PSYC10004 Mind, Brain and Behaviour 2
PSYC10004 Overview
- University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
- Semester 2, 2026
- an undergraduate level 1 subject
- 12.5 points
- a first-year psychology subject that can also be taken as breadth in eligible degrees
- 40% lab report of no more than 1,500 words, 55% end-of-semester examination, and up to 5% optional Research Experience Program credit
PSYC10004 Mind, Brain and Behaviour 2 connects Clinical, Developmental, Social and Personality Psychology with a semester-long Quantitative Psychological Research Methods strand. It is taught within University of Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. It is an undergraduate level 1 subject. It carries 12.5 points.
- PSYC10004 grading Lab Report 40% · Final Examination 55% · Research Experience Program 5% · 2 more published item(s)
- PSYC10004 task mode Plan around this operating format: The examination is worth 55%, runs for no more than three hours and contains 120 multiple-choice questions across all five topic areas.
- PSYC10004 pressure point The main transfer challenge is this: Moving cleanly from a research question to an operational definition, a defensible design, the correct statistical test and a qualified conclusion.
- PSYC10004 pass rule Before relying on the total mark, apply this control: Two explicit hurdles apply: complete the Assessment Literacy Module and attend at least 80% of practical classes, operationalised as 9 of 11 classes. The captured assessment page is internally inconsistent about whether every marked assessment must also be completed, so confirm that separate rule in the current course site.
How PSYC10004 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Lab Report | 40% | Individual report of no more than 1,500 words; due date is published in the current Canvas site |
| Final Examination | 55% | Up to three hours; 120 MCQ; on campus, invigilated, Canvas quiz with Respondus LockDown Browser |
| Research Experience Program | 5% | Optional credit at 1% per hour up to five hours; an alternative provision is available |
| Assessment Literacy Module · hurdle | Hurdle | Must be completed; supports use of the lab-report marking criteria |
| Practical Attendance · hurdle | Hurdle | At least 80%, operationalised as 9 of 11 practical classes |
The published marks are 40% lab report, 55% final examination and up to 5% optional REP credit. Two explicit hurdles apply: the Assessment Literacy Module and at least 9 of 11 practicals. The assessment page contradicts itself about whether every marked task must be completed, so students must confirm that separate operational rule in the current Subject Guide or Canvas announcement.
Current PSYC10004 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 2026 · 23:59 | Lab Report | Captured current-offering deadline; confirm changes in Canvas |
| 23 Oct 2026 · 08:00 | REP completion deadline | Applies to the optional Research Experience Program route |
Current-offering dates captured in the course materials. Confirm changes and exact submission settings in the live LMS.
What PSYC10004 covers
Build the course in three arcs: Research Cycle, Assessment Architecture and Hurdles establishes the frame, Study Design, Variables and Research Ethics deepens it, and Psychology Lab Report and Final-Exam Synthesis tests the complete method.
Research Cycle, Assessment Architecture and Hurdles
40/55/+5 mark architecture · ALM and 9-of-11 hurdles · question-to-evidence cycle · build one ledger separating marks, hurdles, due dates and the disputed completion wording02Clinical Psychology: Distress, Diagnosis and Context
mental health continuum · diagnostic classification · culture and stigma · compare how classification can organise care while also shaping identity, access and stigma03Human Development Across the Lifespan
developmental change · research design by age · cohort and context · distinguish age-related change from cohort, measurement and sampling explanations04Social Psychology: Person, Group and Situation
social cognition · group influence · culture and situation · explain a behaviour through person-situation interaction and test a plausible alternative05Personality Psychology and Individual Differences
trait description · person-situation consistency · measurement validity · use trait evidence to predict cautiously while preserving situational and measurement limits06Research Questions, Constructs and Operational Definitions
research question · construct and variable · operational definition · turn a psychological idea into measurable variables and a falsifiable prediction07Study Design, Variables and Research Ethics
independent and dependent variables · experimental control · ethical research conduct · choose a design that can answer the question while protecting participants and acknowledging confounds08Distributions, Descriptive Statistics and Z-Scores
centre and variability · distribution shape · standardised score · describe a distribution and locate an observation relative to its mean and standard deviation09Probability, Samples and Sampling Distributions
probability model · random sample · standard error · connect sample size and population variability to the stability of a sample statistic10Null-Hypothesis Significance Testing
null and alternative hypotheses · test statistic · p-value and decision · state hypotheses, calculate or read the test result and separate the statistical decision from the substantive conclusion11Single-Sample and Independent-Samples t-Tests
single-sample t-test · independent groups · standard error of a difference · select the correct t-test from the sampling structure and interpret direction, magnitude and uncertainty12Repeated Measures, Correlation and JASP Output
paired observations · difference scores · Pearson correlation · distinguish within-person comparison from association and extract the relevant result from JASP output13Psychology Lab Report and Final-Exam Synthesis
APA-style research report · result-to-discussion chain · five-topic retrieval plan · write a report whose claims match the analysis and build an exam plan spanning every substantive and methods strandIt is positioned as a first-year psychology subject that can also be taken as breadth in eligible degrees.
Two lectures each week build the four substantive psychology areas, while online research-methods modules and practical classes develop study design, data analysis and lab-report writing.
The common thread is learning to distinguish an observation, a statistical result and a warranted psychological conclusion.
Assessment in PSYC10004 is distributed as follows: 40% lab report of no more than 1,500 words, 55% end-of-semester examination, and up to 5% optional Research Experience Program credit
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
The examination is worth 55%, runs for no more than three hours and contains 120 multiple-choice questions across all five topic areas.
It is held on campus under invigilated conditions as a Canvas quiz using Respondus LockDown Browser.
What makes PSYC10004 demanding is concrete: Moving cleanly from a research question to an operational definition, a defensible design, the correct statistical test and a qualified conclusion.
Students can recognise a topic yet still lose the logic when they confuse a sample result with a population claim or report significance without effect direction and study limitations.
Two explicit hurdles apply: complete the Assessment Literacy Module and attend at least 80% of practical classes, operationalised as 9 of 11 classes.
The captured assessment page is internally inconsistent about whether every marked assessment must also be completed, so confirm that separate rule in the current course site.
Build the course in three arcs: Research Cycle, Assessment Architecture and Hurdles establishes the frame, Study Design, Variables and Research Ethics deepens it, and Psychology Lab Report and Final-Exam Synthesis tests the complete method.
Coverage note: the assessment page contradicts itself about whether every assessment must be completed, so students must confirm that operational rule in the current Subject Guide or Canvas announcement.
From construct to defensible psychological result
- 1Operationalise stress and identify the independent-groups design.
- 1State the comparison and the assumptions required by the selected test.
- 1Report direction, magnitude and uncertainty from the result.
- 1Name the design boundary that prevents a causal conclusion.
Key terms
- Hypothesis testing
- A formal procedure that compares observed sample evidence with predictions made under a stated null hypothesis.
- Operational definition
- A precise statement of how a theoretical construct is measured, manipulated or classified in a particular study.
- Z-score
- A standardised score expressing how many standard deviations an observation lies above or below a distribution mean.
- Sampling distribution
- The probability distribution of a statistic across all possible samples of a fixed size from a population.
- Single-sample t-test
- A test comparing one sample mean with a specified population or benchmark value when population variance is unknown.
- Independent-samples t-test
- A test comparing the means of two separate groups whose observations are not paired or repeatedly measured.
- Repeated-measures t-test
- A test comparing two related means obtained from the same participants or from meaningfully matched observations.
- Pearson correlation
- A coefficient measuring the direction and strength of a linear relationship between two quantitative variables.
PSYC10004 FAQ
How is PSYC10004 assessed?
40% lab report of no more than 1,500 words, 55% end-of-semester examination, and up to 5% optional Research Experience Program credit
Does PSYC10004 have a hurdle or component-level pass rule?
Two explicit hurdles apply: complete the Assessment Literacy Module and attend at least 80% of practical classes, operationalised as 9 of 11 classes. The captured assessment page is internally inconsistent about whether every marked assessment must also be completed, so confirm that separate rule in the current course site.
Which current PSYC10004 dates are captured?
Lab Report: 18 Sep 2026 · 23:59; REP completion deadline: 23 Oct 2026 · 08:00. Confirm any change and the exact submission setting in the live LMS.
Where do students usually lose marks in PSYC10004?
Moving cleanly from a research question to an operational definition, a defensible design, the correct statistical test and a qualified conclusion. Students can recognise a topic yet still lose the logic when they confuse a sample result with a population claim or report significance without effect direction and study limitations.
What is the PSYC10004 exam or final-task format?
The examination is worth 55%, runs for no more than three hours and contains 120 multiple-choice questions across all five topic areas. It is held on campus under invigilated conditions as a Canvas quiz using Respondus LockDown Browser.
What prerequisites or restrictions apply to PSYC10004?
Check the current official handbook before enrolling in PSYC10004; prerequisites are not inferred from its course number.
Is this PSYC10004 resource an official university guide?
No. It is an independent PSYC10004 study resource; current institutional instructions remain authoritative for assessment operation.
How to study for the exam
Retrieve the course map, practise the recurring method—translate a psychological question into constructs and operational definitions, select a defensible design and analysis, then interpret the evidence without crossing the study boundary—on changed scenarios, and verify every operational assessment detail in the live institutional system.
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