12 Psychology (12PSY)
12PSY Course DescriptionTeacher in Charge: Nadene Brouwer, Tabitha McGee.
Recommended Prior LearningOpen Entry
This is a literacy rich subject, fluent reading skills are required.
12 Psychology
Why do people think, feel, and behave the way they do?
Step into the world of psychology and explore how human behaviour is understood, researched, and debated. This course introduces you to key psychological approaches, research methods, and real-world issues that help explain what drives people, and why they sometimes act in unexpected ways.
You will:
Explore major psychological perspectives and how they explain human behaviour
Investigate real-world topics like addiction, aggression, relationships, and more
Discuss big psychological debates, such as nature vs nurture
Learn how to carry out your own psychological research
Examine ethical issues and responsibilities in psychology, both locally and nationally
Perfect for curious thinkers, future changemakers, and anyone interested in understanding people (including yourself). Psychology is a great fit for careers in health, education, law, social services, business and beyond.
Course Overview
Term 1
Term 1 – Psychology’s Big Debates
AS91846 (3 credits)
Examine how a psychological debate has changed over time
What shapes us more—our biology or our environment? Are people born violent, or shaped by their experiences? In this first unit, you’ll explore a major psychological debate and how thinking around it has evolved over time. This is a chance to build your critical thinking and dive into some of psychology’s most controversial questions.
AS91848 (3 credits)
Examine ethical issues in psychological practice
Would the Milgram experiment be allowed today? Could Little Albert even happen? In this unit, you’ll investigate how ethical standards in psychology have changed and why they matter. You’ll apply the New Zealand Code of Ethics to famous studies and explore how psychologists today balance curiosity with care.
Term 2
What Drives Human Behaviour?
AS91844 (6 credits)
Examine different psychological approaches used to explain behaviour
Why do people become addicted, lash out, fall in love, take risks or keep repeating the same patterns? In this course, you’ll explore the psychology behind human behaviour by looking at it through different lenses. You’ll choose a behaviour that interests you (like addiction, aggression, attachment, or something else entirely) and investigate how it’s explained by different psychological approaches.
You’ll learn how each approach offers its own unique explanation, what research backs it up, and where each one falls short. By the end, you’ll be able to compare and evaluate different ways of understanding why we do what we do.
Term 3
Conduct Psychological Research (With Support)
Ever wanted to run your own psychological experiment?
In this course, you’ll learn how to plan and carry out a real piece of psychological research. With support, you’ll explore how psychologists investigate human thinking and behaviour and get a chance to try it yourself.
You’ll develop skills in designing research, collecting and analysing data, and making sense of your results. Along the way, you’ll explore fascinating topics like attention, memory, emotion, learning, neurodiversity, the brain, and behaviour in real-world settings (like car crashes or cellphone use).
Term 4
Term 4 is dedicated towards providing reassessment opportunities for students, and allowing students the opportunity to explore areas of psychology of personal interest to them.
There is no exam for Psychology at Level Two.
Extension Opportunity: Psych in the Real World (Podcast)
AS91847 (5 credits)
Examine how theory is used in fields of psychological practice
What does a forensic psychologist actually do? How does theory shape real work in education or mental health? As an optional challenge, you’ll explore a field of psychology and create a short podcast episode unpacking how theory meets the real world.
Assessment Information
Possible Credits
External - 0 credits
Internal - 16 credits
Extra Opportunities - 5 credits