Inherent requirements - Honours

Psychology is a profession governed by the codes, guidelines and policies of the PsyBA  where psychologists are deemed accountable and responsible for ensuring professional behaviour in all contexts. Psychology graduates who do not go on to further training in psychology are likely to work in professional settings that have similar expectations around accountability, responsibility and ethical behaviour.

Student demonstrates knowledge of, and engages in ethical behaviour in meeting course requirements.

Justification of inherent requirement:

Compliance with professional codes, workplace policies and standards helps to ensure that the graduate can engage with others in safe and effective interactions in a fair and equitable manner.  This supports the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of all.

Exemplars:

• Acting ethically in managing confidential or sensitive personal information.
• Engaging with others in a professional manner consistent with workplace and societal expectations, including on social media.
• Accepting responsibility for one’s decisions and actions.
• Demonstrating academic integrity in completing assessment tasks.
• Complying with codes and guidelines of ethical conduct of research.

Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in a professional role.

Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic and professional environment, which may at times be challenging and unpredictable.

Justification of inherent requirement:

Behavioural stability is required to work effectively as an individual and as part of a team.  Students will be challenged by study requirements, the material studied, and the views and behaviour of others.  They will be required to manage their own behaviour in responding to these challenges objectively and professionally.

Exemplars:

• Managing one’s own emotional state in order to work effectively as part of a team
• Accepting constructive criticism in a way that allows reflection, and learning and skill development to occur
• Managing one’s time in order to meet responsibilities to oneself and others in an ethical and professional manner
• Seeking help from staff in a manner which appropriately recognises one’s responsibilities and capacities

Professional psychology practice is mandated by legislation to enable the safe delivery of support.  Compliance with regulations related to curricular and extracurricular learning experiences.

Student demonstrates knowledge and compliance with relevant laws and professional regulations.

Justification of inherent requirement:

Knowledge of, and compliance with, regulatory requirements are a pre-requisite for any professional practice in psychology in order to ensure the safety of oneself and others.  It is also necessary for some learning opportunities (e.g. work integrated learning, internships) that may be part of the curriculum or extracurricular, as well as complying with University policies.

Exemplars:

• Complying with requirements to obtain particular clearances.
• Completing all administrative processes necessary to complete educational activities, e.g. following University procedures in applying for an extension.
• Completing mandatory online training modules in a timely manner, e.g. on studying, career development and research ethics.

Effective verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to provide safe and effective delivery of psychology information and to perform competently in a professional environment in Australia.

Student demonstrates:

An ability to convey information orally in a clear and concise manner to individuals and groups, at a level of sophistication appropriate for the audience, and to respond competently to questions arising from the presentation of that information

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Professional activities that draw on the skills developed in a psychology degree require effective verbal communication skills in order to work with others, individually or in groups, in pursuit of common goal.
• Clear communication enhances the efficiency of work activities in many areas, including by displaying respect and empathy, and can influence safety and well-being.

Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure appropriate support. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor.

Exemplars:

• Participating in classroom discussions effectively and in a manner that respects other students and staff.
• Completing individual or group presentations in class.
• Accurately providing information to other group members in a timely manner.

Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to the psychology profession and enhances the effectiveness of verbal communication in any profession.

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of their own behaviours
• Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
• Displaying consistent and culturally appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
• Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences demonstrates respect and empathy to others and facilitates effective communication.

Adjustments must enable the recognition, assessment and initiation of an appropriate response to non-verbal cues as well as initiation of effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor.

Exemplars:

• Recognising and responding appropriately to non-verbal cues in classroom situations.
• Monitoring and controlling own non-verbal communication to avoid displays of disrespect for other students and staff.

Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental psychology student responsibility with professional and legal ramifications.

Student demonstrates:

Capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards is necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter.
• Accurate and effective written communication for a range of purposes and audiences is an important component in many professional contexts that a psychology graduate might work in.

Adjustments must not compromise the necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in academic settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor.

Exemplars:

• Constructing an essay to required academic standards.
• Accurately conveying technical and statistical information associated with psychological research, particularly in the form of a scientific report.
• Communicating the results of psychological research and psychological principles to a general audience.
• Using appropriate language to provide feedback to other students

The ability to gather information, to understand psychological concepts and apply that understanding is an essential component of a psychology program.  The ability to understand communications from others, in both oral and written form, is essential to perform competently in a professional environment.

Student demonstrates:

• An ability to understand oral and written communication accurately, and to seek clarification to establish a mutual understanding.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Professional activities that draw on the skills developed in a psychology degree require effective verbal communication skills in order to work with others, individually or in groups, in pursuit of common goals.
• Clear communication enhances the efficiency of work activities in many areas, including by displaying respect and empathy, and can influence safety and well-being.

Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure appropriate support. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor.

Exemplars:

• Understanding the requirements of assessment activities.
• Extracting task-appropriate information from written and oral sources.

The ability to review academic literature, synthesise knowledge, analyse data, think critically about psychological concepts and phenomena are essential to the study of psychology and reflect skills that are important in many professional areas.

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to locate information that is appropriate and relevant to the task.
• The ability to explain behaviours in terms of psychological concepts and processes.
• An understanding of the relationship between data and psychological theory.
• The capacity to understand and conduct appropriate statistical analyses.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• A sound knowledge of psychological principles is required in order to apply them effectively in a professional context.  It includes the ability to recognise the limits of one’s knowledge and the ability to source appropriate knowledge.

Exemplars:

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Drawing justifiable conclusions from a set of data based on appropriate statistical analysis.
• Developing an appropriate research question and methodology for an Honours-level research thesis

Competent literacy skills are essential to effective performance in all professions.

Student demonstrates 

• The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate, effective messages.
• The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information.
• The capacity to understand and implement academic and practice conventions to construct written text in an appropriate manner for the intended audience.

Justification of inherent requirement:

•  The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to competent professional practice.

Exemplars:

• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic and/or professional practice conventions.

Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential in many areas of professional activity.

Student demonstrates the ability to interpret and correctly apply numerical data, measurement and numerical criteria.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in psychology to facilitate accurate and effective delivery of results when collecting and interpreting numerical data.

Exemplars:

• Accurately interpreting psychological test results.
• Accurately gathering and interpreting data using specialist software, e.g. SPSS.
• Effectively communicating an understanding of statistical concepts and analyses

The ability to use interpersonal skills to establish and maintain strong relationships with people enhances effective performance in all professional contexts

Student demonstrates The ability to engage and relate appropriately in classroom activities and group assessments.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Highly developed relational skills are a cornerstone of effective therapeutic relationships that permit effective engagement, assessment, intervention and closure.
• Many professional activities that involve working with other people benefit from the establishment of clear, respectful relationships and the development of trust.

Exemplars:

• Relating effectively, openly and sensitively to academic staff, research supervisors and other students.
• Demonstrating sensitivity to others personal and cultural values in class discussions

Professional psychology practice requires self-awareness and a capacity for reflection and reflexivity in order to consider the effect of one's own issues, actions, values and behaviours.  This capacity is beneficial to effective performance in many other professional areas.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to accurately reflect on their performance.
• Awareness of own responses to constructive criticism and feedback.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Working effectively with others is facilitated by the ability to notice, understand and effectively manage one's own reactions to situations that may arise.
• Professional psychology training requires well developed understanding of oneself in order to appropriately engage with clinical supervision of and feedback on work with clients.

Exemplars:

•  Identifying one’s own response to the behaviour of other students when working in groups.
• Reflecting on feedback on assignments in a constructive manner that results in improved performance on later work.
• Reflecting on and responding appropriately to feedback, comments and suggestions from research supervisors and others

Academic performance and professional psychology practice requires both physiological and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level to meet individual and group needs.

Student demonstrates:

• An ability to consistently complete tasks in a timely manner within a specified period of time.
• The ability to plan and manage competing demands from multiple tasks.
• The capacity to focus on details and accurately meet the requirements of a task.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient energy and mental endurance is an essential requirement for effective therapeutic practice which requires concentration on the activity during an assigned period to provide effective support.
• The ability to manage commitments and devote sufficient time to academic activities over a sustained period is necessary to perform effectively in an academic setting.

Exemplars:

• Attending and participating in educational settings, e.g. tutorials, lectures.
• Completing assessments in the allotted time.
• Sustained effort over a prolonged time period, whilst managing competing demands, in order to complete of a research dissertation