General

THE . AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY .

,FACuLTY OF SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

ANNuAL REPORT 1974

2· I

90/1975

After very det:ailed 'discussion in Departmental Committee and Liaison Committee Psychology courses for 1975 and 1976 underwent major revi~ion. The plans for 1975 have been approved by the Faculties of Science ·and of Arts. Plans for 1976 will be submitted to the Faculties in early 1975.

Student pressures, mentioned in last year's report, for more applied work in the department and a more direct approach to the profession of psychol.ogy as d1sti1lct from the· science of psychology·, ·came to a h~ad

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during 19-74. ..A petition signed· by a number of ·junior students led to ~··. lengthy d·iscusaion in· Liaison Committee and Departmental Comm1ttee and.' "-· ·' · to a special evening meeting of all interested · students and staff. · · · After explanations bad been made there was an unequivoca_l acceptance of the principle . that the science of behavi<»r must be learned· before it is approp~i.ate . to discuss applications · especially in the highly ; , .. " sensitive areas · of .counselling and clinical psychology. The Depart­mental Manual will in future make this orientation crystal clear so · · ·· that intending students will not enter the department with false expectations, usually derived from -the uninformed treatment Psychology receives in the· 111aSs media of communication.

Much effort was made in 1974 to evaluate the many innovations in ' assessment which have been introduced in psychology courses. Dfs­cussion has made it plain that most of these have greater disadvantages for both students and staff than have the traditional methods. As a consequence of this process, however, the Department has adopted what might be regarded as an asses~ment policy which will be made known to students enrolling in courses .in 1975. The guide lines which will be followed are: ' '. .

Whatever the assessment formula adopted for a parti~ular course the .. follow~g ~~nciple~ will ·apply: . , .. i . ,_,,

S~nie element or elements of . tqe assessmen~ i~ eacb . C9,~rse will be structured in such a way that the 'teacher will.

· know and can certify that it relies solely on :t:he work ,. '· of the student concerned.

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2. A satisfactory level of performance must be achieved in this particular work.

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3. In order to achieve .a pass irt the course, a satisfactory level must be achieved in the work for the course taken as a whole. (This does not mean that a "pass11 must be achieved in each or every element of the assessment)

4. A conmon assessment procedur.e will be used for all students in any one course.

Courses and Examination Results

Enrolments and examination results are indicated in the ,appendix. ;.:.:

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Stude'rtt' -l>~rticip~ti6d · I

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Rearrangement of the machinery ·for student participation was very

90/197.9

effective in 1974. The Liaison Committee of some 13 students (chosen by students on a cour~e representational basis) . and some 12 st9,tf. members, an~ chaif.e.~ "-by . t~~ - H~_ad . p~ , .the.)l~p<;trtment met . r~_g_l,ll,51rly ..

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(appro~tf!.y . f~i::~i;i.ight~Y:?i~?:v:~r ... a· sa°'dwich lunclJ. provi.~. ~Y ' Jh~ ..... . Depart~tft.~ ... · .If .. ~:.}~.~p1s~t,9,1.1F ~~r.e a~l!l,ays ami;cabl~, .of~.~n:1 '.intense . and; · , .... usually_ ,~err . ~~1 , .. t-~ tp·rr: ·l?Pf~,~! ·... ~~.ude,nt - ;f.Jlifluenc_e , .~n . t~e ;~e~.l.>.Lting · · · , . : ·'i. new course ~ff~f~u.r.~. h;"l-~f:·b~!e'1. cp.~s;:l,,~rW>le. :" :" ' . '.,.,.,,~ ' . . " ; .. ·" .J)

~.~ r.,,. ,, , : . , l)""f•it"'·f::· ,.·· ·::· ::-i .. ··1~'-j · .. !..., !.. ,·•({ .: , t • j(I' . . . -... ~-,. ·~

All member~· p-f)·t1!fe~·it.1al's.~n'_~:o~.t;..~.e, . ;w.ere:; .also members of the .. ;'" ·' '" Department~!~ •Cooiuiit:tee __ wht.f P:., ~e:~~! :~?-~:t:nigllt;:J.y. ".Stud~nl= : participation in this _c::o~tfte.e wa:s , ~~~J.~r ;·:'.minimal r " This is cl ea,;- · conf irma .. tion of the conf;tdenc~ .s~tuderlts, ·na'd in tlte :n'epartment _- and the great respect the liirge:r ~~p~f.~~~·t~)...: .Got111,1i.tte.e" ~how~d for j udgmen tri" of the Lia.iso~ .. Comm,itt~~: ~ ", ,, .l;leference .l>ac.k and forth dic;l occasionally prolong '· discussion · and slow down decision-,.making proces.ses., . and occasionally there were feelings of frustration on all sides. The overall judgment of bpth students. and staff, however, is that the machinery wor~ed well .and it .will .be continued in 1975.

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Research. ':. ,•' ,J

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During 1974 twelve . post-graduate students .. ha'.ve been pursuing full-time . research in . the department. · There has ·been no great change in the directions of the research of staff members. The highlight of the year has been Dr. Darroch's success in . sharing with Dr. Masri Singarimbun, or Gadja "}!<i<ia: iUrtiversity, Jogj akarta . (Indonesia)'' a . Rockefe.ll~r Foundation grant of $50,000 for a cross-nation~! study of ' Values of Children to be carried out in Indonesia in 1975. Dr. Darroch has also ·:be~· engaged ' in .. a review of social behaviour 'in times of famine. Di! .L 1Gladsto'n'es r 'computer-based tracking "t 'asks have become fully operat'ive i¥i.' •1974 and two sets of data coiiEicted await analysis. Mr. Bossley has begun a study of st:udent re·sidence architecture as it influences social int~raction.

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3. 90/1975

Publications

id J . 1 B r , .E., & Bennett, A.

pictures and nouns. 1974, 18, 117-127.

A developmental study of recognition of Journal of Experimental Child fsychology,

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Carroll, D. Orienting arid Defence Reaction to Simt>le Auditory St.imul:ation in Man. : British journal of Psychology, 1974, 65, 53-58.··": .,.., "\:

on justralia. In Social and of ferti1it ' in Asia. H.P. David and

, Transnational Family Re.search Institut~,

Provins, K. A. , :& Jeeves, M.A. 1 · Hemisphere Differences in Response

Time · to Simple Auditory Stimuli. aeuropsycholoaia, 1974, .!£., .. , ;.

Tebec.is, A.K., & Provins, K.A. Accuracy on Time Estimation during Hypnosis. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 1974, 39, 1123-1126.

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Thains, W.K• Varying Processing Time i11 Directed Forgetting. Journal of Vel'bal ·Learning and VeFbal Behavior, 1974, .!l• 539-5". , P

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Other Act·ivities

Naturally ~h6u~h a . ~~er of me!11hers of the department have been . , , . . I " , . . .

involved in · the planning for the 46th ANZAAS Congress to be held in C&nberra '. in .Janua'ry 1975. 1 Professor Gibb has been Chairman of the · Congress Organizing Committee and is President of Section 23. Profe•aor Seagrim is Chairman of Section 23 with responsibility for organizing that section's programme.

Many members of :staff .have continued a variety of activities as consultants, assistants and organb;ation officer.a. Professor Provins remains a member of the Course Development Committee in Physical Education of the Victoria Institute of Colleges and a member of the Course Development· Committee in Psychology of the Caulfield Institute of Advanced Education. He has also been a member of the N.H. & M.R.C. Working Party on the contribution of psychology to Occupational Health and is author of the draft report on the topic. Dr. Middleton ·continues to be a member of the Film Board of Review. Dr. Gladstones is Publicity J fficer of the Ergonomics Society of Australia and New Zealand and Australian representative on the editorial board of Ergonomics Abstracts.

1 Not a member of this University.

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4. . ·' . -·" : ; . . J 90/1.975

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_. . i . · · r · .- . : ..... ·. ; c .t ".l r? ~-~ i · ! . · . : f -.: :i -1 t):J He remains a ~emb .er of tl.w.J>µblic ~~fMi~e .~J>fl-JP , Free. P~ac~. S'.~l~f~~on . Committee and of the. Human Factors Committee of the Standards ·-! (·

Association of Australia. Dr. Darroch is a member of the Australasian .... ".: , . Club of Rome Council • .. ~e has also been a committee. member and . participan~, .in :presen t9-'~ion ~f "Man: anq ,Landscape !n ~us tlalia"-: : a. symposium spoµsot:ed by the Australian .mras·co Committee· for ·Man" and the Biosphere. He remains a consultant to the N.C.D.C. and to the Depa.rt-ment of Environment and Conservation on city planning a~d on the development of So~4il.: .;I:~dicator;; ip .. the· programme 9f t;h~ o.,E.C.D •

. :· '..· . Some outside teaching .has been undertaken. Dr. Cook lectured on Perception .. iµ, . th~ . E~'!i~prnnent:al Design ~oµi:~e a_t .. _c. C.A.·E., Professor Pentony offer.ed· :a. .col.!r.se :of t en two-.hour lectures for. the C~ntie .Qf Continuing Education on "The Helping Relationship" . Both he 'an·d Professor Gibb gave . s~_ri.es ._of .).ectut;es in the Counsellqr T?;"aining Programme of t;h.~ Cail\IDgn~eal.t,4, Dep~i;:tm_ent qf Educat.i12µ._ ,_. - ci'i:.ofe~soi;- Gibb gave invited le'ctures als'o '1Ilii-course for officers of' 'tTT'r! '.l'ldt'E.au-- of Statistics and at the Army Officer Cadet School, Portsea.

Within the University there were a number of extra-curricular involve-ments. Professor Provins is Dean of the Faculty of Science after being Deputy ,.D.,'7-,811 .~nt~~ .,~Q.t1~.r ~1Tp~.7mb~r, 1974. _Prc;>_fe_ss~r Seagrim is a member o{ the Advisocy ··commhtee 'for the North Aus'tra1ian Researcli Unit and is. a :.~~-~0 ',_~f ;~t~_e_)>;~~C:h:olo.~i and Publidat'ioti1~ r·ch~ttees.: of tb,~ ~1:u~t~tute ,.'ot' rr~or~gi~c;i.l ;$.tudies!. He is a -~emb~.r1 ~.f .·~he Governing b~dy of,, :G~r~a1:1 Hal;l,, whi~~:'_'Dr_: • - .Middleton ':is '· a me~~.~i;- . ?f the similar body of Urstifa College. ·nr. Giadstones :f'.s a non-:t'esfd~'nt tutor of Burton Hall. Professor Gibb has continued to serve on the ··

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Admissions Co~itt.ET~ i:<3~--1 ~J:ie V:niversity, the -.4-~visory Committee o~ the . Centre for Con~~ntfi~~1~du.C~t:i,on, . ~he Advisory ,~nd E~ector~l Commi~.~~~8, ;, , . for the Offic7 ; o~ )~E:f~l;}fTil'.ShJ-q ,,,~~ad~mic Methods. ~ . · · .. __

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Professor '· •• •. ·;: '•l ..

c.~ ~.·, 1 ~~g~; c;o i ~· ~ ~ ~

Professor ~ . · ~t no ·J ~ f.-q · : .

K.A. Pr9yias; , ¥•!·

M.A., 1:\3._Ec. (Syd.)~ ~ Ph .• D. (Illinois).

(Oxon), Ph. D • .. (Re~~+n~). , .. ~ t~; I •

Associate Profes~or tP. Pent on:1, M. A. (W. Aust.) . . • • • 1•1•

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'' . Associate Profes~~'r G~ N·. S~agrim, B. A. (Land.) , M. Sc'. (Melb·.) •

Dr. Margaret R. Hiddleton, M.A. (Melb.) ~ Ph.D • . (W. Aust.)~

Senior Lecturers :

Dr. W.H. Gladstones, B.A., M.A. (W. Aust.), Ph.D. (Tufts).

Dr. J.R. Trotter, B.A. (Reading), D. Phil. (Oxford).

Dr. M.L. Cook, B.Sc. (Manchester), M.Sc., Ph.D. (A.N.U.).

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5. 90/1975

Lecturers:

Dr. W.P. Bellingham, B.A. (U.C.L.A.), Ph.D. (New 7IexiCO).

Dr. R.K~ Darroch, B.A. (Carleton College), M.A., Ph.D. (University of Illinois).

Dr. M.J. Chen, M. Sc. (Taiwan), Ph.D. (Sydney).

Senior Tutors:

Dr. J.M. Schlechter, B.S. (C.C.N.Y.), Ph.D. (U.C.L.A.).

·Mrs. B. Farrer, B.A. (Sydney), H. Phil. (Lond.).

Mr. M.I. Bossley, M.Sc. (Hons.) (Auckland).

Tutors:

Mr. W.K. Tinunins, B.A. (Uni. of ·calif. Berkeley).

Ms. Alison Rowe, B.A. (M.U.N.).

Miss L.K. Hort, B.A • . (Hons.) (A.N.U.).

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THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY 90/1975

DEPART~N'r OF PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSTS OF STUDEN! PERFORMANCE

1 2 ~ 4 Subject .. Enrolled Sitting Wastage or unit no. · % no. % no. %

AOI

Bll

B12

Bl3

B.14

B15

Bl6

ell

C12

C13

Cl4

Cl5

C16

tV Rcn.cnJ:fs

307

31 .

20

36

42

98

73

25

29

35

3 ·~ . ...

62

45

232 75

25 81

16 80

29 80

38 90

91 92.

67 92

24 96

23 79

33 94

31 94

59 95

42 93

75 24

6 19

4 20

7 20

lf 10

7 8

6 8

1 4

6 ' 21

2 6

2 6

3 5

3

·5 Failure no. %

24

0

l

0

3

6

5

.5

1

1

l

3

3

8

0

5

0

7

7

7

2.0

.1

3 ~ .. 5

7

Sitting H.D.

232

25

16

29.

38 91

67

24

23

33

31

59

42

no. %

5 2

0 0

l. 6

3 10

1 2

3 3

'J. .3

l 4

3 13

3 9

J 10

1 2

0

Hons. HA - 3

8 D.

December 1974

9 10 11 Credit Pass

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Fail no. % no. % no. % no. % no. %

12 5

3 12

3 19

8 27

4 10

j 8

·; 10

4 16

0 0

4 12

5 16

6 lO

3 7

28

8

2

7

10

5

12

4

7

1

4

12

6

Hons. UE - 2

12

32.

12

24

26

18 16

30

21

13

2C

14

163 70

l4 56

9 56

11 30

20 53

67 74

41 61

10 71

13 S2

1n 54

18 58

37 63

30 71

0

1

0

5

1

1

3

10

0

6

0

7

1

20

4

3

3 c; -· 7

-.--··---:--.. -~-------\·-------e:"T-:'1.--:-....... ~ .... ----~.-.------~~-~-·-- .__ .. .., .......... __ ._ .. _____ <rio.•-----=--_,.,.,,,, _______ 1-____ ~--·-- .... ~··..,..-·- ·-·_,,.,,, _____ • __