonment)(ii) Damage,delete,alterorinsertdatawithoutauthority(Penalty:10yearsimprisonment)(iii) Illegallycopycopyrightedsoftware("softwarepiracy").Therearesubstantialfinesandyoumaybesuedforevenlargerdamage

claims,seehttp://ww2.bsa.org/country.aspx?sc_lang=en-AUImproperusageofamachinewill result in the individualbeingbarred fromaccess to thesystemandmoreseriousstepswillbe taken ifindividualsarefoundtobedeliberatelyattemptingtodamageordisable(“hack”)thesystemorotherpeople’sfiles.OtherUniversityComputingResources


29

Pleasesee:http://sydney.edu.au/ict/student/locations/

6.4 LIBRARYRESOURCESANDSERVICES

6.4.1 SchoolofPsychologyLibrariesThesisLibraryYoucandownloadpastHonoursempiricaland theoretical theses completed in theSchoolofPsychology fromtheHonoursTheseseLearningsite.Thesehavebeenprovidedtoenableyoutolearnfromtheworkofformerstudents.TestLibraryThe Clinical Psychology Unit (CPU) maintains a library of test materials for use by staff and students from the School ofPsychology.A linktotheTestLibrarycatalogue,openinghours,andcontactdetailsareall listedonthetest librarywebsite:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/clinical_psychology/test_library/index.shtmlTheTestLibraryResearchCollectioniscomprisedofequipmentfundedbytheSchoolofPsychologyandfromtheclinicincomeandhasbeensetasideforthepurposeofresearch.BorrowingfromtheResearchCollectionislimitedtoacademicsfromtheSchoolofPsychology,allPsychologyresearchandHonoursstudents,andtheirsupervisors.TheloanperiodfortheResearchCollection isuptotwoweeks,renewable inpersonanddependentuponotherrequestsforthematerials.Libraryresourcesaresuch thatconsumable testmaterials (e.g., response forms)willnotbesupplied for research.Studentsare liable for thecostof thetest if it is incompleteon its return. Aswithother libraries,graduationwillnotproceeduntil thesemattersareresolved.

6.4.2 TheUniversityOfSydneyLibraryTheUniversityofSydneyLibraryisadistributedsystemoflibrarieswithacollectionofover5millionitems.FisherLibraryhasthemostresourcesrelevanttoPsychologyandislocatedonEasternAvenue,CamperdownCampus.http://library.sydney.edu.au/FacultyLiaisonLibrarianYourFaculty LiaisonLibrarian supports the teaching, learningand researchneedsof staff, studentsand researchers for theSchoolofPsychology.Contactdetailscanbefoundat:http://library.sydney.edu.au/contacts/subjectcontacts.htmlPsychologyGuideIncludeslinkstoPsychologydatabases,internetresources,informationontestsandmore:http://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/psychology


30

7. GENERALINSTRUCTIONSFORSUBMITTINGWRITTENWORK

7.1 FORMATMAJORASSESSMENTSANDTHESESAllthesesareindependentlymarkedbytwoexaminers.TheSpecialFieldsmajorassessmentsaremarkedbytheSpecialField’sconvener.Inpreparingtheseitemsformarking,studentsmustadoptthefollowingformat:

(i) TypeonA4paper(ii) Minimumfontsize12(iii) Spacingbetweenlinesshouldbesetto1.5,exceptfigurecaptions,whichshouldbesetto1.0(iv) 2.5cmmarginonallsides(v) Anabstract(maximum300wordsfortheses,and200wordsfortheSpecialFieldsassignment)iscompulsory(vi) Wordcountmustappearonthetitlepage(vii) ReferencesconformtotheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationGuidelinesforPublication(viii) Anymaterialtakenfromothersourcestobeproperlyacknowledgedandreferenced(author’snameanddategiven

forallreferences;pagenumbergivenfordirectquotations).Failuretoobservethisbasicconventionwillberegardedasplagiarism

(ix) Forprintedsubmissions,double-sidedprintingispreferred(x) For all electronic submissions usingMicrosoftWord, any tracked changes should be accepted or removed (if you

merelychangetheviewtohidetrackedchanges,theymaystillappearinTurnitin)WordLengthRequirementsTheabilitytowriteconcisely isan importantconsideration inassessingsubmittedwork.Wherethespecifiedword length isexceeded by 5% ormore, the student will be penalised. The title page of each piece of work submittedmust include anaccuratewordcount(excludingabstract,tables,captions,references,andappendices,butincludingin-textcitations).ReceiptsforSubmittedWorkWhensubmittingwrittenassessmentsviaTurnitin,Turnitinprovidesa receiptpage.Studentsareencouragedtosavethesereceiptsofsubmission.NoresponsibilitywillbetakenbytheSchoolforpiecesofworkthatthestudentisunabletoproviderelevantreceiptsfor.

7.2 INSTRUCTIONSFORSUBMITTINGTHESESForboththeEmpiricalandTheoreticaltheses,thethesismustbesubmittedonlineviaTurnitin.DetailedinstructionswillbeavailableoneLearningclosetotherelevantduedate.Duedatesarespecified inSection2.6 (ImportantDates).Toavoid latepenaltiesyoumustsubmitthethesisonlinebefore4:00pmontheduedate.Pleaseleaveyourselfplentyoftimetocompleteyoursubmissions.Notethefollowing:

(i) Thethesisshouldhaveatitlepageasthefirstpage.Thetitlepageshouldcontain:thetitleofyourthesis;thewords“EmpiricalThesissubmittedinpartialfulfilmentoftherequirementsforHonours,2018”;andshowanaccuratewordcount

(ii) Followtheonlineinstructionscarefullyforsubmission.Pleasegiveyoursupervisoracopyofyoursubmittedthesis.

7.3 PLAGIARISMPleasereadtheUniversity’splagiarismpolicy:http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/254&RendNum=0In writing theses, essays, or reports to meet coursework requirements, youmust use your own words. In some contexts(theoreticalresearch,forexample),itisappropriatetousequotations.Ifyoudo,thisshouldbeindicatedintheconventional


31

way–byenclosingthepassagewithinquotationmarksandprovidingacitationforthesourceofthequote,includingthepagenumber.Inmanycontexts,especiallyreportsofempiricalwork,quotationsaretypicallyavoided.UsingYourOwnWords“Using your own words” means NOT borrowing from the writing of others – whether from fellow students or publishedauthors.Thus, it isnotacceptabletobaseanessay,forexample,ontextfromvarioussources,evenifyouhaveeditedittosomedegree,andevenifyoucitethesesources.Firstofall,thereistheethicalissuearisingfromthedishonestyofpresentingasyourownworksomethingthatisessentiallytheworkofothers.Inaddition,therearegoodeducationalreasonsforavoidingthis,evenwhereyoufeelthatsomeoneelsehasexpressedanideafarmoreclearlythanyoucould.Onereasonistheneedtolearntoexpressyourselfclearly inwritingand, likemostotherskills,thisonlycomeswithpractice.Anotheristhefailuretodemonstrate that you thoroughlyunderstand informationor ideas if all youhavedone is to reproduce,with someediting,whatsomeoneelsehaswrittenaboutthetopic.AsanHonoursstudent,itisnodefencetoclaimthatyoudidnotrealisedoingtheaboveconstitutedplagiarism.CitingYourSourcesWhenyouexpressinyourownwordswhatyouhavelearnedfromvarioussources,youmustciteeachsource.Thestandardconvention formostwrittenwork in psychology is to list references at the end rather than, for example, using footnotes.Expressingan ideawithoutgivingacitation impliesthat it isyourown idea.Therefore, if it is in factan ideafromsomeoneelse,thismustbeacknowledgedafteryouhaveexpressedtheirideainyourownwords.Again,itisnodefencetoclaimthatyoudidnotrealisethatnotcitingthesource,eventhoughitisexpressedinyourwords,constitutesplagiarism.So,becareful!Citingapieceofworkimpliesthatyouhavereadit.Therefore,youshouldonlyeverciteworkthatyouhaveactuallyread.Ifyouarerelyingonasecondarysource,thenmakethisclear.Forexample,ifyouwanttociteAllport’s(1921)workbuthaveonlyseenthisreferredtobyanotherauthor,e.g.,Nicholson(2003),andhavenotactuallyreadAllport(1921),thenthisshouldbecitedas:Allport’s(1921)diary(ascitedinNicholson,2003).And,thereferencelistattheendofyouressay/thesisshouldonly include theNicholson (2003) reference,notAllport (1921).Butnote, everyeffort shouldbemade to find theprimarysource.Theaboveshouldonlybeusedifthereisnowaythatyoucanaccesstheprimarysource.Thepointsmadeherealsoapplytonon-textualmaterial.Forexample,graphsortablesofdataincludedinareportshouldbeyourownworkandnotcopiedfromothers.Veryoccasionallyyoumayneedto‘quote’afigurefromsomeothersource.Ifyoudoso,youshouldmakeitsoriginquiteclearandincludethepagenumber.Sometimesyouwillneedanexistingfigurebutyouneedtoaddorchangeparts.Inthatcase,youshouldadd‘Adaptedfrom’followedbytheexactsource.MoredetailsofhowtocitevarioustypesofworkinAPAstylecanbefoundhere:http://www.wideopendoors.net/apa_style/in-text_citation.htmlTheSchoolofPsychology’spolicywithregardtocourseworkthatisbasedverycloselyontheworkofothersisthat:

(i) Criteriaformarkinganypieceofsubmittedcourseworkincludemeetingtherequirementthatthestudenthasusedhisorherownwordsinwritingit.Similarly,anynon-textualcontentshouldclearlybethestudent’sownwork.Intherarecase(non-theoreticalwork)thatadirectquotationisappropriate,itshouldbeindicatedassuchbybeingplacedwithininvertedcommasandfollowedbyareferencetotheoriginalsource,includingthepagenumber.Ifapieceofcourseworksubmittedforassessmentisverycloselybasedontheworkofothers,itwillreceiveafailandthestudentwillbecautioned,evenifthesourcesareproperlycited.

(ii) Where the student has intentionally obscured the fact that some of the content of an essay or report is closelyderivedfromtheworkofothers,itwillbetreatedasacaseofmisconductandreferredtotheRegistrarinaccordancewiththestudentdisciplinaryprovisionsofChapter8oftheUniversityofSydneyBy-law1999.

7.4 PENALTIESFORLATESUBMISSIONYoumustallowadequatetimetocompletethefinalversionsofyourworkandproofreaditbeforetherelevantduedate.Theamountoftimethistakesiseasilyunderestimated.Penaltieswillapplytolatesubmissions.


32

Youwillreceiveapenaltyof5%ofthemaximumvalueoftheassessment(e.g.,5marksoutof100)foreachcalendarday(or part thereof) it is late, up to the closing dateof the assessment, afterwhichnomore submissionswill be accepted.Unlessexplicitlystatedotherwise,theclosingdateforeachwrittenassessmentis4weeksaftertheinitialduedate.InthecaseofSpecialFieldsMajorAssessments,penaltieswillapplyonlytothemarkfortheparticularpieceofworkthatislate.Thus,ifonlyoneofthetwoessaysissubmittedlate,onlythemarkforthelateessaywillincurapenalty,butifbotharesubmittedlate,bothwillincurapenalty.

7.5 APPLYINGFOREXTENSIONSOFTIMEPlease refer to the “Guidelines for applying for extensions, supplementary assessment, and other special considerations”documentavailableontheHonourseLearningsite for informationabouthowtoapply foranextension foranyassessmentsubmittedaspartofPsychologyHonours.

7.6 APPLYINGFORASUPPLEMENTARYEXAMPlease refer to the “Guidelines for applying for extensions, supplementary assessment, and other special considerations”documentavailableontheHonourseLearningsiteforinformationabouthowtoapplyforasupplementaryassessmentforanyassessmentsubmittedaspartofPsychologyHonours.

7.7 APPLYINGFORSPECIALCONSIDERATIONPlease refer to the “Guidelines for applying for extensions, supplementary assessment, and other special considerations”document available on the Honours eLearning site for information about how to apply for special consideration for anyassessmentsubmittedaspartofPsychologyHonours.


33

8. SCHOOLASSESSMENT&EXAMINATIONPROCEDURESOverallassessmentisnormallybasedonaweightedsumofthecomponentslistedinSection2.3,butverypoorperformanceinanyoneofthesecomponentsmayalonebesufficienttorenderacandidateineligiblefortheawardofanHonoursdegree.

8.1 COURSEWORKMARKINGPROCEDURES

8.1.1 MarkingSpecialFieldMajorAssessmentsMajor assessments for Special Fields seminars are eachmarked by the convener of that Special Field. Feedback onmajorassessmentswillbeprovidedtostudentswhenmarkingiscompleted.CheckswillbemadetoensureequityinmarkingacrossSpecialFieldsand,wherenecessary,moderationofmarkswilloccur.

8.1.2 ExamMarkingExamsarenotdoublemarked.Marksawardedmaybesubjecttosubsequentmoderation.

8.2 THESISMARKINGEmpiricalandtheoreticalthesesareexaminedbytwomembersofstaff(neitherofwhomarethestudent’sthesissupervisor).Supervisors submit a report for each student they supervisewhich is forwarded to relevant examiners. Before reading theSupervisor’sReport,theexaminerassignsamarkoutof100whichs/hesubsequentlyreviewsinthelightoftheSupervisor’sReport. Marking is based on consideration of those aspects listed in the Empirical Thesis Assessment Criteria and theExaminer’sReport (seeAppendicesCandE).TheExaminer’sReport isalsoused indiscussionsbetweenexaminersandasabasisforfeedbacktostudentsafterresultshavebeenposted.

• Thetwoexaminerscommunicatetodiscusstheirevaluationsandresolveonasinglemarkforthethesis.• Thesupervisorreceivestheexaminers’marksandreports.• A3rdexaminerwillbeconsideredif,andonlyif,oneofthefollowingoccurs:

o thereisadiscrepancyofmorethan12marksbetweenthetwoexaminers,oro thereisadiscrepancythatislessthan12marksbutatleastoneexaminerisnotsatisfiedwiththeoutcome,

oro afterreadingtheentirethesis(includingthediscussionsection)ANDtheexaminers’reports,thesupervisor

stillstronglybelievesthattheresolvedmarkisinappropriate• Thesupervisorhastwodaystolodgeaformalrequestfora3rdexaminer,whichincludesawrittenargumentasto

thereasonsfortherequest.TherequestisreviewedbytheHonoursEmpiricalThesisCo-ordinator.• Allthreeexaminerswillmeettodecideonafinalresolvedmark.Thesupervisormayattendthismeeting,butonlyto

answerquestionsfromtheexaminers.• All cases involvingadditionalmarkingbeyondthe initial twoexaminerswillbe reportedat theExaminers’Meeting

(November).• FollowingtheExaminers’Meeting,thestudentwillreceivetheirthesismarkandbothExaminers’Reports.

NB:(i)theexaminationofthesesisthoroughandfollowsastricttimetable,and(ii)requestsforre-markingbystudentswillnotbeconsidered.

8.3 CALCULATIONOFFINALHONOURSMARK

8.3.1 ProcedureAtExaminers’MeetingTheclassofHonoursdegreeawardedisbaseduponthefollowingprinciples:

(i) Allpiecesofworkmustbesubmittedbythefinaldeadlinebeforeanygradecanbeawarded.(ii) ThemarksfortheEmpiricalThesis,theTheoreticalThesis/SpecialFields,ResearchMethods,andEthicsareweighted

50%,30%,15%and5%respectively,andtheresultingsumoutof100foreachcandidateisusedtoestablishaninitialrankorderofthecandidates.


34

(iii) FinalrawmarksaremoderatedtoconformwiththeUniversity-wideHonoursscale(Hons1:80-100;Hons2.1:75-79.9999; Hons 2.2: 70-74.9999; Hons 3: 65-69.9999). Therefore, your final rawmarkmay differ from your finalHonoursmark.ItisthelatterwhichisrecommendedtoFacultyandwhichappearsonyouracademictranscript.

Ifanychangestotheaboveoccurduring2018,studentswillbenotified.

8.3.2 FacultyRequirementsandTranscriptsofResultsThe School Examiners’Meetingmakes a recommendation to the relevant Faculty regarding themark and award for eachcandidate.Thisrecommendationisusuallyaccepted,providedthattheFaculty’srequirementsarealsomet.IntheFacultyofArts, it was stipulated by the 1998 Board of Examiners that there should generally be nomore than 10marks differencebetweenthestudent'sfinalrecommendedHonoursmarkandthatstudent’sperformanceinthethirdyearoftheirHonourssubject.IntheFacultyofScience,theundergraduateSCIWAMmustbeatleast80fortheUniversityMedalandquestionswillbeaskedoftheSchoolifthereisasubstantialdifferencebetweenthestudent’sundergraduaterecordandtheirfinalHonoursmark. Faculty requirements apply unless it can be demonstrated that the undergraduate performance was affected bysickness,misadventure, an unusually high academicworkload, and/or that performance in the Honours unit of studywasexceptional.StudentswhoconsidertheirundergraduaterecordtohavebeenaffectedbyexceptionalcircumstancesandwhoareconcernedthattheirfinalHonoursgrademaybeunfairlyprejudicedbecauseofthis,shouldwritetotheDeanexplainingthecircumstancesandprovidedocumentationwhereappropriate.AcopyofanycorrespondenceshouldbeforwardedtotheHonoursCo-ordinator.ThiswillallowtheschooltobeinformedaboutyourcasewhenitisconsideredbytheFacultyBoardofExaminersattheendoftheyear.

8.4 HONOURSPRIZESANDAWARDSTheUniversityMedalAbronzemedalawardedbytheFacultiesofScienceandArtstothetopcandidatesinthe4thyearHonoursprogramwithFirstClassHonours(Hons1)wherethecandidate’sworkacrosstheentirecourseoftheirundergraduatedegreeisofoutstandingmerit.TheAustralianPsychologicalSocietyPrizeinPsychologyThisannualprizeisdonatedbytheAustralianPsychologicalSociety(APS).Itcomprisesafreeone-yearassociatemembershiptotheAPSandaninvitationtopresentattheannualAPSconference.TheprizeisawardedtothestudentwhoachievesthehighestoverallmarkinFourthYearPsychology.TheO’NeilPrizeEstablishedin1989byadonationof$2000fromEmeritusProfessorW.M.O’NeilandMrsW.M.O’Neil.AwardedannuallyontherecommendationoftheHeadoftheSchooltothestudentwhopresentsthebestTheoreticalThesis,providedthethesisisofsufficientmerit.Value$200.TheDickThomsonPrizeEstablished in 1974 by a donation of $462 from the colleagues and friends of the late R. J. Thomson,M.A., Dip.Ed., as amemorial to him. Awarded annually on the recommendation of theHead of the School of Psychology to the studentwhopresentsthebestEmpiricalThesisinSocialPsychology,providedthethesisisofsufficientmerit.Thethesisshouldhavesocialpsychological theories as a primary focus, investigate social psychological processes, and use social psychologicalmethodologies.Value$200.Thesesthathavemultiplefoci(e.g.,social+clinical,social+forensic,social+developmental)willbeeligible.TheDickChampionPrizeEstablishedin1999bytheSchoolofPsychologytoperpetuatethememoryofProfessorDickChampion,aformerHeadoftheSchoolofPsychology.ThisprizeisawardedannuallyontherecommendationoftheHeadoftheSchoolofPsychologytotheHonours student who presents the best Empirical Thesis in the areas of learning ormotivation, providing the thesis is ofsufficient merit. The thesis should have theories of learning and motivation as a primary focus, investigate psychologicalprocessesrelatedtolearningandmotivation,anduselearningandmotivationmethodologies.Value$200.Thesesthathave


35

multiplefoci(e.g.,motivation+behaviouralneuroscience,learninginacognitivediscipline,learning+clinicalapplications)willbeeligible.

9. POSTGRADUATESTUDYATTHEUNIVERSITYOFSYDNEYYouarestronglyencouragedtoconsiderpostgraduateresearchandtraininginPsychology,eitherinaresearch-only(PhDorMPhil), clinical degree (MCP), or courseworkdegree (Master of Science inCoachingPsychology). The informationprovidedbelowappliestotheUniversityofSydney,butyoushouldconsiderarangeofoptions,withaviewtooptimisingthematchwithyourresearchandprofessionalinterests.Inadditiontotheinformationbelow,a“FurtherStudyAfterHonours”informationsessionwillbepresentedattheHonoursOrientationDay.

9.1 RESEARCHONLYPOSTGRADUATEDEGREES(PhD&MPhil)A researchdegreeencompasses a substantial project, often involving a seriesof studies, that addresses and reaches someresolutionof a researchquestion independently developedby the student in consultationwith their supervisor.Additionalcourseworkrequirementsneedtobemetduringcandidature,suchaspresentationandparticipationinseminarsthroughoutthefirstsixsemestersofcandidature.Postgraduateresearchissuitedtostudentswhohaveenjoyedtheexperienceofconductingindependentresearch,usuallyintheir Honours year. If there is an area of psychology you find sufficiently engaging to want to devote three years toresearching, then you should consider enrolling in a research degree. The skills you acquire during your candidature willprepareyouforworkinacademiaaswellforabroaderrangeofresearch/policydevelopmentpositionsinthegovernmentorprivatesector.PhDandMPhildegreeapplicationsareopenallyear roundandhavedeadlinesbasedontheResearchPeriod inwhichyouwish to start; see ‘Find a Course’ (http://sydney.edu.au/courses/) for details. Offers of places are based on your Honoursperformance and the availability of supervision. A First Class Honours (Hons 1) degree is necessary to be eligible for PhDcandidature,butifyouhaveappliedforaPhDandobtainSecondClassHonours,youcanbeofferedMPhilcandidature,whichyoucanapplytoupgradetoaPhDattheendofyourfirstyearofcandidature.Aspartofyourapplicationforapostgraduateresearchdegreeyouneedtoprovideabriefresearchproposalandindicatethatyouhavecontactedapotentialsupervisor.NotethatyoudonothavetocontinuewiththesamesupervisororresearchareaasyourHonoursproject.Forinformationabouthowtoapply,includingapplicationforms,goto:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/future_students/msc_phd/index.shtmlFor research degree admission enquiries, contact the Postgraduate Admissions Co-ordinator Dr Ilan Dar-Nimrod (BrennanMacCallumRoom420;Phone:93512908;Email:[email protected]).

9.2 MASTEROFCLINICALPSYCHOLOGY(MCP)andcombinedMCP/PhDAt the University of Sydney clinical training is provided through a postgraduate degree, theMaster of Clinical Psychology(MCP), and a combinedMaster of Clinical Psychology and research PhD (MCP/PhD). Applications close on the second lastThursdayinOctober.StudentsmustsubmitseparateapplicationsfortheMCPand/orMCP/PhD.Thereisnomid-yearentry.FormoreinformationonthecontentofandselectionprocessfortheMCP,visittheClinicalPsychologyUnitwebsite:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/clinical_psychology/future_stud/index.shtmlForenquiries,contactMsBelindaIngram(Phone:91144345;Email:[email protected]).ProceduresandcriteriaforselectingMCPapplicants:Universitiesdifferintheircriteriaforselectionforprofessionalcoursesandwill notnecessarily use the sameprocedures.At theUniversityof Sydney, selection is basedon submittedapplicationmaterials,followedbyaninterviewofselectedapplicantsconductedbyaninterviewpanelcomprisingatleasttwoacademicstaff members, with at least one being internal (academic or clinical staff from the Clinical Psychology Unit). Additional


36

interviewpanelmembersincludeacademicsfromtheSchoolofPsychology.OnlythoseapplicantswithHonours2.1orabovewillbeconsideredforthecourse.Fromthispool,applicantsareselectedforinterviewsonthebasisof:

(i) Academic records: undergraduate academic performance and postgraduate (e.g., MSc, PhD) qualifications inPsychology(whereapplicable)

(ii) Publications:publishedjournalarticles,publishedreports,conferencepresentations(iii) Relevantworkexperience(includingvoluntaryworkorrelevantresearchassistance)(iv) Twosatisfactoryreferees’reports.

Notethatonlyalimitednumberofinterviewsareconducted.Theinterviewprocessassessesrelevantacademic,researchandworkexperienceperformance,aptitudeforclinicalpsychologyandawarenessofethicalissuesrelevanttoclinicalpractice.NOTE: It isNOTarequirementforacceptanceintotheMCPthatastudentmusthavecompletedanempiricalortheoreticalthesis in the area of Abnormal, Clinical or Health Psychology. The selection process aims to identify students with ademonstratedinterestinabnormalorclinicalpsychology,anawarenessofclinicalissues,andexperiencerelatedtothearea,but this can be demonstrated in a number of ways. Furthermore, projects in many areas of psychology (e.g., Cognitive,Developmental, Individual Differences, Human Learning, Neuroscience, Perception, Social Psychology) may have clinicalrelevanceorimplications.FormoreinformationonthecontentofandselectionprocessfortheMCP,visittheClinicalPsychologyUnitwebsite:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/clinical_psychology/future_stud/index.shtml

9.3 OTHERCOURSEWORKPOSTGRADUATEDEGREESANDDIPLOMASMasterofScienceinCoachingPsychologyGraduateCertificateandGraduateDiplomaprogramsinCoachingPsychologyarealsooffered.Forfurtherinformation,goto:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/coach/Forenquiries,contactAssociateProfessorAnthonyGrant(Phone:93516792;Email:[email protected])MastersofTeaching(SchoolCounselling)ThisdegreeisavailableatTheUniversityofSydneyintheFacultyofEducationandSocialWork.Studentscompleteateachingqualification and a school counselling/school psychology qualification over 21 months, with the degree HECS liable. Pre-requisitesarea four-yearPsychologyHonoursorequivalentsequence,andasuitablesecondaryteachingarea. Importantly,fortheschoolcounsellingstudentsonly,aPsychologymajor(threeyearsequence)isasuitablepre-requisiteforSocietyandCulture teaching,withoneunitof firstyearGeographybeing takenconcurrently inSemester1,Year1of theprogram.Fulltimeandreducedloadsequencesareavailable.Forfurtherinformation,see:http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/future_students/graduate_entry/mteach/school_counselling.shtmlForenquiries,contactDrSusanColmar(Phone:93516265;Email:[email protected])

9.4 POSTGRADUATEFEESANDSCHOLARSHIPSFor postgraduate coursework degrees, fees differ for domestic and international students, and depend on the number ofcreditpointsbeingcompleted.Forresearch-onlypostgraduatedegrees,internationalstudentspayfees,butdomesticstudentsdonot.Fordetailedinformationaboutfeestructures,goto:http://sydney.edu.au/study/finances-fees-costs.htmlResearchTrainingProgramScholarships(RTPs)providestipendstoassistwithlivingexpensesforresearchstudentswhoareAustralian residents. University Postgraduate Awards (UPAs), which provide stipends to the same value as RTPs, are alsoavailable. Applications should be submitted at least three months prior to the commencement of a research period toguaranteeadecisiononthescholarshippriortocommencement.Formoreinformationandapplicationforms,see:http://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/research/postgraduate_awards.shtml


37

InternationalpostgraduateresearchstudentscanapplyforResearchTrainingProgramFeeOffsetandStipendScholarships,orUniversityofSydneyInternationalScholarships(USydIS).ThesearehighlycompetitiveandFirstClassHonoursorequivalentisaminimumrequirement.Thesescholarshipsareawardedtocommencingstudentsonly(unlessacurrentlyenrolledstudentcouldnotbeconsideredatcommencementbecauseof the timingof theirapplication).For informationabout internationalfees,scholarshipsanddeadlinesgoto:http://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/prospective/international_postgraduate_scholarships.shtmlTheScholarshipsOfficewebsite:http://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/OtherFunding(MCPcandidates)TheTanyaSackvilleMemorialScholarshipisawardedannuallytoafull-timeMCPcandidatewhoisanAustralianresidentandhasdemonstratedbothacademicexcellenceandfinancialhardshiporneed.Currentvalue$7000perannum.OtherFunding(PostgraduateResearchcandidates)TheSchoolofPsychologyoffersanumberofscholarshipsforwhichonlyresearchstudentsenrolledintheSchoolareeligibletoapply.Fordetailsofavailablescholarshipsandprizes,pleaseseethefollowingwebsite:http://sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/current_students/msc_phd/pg_scholarships.shtmlResearchstudentsintheSchoolofPsychologyalsobenefitfrom:

• Well-equippedlabsinavarietyofareas• Yourowndeskandcomputer• Theopportunitytobeemployedasacasualtutor• Schoolsupportforsocialandotheractivities


38

APPENDIXA–DRAFTEMPIRICALTHESISPROPOSALREVIEWMEETINGFORMPleasecommentonstrengthsandweaknesses.Alertstudentstopotentialproblemsorambiguitiesandhelpthemtorefinetheirstudy,evenifyoufindtheresearchproposalhighlysatisfactory.1. Theresearchquestionappearstobewelljustifiedinlightofexistingliterature.

Yes No

Comment(e.g.,hasthestudenttouchedonrelatedissues?Havetheyconsideredalternativeviews?):

2. Goalsandmajorhypothesesofthestudyhavebeenclearlystated.

Yes NoComment:

3. Dotheexpectationsinthisfieldofresearchdifferfromtheexpectationsinthereviewer’ssubdiscipline?

Yes NoComment:


39

4. If applicable, have appropriate discipline-specific indicators been addressed (e.g., conventions regarding sample size,

poweranalysis,randomisation,etc.)?5. Yes No

Comment:

5.Thefollowingareclearlydescribedandappeartobeappropriatelyselected/defined:

Independentanddependentvariables Yes NoStimulusmaterials Yes NoProcedures Yes NoCharacteristicsandavailabilityofsubjectpool Yes NoProposedanalyses Yes NoEthicsrequirementshavebeenobserved Yes No

Comment:

6. Whenisdatacollectionlikelytocommenceandfinish?

Expectedstartdate: ExpectedFinishdate:IfdatacollectionistocommenceafterAugust1,orcontinuebeyondAugust31,pleaseindicatethisinQuestion9andidentifyanyotherrisksofdelaysaccordingly.


40

7. IsthescopeandsizeoftheprojectappropriateforHonours?Areprocessesinplacetoensuretimelycollectionofdata?

Shouldthestudenthaveabackupplanincasedatacannotbecollected?Comment:

8. Otheradvicegiventostudent:Pleasenoteanyotherimportantissuesdiscussed.

9. Researchethics:Pleaseindicatewhichisappropriateregardingthestudent’sapplicationforethics.(Note:thismaydiffer

fromwhatappearedintheresearchproposal):q submitted(orabouttosubmit)modificationtosupervisor’spre-existingethicsapproval

q submitted(orabouttosubmit)anindividualapplicationtoHREC/AEC

q stilldevelopingproject,haven’tsubmittedapplicationandnotabouttosubmit

Ifanapplicationhasbeensubmitted,pleaseindicateitscurrentstatus:

q permissionbyHREC/AEChasbeengranted

q permissionbyHREC/AECispending(applicationiscurrentlyunderreview)

Ifnoneoftheoptionsaboveapplies,pleasespecify:

10. Work,HealthandSafety Induction:Thestudenthassuppliedacopyof the local laboratoryWHS induction,signedby

boththestudentandtheirsupervisororappropriatedelegate.

Yes No


41

11. Riskofdelaystoproject.Itisimportantthatthestudent/supervisor(andHonourscoordinators,whereappropriate)aremadeawareof thepotential riskofdelays in their research thatmay jeopardise the timelycompletionofanHonoursthesis.BelowisalistoffactorsthatarecommonsourcesofdelaystoHonoursresearchprojects.Pleaseindicatewhether,in thecourseof reading theresearchproposalor indiscussing the researchwith thestudent, ithasbecomeapparentthattheprojectinvolvesanyofthefollowing(tickallthatareappropriate):

q datacollectionistocommenceafterAugust1,orcontinuebeyondAugust31

q theprojectinvolvesanexternalcollaboratororexternalsupervisionforsomeaspectoftheresearch

q the project uses a resource (e.g., apparatus, software, analysis, test, drug, chemical, etc.) supplied by an external

researcher

q theprojectinvolvestestingahumansamplethatcannotbeaccessedusingtheSONApool(e.g.,school-agedchildren,

toddlers,clinicalsample,professionalsample)

q theproject involves testing ananimal sample that ismaintainedor sourcedexternally (i.e., anyanimalpopulation

thatthesupervisordoesnotalreadyhavehousedintheirlaboratory)

q theprojectwillrequirepermissionsfromcommittees/bodiesinadditiontotheHREC/AEC

q the project is likely to be rejected by the HREC /AEC because of the serious ethical concerns associatedwith the

research

q thesupervisorhasidentifiedthattheprojectisoutsideoftheirareaofexpertise

q thesupervisorislikelytobeonleaveandnoteasilycontactableforacontinuousperiodofmorethan2weeksover

thecourseoftheHonoursyear

q thereisanotherfactorthatyouhaveidentifiedthathasareasonablechanceofsubstantiallydelayingtheprogressof

theproject.Pleasespecify:


42

12. Student’sResponsetoReviewer’sComments.Describe how you will take account of the Reviewer’s comments in going forward. If it was judged infeasible orinappropriatetochangetheplanincertainways,alsonotethathere.


43

APPENDIXB–DRAFTEMPIRICALTHESISPROGRESSREPORTYouwillneedtosubmitanonlineformtoreportyourprogressintheEmpiricalThesis.Thefollowingquestionswillbeintheform:Studentname: Studentnumber: Supervisorname: Researchcategory: Pleaseselectanyadditionalrelevantacademicstaff(i.e.,collaboratorsofyoursupervisorsorotheracademicstaff)thatwereinvolved intheprogressofyourEmpiricalThesis. Ifmorethanoneperson,pleaseselect ‘Other’andthenenterall relevantstaffinthenextquestion.Pleasenominateuptotwoindividualsaspossiblethesisexaminers:DraftthesistitleandAbstract:Theprimarymethodsusedinanalysingdatainmyprojectare:

cQuantitative cQualitative cMixed(mixofquantitativeandqualitative)IhavesubmittedthefollowingdraftsectionstomySupervisor:

cIntroduction cMethod cResultscIhavemadearrangementsfordatastorageasoutlinedinmyethicsapprovedprotocol cIhaveprovidedmysupervisorwithanysignedconsentformsetc.asappropriate cIhaveprovidedmysupervisorwithacopyofmyrawdata cIhavearrangedtoreturnlabkeysandpasswordsasappropriate cIhavetransferredownershipofmyeNotebookprojecttomysupervisor Pleasesummarisebelowanycircumstancesthathavesignificantlyimpededyourprogress:


44

APPENDIXC–DRAFTEMPIRICALTHESISASSESSMENTCRITERIAThere are 7 aspects of the thesis that are assessed during examination. Each of these aspects should be evaluatedon thefollowing5-pointscale:

a. Outstandingb. Superiorc. Adequated. Weake. NotatHonourslevel(Seriouslyflawed)

BelowarethecriteriaforSuperiorperformancewithineachaspectofthethesis.AthesisconsideredforaHighDistinction(85andabove)shouldmeetorexceedthesecriteriaforthelargemajorityofareasassessed.

1. LiteraturereviewComprehensiveandthorough,itcoversalltheissuesrelevanttothetopic.Well-structured,insightfulreviewoftheliteratureshowingahighlevelofcriticalandoriginalanalysis.Theliteraturereviewshouldfocusonasynthesisoftherelevantpreviousempiricalwork,whichcanincludeahistoryofthetheoreticalorphilosophicalissuesrelatedtotheareaofstudy.

2. Rationaleforandaimsoftheresearch(includinghypotheses)Forquantitativetheses:Aclearstatementoftheresearchaimsandhypotheses.Theaims/hypothesesarenovelandoriginal(i.e.,notadirectreplication,oraminorextensionorvariationofpreviouswork)andarelogicallyderivedfromtheliteraturereview.Forqualitativetheses:Aclearstatementoftheresearchquestionsandtheirrationale.Theresearchquestionmustbeclearlyderivedfromorrelatedtotheliteraturereview.Theaimsshouldbenovelandoriginal;theymaybeaddressinganewareaofenquiry where insufficient data exists to guide alternate study designs and/or when questions of process are examined.Hypothesesareveryrarelyused inqualitativeresearchandshouldonlybestated if theycanbederivedfromthereviewedliterature.Primaryandsecondaryaimsshouldbeclearlyidentifiedassuch.

3. DesignandmethodForquantitativetheses:Thestudyiswelldesignedtotestthehypotheses,withadequatecontrolsandsamplesasappropriate.Thechoiceofvariables,materials,andproceduresareappropriateandtherearenoobviousconfounds.For qualitative theses: The study is well designed to explore its aims. A justification is provided for thetheoretical/philosophicalapproachselectedandarationale isprovidedforhowtheresearchdesignsupportsthe inferencesneeded toexamineandaddress the researchquestion.The sampling,data collectionandanalysismethodsarealso clearlyjustified and operationalised and fit with the philosophical assumptions of the research. Strategies to ensure rigour orreflexivityshouldbeprovided.

4. PresentationofresultsanddataanalysisForquantitativetheses:Thedataareclearlydescribedinthetextandpresentedintablesorfigures.Thestatisticalanalysisisappropriateandwelljustified.Theresultsareaccuratelyandclearlyreportedandinterpreted.Forqualitativetheses:Thedataareclearlysummarisedinthetextandjustifiedbyquotes.Quotesshouldbeusedtosuccinctlyexplainthephenomenadescribedandshouldbechosenwisely.Thequalitativeanalysiscloselyfollowstheconventionsofthemethodthathasbeenselected.

5. DiscussionTheresultsarediscussedinananalyticalmannerwithappropriatetreatmentofanyunexpectedor inconsistentresults.Thefindingsareeffectivelyintegratedwiththetheoreticalframeworkintheintroduction.Limitationstothestudyanddirectionsfor future research are discussed that demonstrate critical ability. It is expected that for all research projects, the futureresearchdirectionswill includeconsiderationofquantitativedesignsrelevanttotheresearchquestion.Qualitativeresearchprojectsshouldalsoconsiderfuturequalitativeresearchdirections.


45

6. OverallpresentationThewritingisclearandconcise.Overallpresentationofthethesisandassociatedmaterialsisofahighstandard.

7. Supervisor’scommentsonindependenceTheSupervisor’sReportshould indicateaboveaveragerankings for independenceonmostcriteria (thoughperhapsnotall,e.g., it may be appropriate for the student to receive substantial assistance with various aspects of the work, such asprogrammingorhighlytechnicaldataanalysis).TheSupervisor’sReportontheindependenceofthestudentmaybetakenintoaccounttoadjustthemark.Pleasenote:Theoutlinedcriteriashouldbeappliedindependentlyofwhetherornotthestudyproducedpositivefindings.Theemphasisshouldbeonthequalityoftheliteraturereview,rationale,design,analysisandinterpretation,discussion,andpresentation.

Category Markrange Within-CategoryCriteria

HD 85-100

Upper96-100Thethesisisoutstandinginallaspects.Theleveloforiginal,creativethinkingandtheindependenceofexecutionisstriking–thehighestqualitytobeexpectedofanHonoursstudent.Suchamarkshouldbereservedfortheexceptionalthesisandrarelygiven.Middle90-95Thethesisisatleastsuperiorinallaspectsandoutstandingonsome.Generallyexcellent;substantialsectionsofthethesisdemonstrateoriginalitybutsomerevisionwouldbenecessaryfortheworktobeofpublishablequality(notethatresultsareoutofstudents’controlandstatisticallysignificantresultsarenotrequired).Thisdoesnottakeintoaccounttheneedtorunadditionalexperiments.Showsconsiderableindependenceofthoughtandexecution.Lower85-89Thethesisissuperiorinthelargemajorityofaspects,buttheremaynotbeareasof“outstanding”performance;ortheremaybeoneareawhichisadequate,butthisiscompensatedforbyoutstandingperformanceelsewhere.Stillwellwritten,clearargument,appropriatelyanalysedandwellinterpreted,withsomenovelinsights.However,lessindependenceofexecutionthanexpectedforUpperHD.

D 75-84

Upper82-84Thethesisisatleastadequateinallaspects,andissuperiorinmorethanoneaspect.AnoverallcompetentpieceofworkbutlesswellevaluatedforthegraspofissuesandmethodsthanrequiredforanHD.Nosubstantialerrorsinthedesignorconductofthestudy,itsanalysisorinterpretation.Middle78-81Thethesisisatleastadequateinallaspects,ormayhaveaweaknessinoneareathatiscompensatedforbysuperiorperformanceinotherareas.Lower75-77Thethesisisadequateinmostaspects,butmayhaveaweaknessinonearea.

CR 65-74 Upper72-74Thethesisisadequateinmostaspects,buthasmorethanoneweaknessoraseriousflaw.Middle68-71Thesisisgenerallyadequate,buthasmanyweaknessesorsomeseriousflaws.Lower65-67Majorflawsinmorethanoneaspect.

P 64-50 NotuptoHonoursstandardinanyaspectofthethesis.


46

APPENDIXD–DRAFTEMPIRICALTHESISSUPERVISOR’SREPORTDifferentkindsofresearchprojectsplacedifferentdemandsonstudentsatvariousstagesoftheirexecution.Someareasaremoretechnicallydemandingthanothersandsoitisappropriateforstudentstoreceivemoreassistancefromtheirsupervisorsincertainaspectsoftheproject.Thepurposeofthisreportistoprovideaclearideaoftheinputreceivedfromthesupervisorandthestudent’sindependenceinexecutingdifferentaspectsoftheresearchproject.Pleaseprovidewrittencommentsinresponsetoallquestionsandratethestudent’slevelofindependenceonthefollowingaspectsoftheempiricalthesis.NOTE:Pleasedonotrefertothestudentbynameorotherwiserevealpersonal informationthatmay identifythem.Pleasecomment only on their research and conduct during theHonours year as it relates to their level of independence.Do notcommentontheirintentions,interestsoraspirationsbeyondtheHonoursyear.1. DefinitionoftheresearchquestionDescribethestudent’scontributiontothechoiceofresearchquestionandthenatureandextentofyourinvolvementinthisprocess(e.g.,directedstudenttogeneralarea,specifiedquestion,helpedthemderivehypotheses,etc.):

Ratethestudent’slevelofindependenceinthisarea:

1 2 3 4 5AlotlessindependentthanexpectedofanHonoursstudent

AboutwhatIwouldexpectofanHonours

student

AlotmoreindependentthanexpectedofanHonoursstudent

2. ExperimentaldesignDescribethestudent’scontributiontotheexperimentaldesignandthenatureandextentofyourinvolvementinthisprocess(e.g.,fine-tunedthedesignsuggestedbythestudent,suggestedmajoradjustments,providedthedesignyourself):




student


3. Settinguptheexperiment/sDescribe the student’s contribution to setting up the experiment and the nature and extent of your involvement in thisprocess (e.g.,assistancewithstimulusselection,programmingexperiments,designingquestionnaires,etc.).Pleasespecify ifassistancewasobtainedfromsomeoneelse(e.g.,post-docorresearchassistant):


47




student


4. Runningtheexperiment/sDescribethestudent’scontributiontorunningtheexperimentandthenatureandextentofyourinvolvementinthisprocess(e.g.,assistancewithsubjectrecruitment, testingprocedures,participant interviewing,etc.).Pleasespecify ifassistancewasobtainedfromsomeoneelse(post-doc,researchassistant,etc.):




student


5. DataprocessingandstatisticalanalysisDescribethestudent’scontributiontodataprocessinganddataanalysisandthenatureandextentofyourinvolvementinthisprocess(e.g.,providedinstruction,discussedstudent’sanalysis,specifiedtheanalysis,conductedtheanalysisyourself,etc.).Please specify if assistance was obtained from someone else (post-doc, research assistant, etc.). If necessary, distinguishbetween analysis of behavioural data and other types of data (e.g., physiological measures, EEG, fMRI). Please do notcommentontheSchool’sstatisticalconsultationsinthissection.




student


6. StatisticalconsultationsPleasecommentonwhetherthestudentreceivedandfollowedtheadvicefromtheSchool’sstatisticsadvisers,ifapplicable.

7. Editorialassistanceonthethesis


48

Describe the extent of editorial assistance provided on the thesis (e.g., the number of drafts read, commentedextensively/suggestedmajorchanges,suggestedonlyminorchanges,helpwithfigures,etc.):




student


8. AmountofconsultationwiththestudentHow often and for how long did you meet with the student on average? Do you consider this amount of consultationsatisfactory?

Howdoyouratetheamountofconsultationwiththisstudent?

1 2 3 4 5Alotlessthanaverage Aboutright Alotmorethanaverage

9. Didthestudentcollectallofhis/herowndata?

YES NOIfthestudentdidNOTcollectallofhis/herowndata,whatpercentagedidhe/shecollect?________%Pleasedescribethesourceandnatureofthedata,andthenatureofthestudent’sinvolvementindatacollection:

10. Anyspecialcircumstancesthatyouconsiderrelevant?(Donotincludehereanycircumstancesforwhichanextensionor

specialconsiderationhasbeenrequested)

11. Considerationforprizes.Note:ifnominatingastudentforoneoftheprizesbelow,pleasepastethethesistitleandabstracthere:


49

DickChampionPrizeCriteria: The thesis shouldhave theoriesof learningandmotivationas aprimary focus, investigatepsychological processesrelated to learning and motivation, and use learning and motivation methodologies. Theses that have multiple foci (e.g.,motivation+behaviouralneuroscience,learninginacognitivediscipline,learning+clinicalapplications)willbeeligible.Thisthesismeetsthecriteriaforconsiderationforthisprize:

YES NO

Ifyes,pleaseprovideabriefjustification:

DickThomsonPrizeCriteria:Thethesisshouldhavesocialpsychologicaltheoriesasaprimaryfocus,investigatesocialpsychologicalprocesses,anduse social psychological methodologies. Theses that have multiple foci (e.g., social + clinical, social + forensic, social +developmental)willbeeligible.Thisthesismeetsthecriteriaforconsiderationforthisprize:

YES NOIfyes,pleaseprovideabriefjustification:


50

APPENDIXE–DRAFTEMPIRICALTHESISEXAMINER’SREPORTPleaseconfirm thatyouhaveexamined theTurnitinOriginalityReportand raisedanyconcernswith theHonoursEmpiricalThesisCo-ordinator:cYescNoPleasecommentoneachoftheaspectslistedbelow.Wordlength(Within5%,i.e.,lessthan12600words) YES NOLiteraturereview(Comprehensive;showsgraspofissues;showscriticalability,wellstructured;synthesisofpreviousempiricalwork,whichmayincludetheoreticalandphilosophicalissuesasappropriate)Rationaleforandaimsofresearch(includinghypotheses)(For quantitative theses: Clear statement of aims and hypotheses; aims/hypotheses logically derived from lit review;representsanadvancement inknowledge.Forqualitativetheses:Clearstatementofresearchquestionsandtheir rationale;aimsshouldbenovelandoriginal;primaryandsecondaryaimsshouldbeclearlyidentified)Designandmethod(For quantitative theses: Appropriateness of design to test hypotheses; adequacy of controls; sampling methods clearlydescribed; appropriateness of variable, materials, and procedures. For qualitative theses: Well-designed to achieve aims,justificationforthetheoretical/philosophicalapproach,sampling,datacollections,analysismethodsclearlydescribedandfitwithphilosophicalassumptions;strategiesforrigour/reflexivityprovided.)Presentationofresultsanddataanalysis(Forquantitativetheses:Dataareclearlypresentedintext,tables,and/orfigures;analysisisappropriate;resultsareaccurateandclearlyreported/interpreted.Forqualitativetheses:Dataclearlysummarisedintext;quotesusedappropriatelyandjustifysummaryofdata;analysisclearlyfollowsconventionsofselectedmethod,withresultsservingasasynthesisoffindings)Discussion(Findingsrelatedtostatedaimsandhypothesesandtopreviousliterature, includingthetheoreticalframeworkdescribedintheintroduction;unexpectedorinconsistentresultsareaddressedappropriately;limitationsandsuggestionsfuturedirections–quantitativedesignsforalltheses,andqualitativedesignsforqualitativetheses–demonstratecriticalability)Overallpresentation(Conciseness;clarity;sufficiencyofdetail;referencing)


51

Overallgrade(outof100):


52

APPENDIXF–DRAFTTHEORETICALTHESISSUPERVISOR’SREPORTPleaseanswer the followingqueriesabout thesupervision receivedby this studentandaddcommentswhereyou feel thiscouldbehelpful.Indicateyouranswersbymarkingthescaleattheappropriatepoint.NOTE:Pleasedonotrefertothestudentbynameorotherwiserevealpersonal informationthatmay identifythem.PleasecommentonlyontheirconductduringtheHonoursyear.Donotcommentontheirintentions,interestsoraspirationsbeyondtheHonoursyear.1. Amountofconsultation

1 2 3 4 5

Infrequentmeetings Regularmeetings(onceperweekformostofthe

year)

Frequent/prolongedmeetings(morethan

onceperweek)

Comments:2. Extentofsupervisor’sroleinchoiceanddefinitionofproblem

1 2 3 4 5Little/nodirectionin

topicselection Directedreadinganddiscussedstudent’sideas Directedstudentto

specifictopic

Comments:3. Extentoforiginalityofstudent’scontribution

1 2 3 4 5Littleoriginality Highleveloforiginality

Comments:

4. Extentofeditorialassistance

1 2 3 4 5

Didnotreaddraft Read/commentedononefulldraft Read/commentedon

morethantwodrafts

Comments:


53

5. Anyspecialcircumstancesthatyouconsiderrelevant?(Donotincludehereanycircumstancesforwhichanextensionorspecialconsiderationhasbeenrequested

6. Wassignificantassistancereceivedfromanyoneelse?7. Anyothercomments?


54

APPENDIXG–DRAFTTHEORETICALTHESISEXAMINER’SREPORTPleaseindicatetheselectedoptionbyunderliningorcirclingthetext.1. The student has exceeded the 8000word limit (excluding abstracts, tables, captions, references, and appendices) by

morethan5%:

YES NO2. Thestudent'sstatementoftheissueorquestiontobeaddressedis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood3. Thestudent’sstatementofthethesistobearguedis:

Notstated Stated,butnotclearly Clearlystated4. Thestudent’sacquaintancewiththerelevantliteratureis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood5. The student’s account of the conceptual errors, which have been made, and/or the misunderstandings, which have

arisen,concerningthisparticularproblemis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood6. Indevelopingher/histhesisthestudent’sdemonstratedconcernfortherequirementsoflogicalvalidityofargumentis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood7. Thelogicalarrangementofthethesis(i.e.,thedegreetowhichitspartscoheretoformacumulativeargument)is:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood8. Suggestions,whichthestudentmakesastohowerrorsormisunderstandingsmaybeavoided,orproblemsovercome,

are:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood9. Theoriginalitydisplayedinthethesisis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood10. Withrespecttoclarity,thethesisisgenerally:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood11. InmattersofEnglishusage,succinctexpression,spelling,punctuationetc.,thethesisis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGood12. In the care takenwith technical detail (such as citationof references, presentationof the references in the approved

form,andsoon)thethesisis:

VeryPoor Poor Adequate Good VeryGoodOverallGrade


55

a) Pre-supervisor’sreport:

/100

b) Post-supervisor’sreport:

/100PleaseprovidereasonsforawardinggradeXratherthanYorZ(thesecommentswillbepassedontothestudent):


56

APPENDIXH–SUPERVISIONRECORDTEMPLATEStudentsandsupervisorsmightfindkeepingacommonrecordofagreedactionsusefultothesupervisionprocess.Useofthisformisnotcompulsory.StudentsandsupervisorsmaychoosetousethisformineNotebook.

Student:Date:

Pointsdiscussed:

Actionplan:

Nextsession:Student:_______________________________Supervisor:_______________________________

School of Psychology Honours Handbook 2018 · Psychology Honours Handbook 2018 2 ... Dr Rebecca Pinkus Room 444, Brennan MacCallum; ... Minor in-class assessments 30%

Documents