This course presents both in-depth and broad coverage of personality psychology. The main aims of the course are to critically review and discuss key theoretical and empirical approaches to personality. A special emphasis is placed on developing scholarly appraisals of significant trends in the field. This course will cover the main theoretical approaches to personality: the trait approach (examining why people have traits and whether traits cause behaviour), the biological approach (exploring how biological factors shape personality), the psychodynamic approach (investigating the dynamic unconscious processes within personality), the phenomenological approach (assessing how humanistic, existential, and cultural factors influence personality), and the social-cognitive approach (studying how learning, cognitions, and affect shape personality).

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain personality assessment and relevant research methods in personality psychology.
2. Discuss the main aspects, advantages, and disadvantages of major theories within personality psychology.
3. Critically evaluate theoretical and empirical issues within personality psychology, with an emphasis on understanding how biological, social, and cultural factors shape personality.
4. Competently communicate critical analyses and applications of personality psychology theories and methods in written and oral formats.
5. Contribute effectively to group discussions through active participation, and with insightful, culturally sensitive, and respectful engagement.

Research-Led Teaching

There is a strong emphasis on research-led education in this course and each component of PSYC3026 is research-led. Lectures explicitly discuss research methods and personality assessment in personality psychology. In addition, each theory of personality is discussed in relation to empirical research it has generated. All assessment items have a strong research component, and students are expected to invest a significant amount of time in developing research skills.

Field Trips

NA

Additional Course Costs

NA

Examination Material or equipment

Permitted Materials:

Unannotated paper-based dictionary- for candidates with written approval from School.

Required Resources

Textbook: Funder, D. C. (2019). The personality puzzle: International student edition (8th ed.). W. W. Norton. ISBN: 978-0-393-42200-9

The textbook is also available at a lower cost as an e-book:

https://www.wileydirect.com.au/buy/the-personality-puzzle-8th-international-student-edition/

Recommended Resources

Recommended student system requirements 

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• two-way video conferencing for interactive learning
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings
• home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, etc.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Personality Psychology (Lecture 1, Chapter 1)
2	Research Methods (Lecture 2, Chapters 2 & 7)Introduction to Personality Psychology (Laboratory 1)
3	Personality Assessment (Lecture 3, Chapters 3 & 5)
4	The Trait Approach (Lecture 4, Chapters 4 & 6)Personality Assessment (Laboratory 2)
5	The Biological Approach (Lecture 5, Chapters 8 & 9)
6	Mid-Semester Assessment (Laboratory 3)	Mid-Semester Quiz
7	The Psychodynamic Approach (Lecture 6, Chapters 10 & 11)	Mid-Semester Case Study Report
8	The Phenomenological Approach (Lecture 7, Chapters 12 & 13)Student Conference (Laboratory 4)	Student Conference
9	The Social Cognitive Approach (Lecture 8, Chapters 14 & 15)Student Conference (Laboratory 5)	Student Conference
10	Applied Personality Psychology (Lecture 9, Chapter 16)Student Conference (Laboratory 6)	Student Conference
11	Personality Disorders (Lecture 10, Chapter 17)
12	Review and Summary (Lecture 11, Chapter 18)Review, Feedback, and Exam Preparation (Laboratory 7)

Tutorial Registration

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.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Course Participation	10 %	30/07/2024	01/11/2024	1,2,3,5
Student Conference Presentation	20 %	24/09/2024	25/10/2024	1,2,3,4,5
The Mid-Semester Quiz	10 %	27/08/2024	20/09/2024	1,2,3
The Mid-Semester Case Study Report	20 %	19/09/2024	10/10/2024	1,2,3,4
End of Semester Final Exam	40 %	31/10/2024	28/11/2024	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The University has returned to on campus only delivery for in person courses.

Students are expected to attend lectures and contribute to discussions. In addition to lectures, attendance and participation in laboratories/practical's is crucial to successful completion of your course. The School of Medicine and Psychology considers the laboratory/practical components to be an integral part of each course. Laboratory/practical classes may supplement and consolidate material covered in lectures and/or they may introduce entirely new material pertinent to the objectives of the course.

Examination(s)

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 2 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50%. 

Assessment Task 1

Course Participation

Course participation requires students to prepare for and actively engage in laboratory classes. This includes completing assigned readings, actively participating in laboratory activities, contributing to group discussions, asking and answering questions, and demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in the course. The obtained marks will reflect each student's contribution to their own and other students’ learning experience.

Due Date: 30 July 2024

Value: 10%

Assessment Task 2

Student Conference Presentation

Students will present on different dates, which will be discussed in laboratories. Presentations, modelled after academic conferences, will commence in Lab 4. The due date indicates the approximate date the first presentations are due, and the return date indicates the end of the teaching period. Throughout these presentations, students are expected to present themselves professionally, as they would when attending an actual academic conference.

A group of four to five students will be giving individual presentations in each session. Each student is expected to present for eight minutes and will be given two minutes to answer any questions from the class and the tutor. The class is expected to listen attentively and ask relevant questions. Each group should select a presentation chair. A student who acts as a chair is expected to: 1) introduce the session and each of the presenters; 2) manage the presenters’ time; and 3) manage the question-and-answer part(s) of the session. The group can decide whether the question-and-answer part should follow each presentation or take place at the end of the session.

The presentations are expected to be critical discussions of a topic in personality psychology. Each student in the lab is expected to present an analysis of a unique topic. You can use your textbook as a starter reference, but to be able to successfully evaluate the material, you need to go beyond the textbook. Note that you can briefly describe your topic (in a minute or two), but that the main aspect of the presentation is a critical analysis of the topic.

The topics will be given to students in their first lab. To approach your topic, consider the following questions and issues.

What do you think of the topic in general? Do the approaches, theories, arguments, methods, or studies make sense? What are their problems? Are there any logical issues with the topic? Are the theories logically constructed and empirically supported? Is their empirical support weak or strong? Are they original and creative approaches? Do they have very limited value? Have the theories or areas of research stimulated a lot of research? Do they have a strong or limited impact? Is there a definitive conceptual framework? Are the concepts clear and straightforward? Or are they vague and unclear? Do you think that more conceptual analysis needs to be done in this area? Why?

You may also want to carefully evaluate the research and its methods. For example, if most work in the area is correlational, elaborate on whether this might be problematic. Similarly, if most of the work is experimental, identify and discuss the main issues. Are the prevailing methodological approaches flawed or insufficient in a certain way?

Consider the main implications of this area. Are they theoretical? Empirical? Practical? What are the main limitations of the area? Conceptual? Theoretical? Methodological?

Reflect on what future studies should aim to achieve. Is there room for future research in this area? Or would scientists waste their time doing studies in the area? If you were to design studies in this area, how would you proceed? If you have a specific research design in mind, briefly describe a potential study.

Note that these are only some possible issues that you may want to consider in your presentation. You are free to ask many other questions and to focus on many other issues as well. Some of these questions are more relevant to certain topics, whereas other topics may require a different approach. Nevertheless, what you need to demonstrate in your presentation is a critical, rather than descriptive, approach to your topic.

Due Date: 25 September 2024

Value:20%

Assessment Task 3

The Mid-Semester Quiz

The quiz will assess your knowledge of the material we cover in lectures (weeks 1–5) and the associated textbook chapters. Format: To be advised on Wattle.

Due Date: 27 August 2024

Value:10%

Assessment Task 4

The Mid-Semester Case Study Report

The report will ask you to apply your knowledge of the material we cover in lectures (weeks 1–5) and the associated textbook chapters to a specific case study. Format: To be advised on Wattle.

Due Date: 19 September 2024

Value:20%

Assessment Task 5

End of Semester Final Exam

The exam will assess your knowledge of the material we cover in lectures (weeks 6–12) and the associated textbook chapters. Format: To be advised on Wattle.

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 2 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50%. 

Value: 40%

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

There will be no hard-copy submissions.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.

Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

The students will receive the marks and the feedback on their presentations in laboratories.

Assessments that have been submitted on time will be marked and available to download from the Turnitin link on Wattle, approximately three weeks after the due date. The exact return date will be posted on Wattle.

Late assignments (even those with formal extensions) will not be marked within this timeframe; our priority will be to mark the assignments that were handed in on time. We will aim to get the late assignments back before the end of semester. Marking of the late reports will commence once all on-time Laboratory Reports have been marked and returned.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission not permitted

Re-mark Policy

From the time, your assignment is available on Wattle; you have 10 working days in which to request a formal re-mark.

1. If you have any questions about the assessment of a submitted piece of work, or wish to have some of the comments clarified, email your questions to the course functional email account, this is on Wattle.
2. If you think, your assignment deserves a higher mark:  It is your responsibility to outline in writing why, in your opinion, the original mark does not reflect the true worth of the work.  Submit your request by email to the functional email account.
3. If the Course Convener agrees to a remark of your work, and as a result, the mark is altered, and you accept this change, then the procedure ends, and you will not be eligible for any further re-marking of this work.
4. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you can formally request a re-mark by an independent marker by sending your request to the functional email account for this course. 
5. The mark awarded by the independent marker for your assessment will become your final mark regardless, if it is higher, lower or the same as your original mark.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students