Research
From undergraduate to postgraduate, students are engaged in active research whether it's as participants or as researchers. The School has diverse research interests, including social cognition, cross-cultural psychology, language and communication, gender, memory, cognitive and social development, neuropsychology, abnormal and criminal behaviour, addiction, the effects of drugs on behaviour and cognition, reinforcement processes and comparative cognition.
Many of our staff are world renowned experts in their field and in addition to teaching and researching also act as reviewers and editors for international journals. With the varied research and teaching, staff contribute to, the School has access to extensive networks in the community and research collaborations across Victoria, New Zealand and the world.
Students receive the best supervision possible and graduate with well developed research skills, the ability to critically evaluate information and will be able to apply their skills to any field. Typically students will hone their communication skills by participating in poster sessions or demonstrate psychology phenomena to stakeholder groups and of course by attending conferences. All of these experiences make our students dynamic, versatile and equipped for whatever career path they may take in the future.
Conducting Research
The School takes the responsibility of protecting the privacy, safety, health, cultural sensitivities and welfare of research participants seriously. Under the guidance of the University Human Ethics Committee, the School acts to ensure the protection of the interests of research participants and that of the researcher. All research conducted within the School that is of a sensitive nature or that may affect people's privacy, rights and freedoms are reviewed by the School of Psychology Ethics Committee.
The School provides a Maori Research Advisor to provide guidance, advice and support to all staff and postgraduate researchers on:
- cultural and ethical considerations when researching with Maori participants
- developing a Maori focus for research
- useful resources and contacts
- appropriate research methodology
- Maori consultation