Australia · ACARA Content Descriptions
Year 12 Psychology.
Year 12 Psychology explores the complex interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors that influence human behaviour and mental processes. Students will investigate the nervous system, stress, learning, memory, sleep, and mental wellbeing, applying biopsychosocial frameworks to real-world scenarios.
01The Nervous System and Stress
Students examine the structure and function of the human nervous system and explore stress as a psychobiological process.
Examine the divisions of the human nervous system and the role of neurons in transmitting information. Students will explore how the central and peripheral nervous systems coordinate behaviour.
Investigate the physiological and psychological responses to stress, including the fight-flight-freeze response and the role of cortisol. This topic highlights the adaptive and maladaptive nature of stress.
Analyse psychological models of stress, such as Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model, and evaluate various coping strategies. Students will differentiate between approach and avoidance coping mechanisms.
02Learning and Memory
Students investigate the neural basis of learning and memory, comparing different models of learning and evaluating the reliability of human memory.
Explore the concept of neural plasticity and the changes that occur at the synapse during learning. Students will investigate long-term potentiation and long-term depression.
Compare and contrast classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Students will apply these models to explain the acquisition of various behaviours.
Examine the multi-store model of memory, focusing on sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. Students will also explore the brain regions involved in the storage of explicit and implicit memories.
Investigate the reconstructive nature of memory and factors that influence its reliability, such as leading questions. Students will analyse the implications of memory fallibility in eyewitness testimony.
03Sleep and Consciousness
Students explore the nature of consciousness, the biological rhythms of sleep, and the impacts of sleep deprivation on functioning.
Define consciousness as a psychological construct and explore the continuum of awareness. Students will compare normal waking consciousness with altered states of consciousness.
Examine the biological rhythms of sleep, including circadian and ultradian rhythms, and the stages of NREM and REM sleep. Students will evaluate evolutionary and restorative theories of sleep.
Analyse the effects of partial sleep deprivation on affective, behavioural, and cognitive functioning. Students will also explore interventions for circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
04Mental Wellbeing and Psychological Disorders
Students apply a biopsychosocial approach to understand mental wellbeing, the development of specific phobias, and the maintenance of mental health.
Explore mental health as a continuum, distinguishing between mental wellbeing, mental health problems, and mental disorders. Students will identify the internal and external factors that influence mental health.
Apply the biopsychosocial framework to understand the development and management of specific phobias. Students will examine biological, psychological, and social contributing factors and interventions.
Investigate the concept of resilience and the protective factors that help maintain mental wellbeing. Students will explore biological, psychological, and social strategies for building resilience.