Health Psychology introduces students to the intricate relationships that exist between psychological factors and the biological processes of human health and illness. The course begins by describing the emergence of the field of health psychology, models of health behaviour, and a basic understanding of biological processes. The course then goes on to examine in detail various topics that highlight the role of psychosocial factors in the genesis of health and disease (including a broad range of disorders), as well as the role of psychosocial interventions in assisting individuals to improve their health.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Describe the biopsychosocial model of health and other specific but related psychological theories
- Develop an understanding of basic human biology such as the functioning of the endocrine, immune and nervous systems
- Appreciate how a person's health can be affected by their behaviour, given certain social factors, environments, and biological factors
- Understand the effects of stress on a person's health and the role played by stress-buffering factors
- Understanding how stress, affective distress (e.g. anxiety, depression), and other psychological and physical symptoms are assessed, and the potential problems with this measurement
- Understand the effects of health status and changes in health on a person's emotions, thinking, and behaivour
- Recognise the factors that underpin positive and negative changes in health-related behaviour, and the promotion of healthy behaviour
- Identify and describe the content, principles, and methods of past and current health psychology research
- Identify the research methods used to conduct health psychology studies, and the ethical issues that pertain to this research
- Access online psychological information resources that include the resources provided via Medline, PsychInfo, and the ANU library catalogues
- Participate in the collection of research data, analyse data obtained from a study, and write a research report describing the results, in the format of a scientific journal article
Indicative Assessment
- a 2000 word research report due mid-semester (40) [LO 1,5,8,9,10,11]
- a mid-semester test (10) [LO 1,2,8]
- End of semester formal 2 hour examination (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
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Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:
- Face-to face component which may consist of 2 x 1 hour lectures per week and 15 hours of laboratories spread across the semester.
- Approximately 91 hours of self-study which will include preparation for lectures, presentations and other assessment tasks.
Inherent Requirements
To be determined
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Health Psychology in Australia, (2017), J. Dorrian, E. Thorsteinsson, M. Di Benedetto, K. Lane-Krebs, M. Day, A. Hutchinson and K. Sherman, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, ISBN 978-1-316-62395-4 (hard copy textbook) or E-textbook (ISBN: 9781108146685).
Majors
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 4B
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $4110 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5880 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7538 | 25 Jul 2022 | 01 Aug 2022 | 31 Aug 2022 | 28 Oct 2022 | In Person | View |