Implementation workshop VCE Psychology 2013 − 2016 July-August 2012

Purpose The aims of this session include: to provide specific information regarding changes to curriculum and assessment for VCE Psychology as a result of a move to a single end-of-year examination of two-and-a- half hours duration to gather feedback/questions/comments regarding implementation in order to produce a set of FAQs to support delivery of the revised study design for VCE Psychology from 2013.

Online publication of VCE Study Designs From 2013, all VCE study designs, advice for teachers, resources and assessment handbooks will be available in an online format only (i.e. no hard copies) Online publications will include a publication/update date Teachers will be advised of major updates through the VCAA Bulletin VCE, VET and VCAL

Summary of changes A number of key knowledge points across Units 3 and 4 have been deleted and/or edited for clarity and scope, and changes have been made to School-assessed Coursework. These have been published in the VCAA Bulletin VCE, VCAL and VET Supplement 1, No. 97, July Reminder: teachers may subscribe to the VCAA Bulletin Online – refer to VCAA home page.VCAA home page

Teaching and learning resources Changes to the study design have been made with the intention that teachers may continue to use existing teaching and learning resources The Summary of changes for VCE Psychology on the VCAA website should assist teachers to identify study content and sections in current texts which may no longer be applicable to the accredited 2013–2016 course Teachers should note that some publishers are producing revised materials – it is a school/teacher- based decision as to whether new resources are purchased and/or utilised

Curriculum changes Key knowledge deletions editing of key knowledge for clarity and scope Research methodologies consolidated across Units 3 and 4, and pruned Specific phobia becomes one of four mental illnesses (specific phobia or major depression or gambling or schizophrenia) from which one is studied

Assessment changes Single end-of-year examination of 2½ hours duration Examination:SAC = 60:40 (change from 66:34) Unit 3 and 4 SAC tasks and mark allocations have changed The study of a mental disorder and its management (one of: specific phobia or major depression or gambling or schizophrenia) is assessed through School-assessed Coursework only (i.e. not end-of-year examination)

Unit 3 Key Knowledge: Deletions The following knowledge points have been deleted from Unit 3: consciousness as a psychological construct perceptual anomalies application and use of brain research methods specific inclusion of the work of Kandel role of RAS and thalamus mnemonic devices: peg-word method; method of loci

Unit 4 Key Knowledge: Deletions The following knowledge points have been deleted from Unit 4: use of imaging technologies in identification of localised changes in the brain due to learning specific tasks one-trial learning; insight learning; latent learning; specific reference to Thorndike’s puzzle-box experiment strengths and limitations of Selyes’ General Adaptation Syndrome

Key Knowledge: Clarifications purpose of sleep electromyograph (EMG) role of the temporal lobe including the hippocampus and the amygdala the neuron in memory formation including the role of axons, dendrites, synapses and neurotransmitters organisation of long-term memory including declarative (episodic and semantic) and procedural memory, and sematic network theory the neural basis of learning – the development of neural pathways including the role of axons, dendrites, synapses and neurotransmitters

Research methodologies one set of research methodologies and ethical principles applies across both Unit 3 and Unit 4 reporting conventions have been specified to follow reporting conventions as per American Psychological Association (APA) format Deleted: artificiality; demand characteristics; brain imaging and recording technologies; reliability including internal consistency; validity including construct and external; use of animals in research; advantages and limitations of the use of non-human animals in research in terms of generalisations and conclusions; role of ethics committees

School-assessed Coursework contributes 40 per cent to the study score - Unit 3 SAC: 20 per cent - Unit 4 SAC: 20 per cent should form part of the teaching and learning program, both in terms of formative (including diagnostic) and summative assessment

Unit 3 SAC: Report of a research investigation Report of a research investigation related to memory conducted by the student 50 marks (out of 100 for the unit) may be a single, extended investigation may be a multi-part investigation composed of a series of shorter experiments linked to a particular aspect of memory may be student-designed or teacher-assigned should relate to development of skills listed on page 13 should incorporate aspects of the research methodologies listed on page 22

Unit 4 SAC: Annotated folio of activities Folio of at least five practical activities and annotations of at least three of these activities to illustrate selected aspects of learning 50 marks (out of 100 for the unit) some marks should be allocated to the completion of folio activities practical activities may be undertaken individually or in groups, but assessment of the annotations must be completed individually

FAQs A set of Frequently Asked Questions will be published on the VCE Psychology study page of the VCAA website to support implementation of the revised study design 2013−2016

Advice for Teachers The Advice for Teachers has been updated to include relevant employability skills derived from the Employability Skills Framework against specified assessment tasks for Units 1 –4

Assessment Handbook The Assessment Handbook for VCE Psychology 2013−2016 will be available from the VCE Psychology study page prior to Term

Resources The list of resources will be updated annually by the VCAA and will be available from the VCE Psychology page Educators may submit suggested references for inclusion on the resource list to the Curriculum Manager for Science at the VCAA

Examination conditions 15 minutes reading time 150 minutes writing time Question and Answer book + Multiple Choice answer sheet 60 per cent contribution to Study Score

Examination content All outcomes in Units 3 and 4, all the key knowledge and key skills, and the set of research methodologies and ethical principles for Units 3 and 4, except content related to the study of a specific mental disorder Students will be required to apply Psychology knowledge and skills to both Unit 3 and/or Unit 4 Some questions may include content from more than one Area of study within a Unit and/or content which may cross both Units 3 and 4

Examination format and mark allocation Three sections: Section A - 65 marks: multiple choice questions Section B - 60 marks: variety of question types Section C - 15 marks: short-answer and extended response Examination will be out of 140 marks

Examination: Section A 65 questions 65 marks Multiple choice All questions compulsory

Examination: Section B 60 marks Variety of question types including descriptions and explanations Section not divided according to Areas of study All questions compulsory

Examination: Section C One compulsory, research-based scenario 15 marks No optional questions The research scenario may relate to one or more of the Areas of study There will be some short answer questions relating to the scenario and one extended response question worth approximately 10 marks

Approved examination materials Approved: Stationery: pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners and rulers Not approved: Blank sheets of paper Correction fluid Calculator

Examination advice Each examination will follow the examination specifications and will test a representative sample of the key knowledge and key skills The number of marks provides a guide to the complexity of the expected answer/s

Sample examination paper Most of the questions were sourced from previous years' papers Solutions to past examination questions can be accessed by referring to the relevant Assessment Reports available on the VCAA website Some questions were specifically developed to illustrate that questions can draw upon understanding of concepts across Units 3 and 4 Teachers will be provided – as examples – with two different types of questions that may be asked in Section C to illustrate different ways of approaching a given research scenario; only one of these types of questions will be included in Section C in any given examination

Contact VCAA branchScience ManagerContact Details CurriculumMaria JamesTel: AssessmentKris AllenTel: © Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2012