PSY5210 · Research methods for inquiry and practice in clinical psychology

Overview

This unit is designed to build the core of your professional identity as a scientist-practitioner. Moving beyond foundational concepts, it equips you with the advanced skills to critically evaluate new evidence and effectively translate complex research into meaningful clinical practice. The central goal is to develop the sophisticated research literacy required for a career of impactful, evidence-based practice. The curriculum provides both a robust common foundation and pathways for specialised expertise. You will begin by developing core competencies, from reproducible data science to qualitative inquiry, before choosing advanced elective modules in areas like complex regression or specialised designs, tailoring your learning to your specific research interests. Learning is centred on hands-on application through streamlined, integrated workbooks using modern statistical software. Assessments are designed for professional relevance, culminating in an assessment task where you will perform a critical appraisal of a published research paper, honing the essential skill of evaluating evidence to inform clinical decision-making.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Evaluate the theoretical assumptions and practical applications of advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods used in clinical science.
2. Select and justify appropriate research designs and analytical methods to address specific psychological research questions.
3. Apply a range of analytical techniques to authentic datasets using modern statistical software in a reproducible manner.
4. Interpret and communicate the results of complex statistical analyses in the context of psychological theory and clinical practice.
5. Critically appraise the methodological rigour, statistical analysis, and clinical relevance of published psychological research to inform evidence-based practice.

Workload

Weekly asynchronous learning activities of four hours for a total of 48 hours. This includes engagement with online modules, hands-on application via integrated workbooks, and recommended readings. Preparation for assessment tasks: Eight hours over the semester. Optional: Fortnightly one-hour online Q&A sessions.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.