Psychology Unit 1: Student Directed Research Investigation
Books
Search the library catalogue
or browse the non-fiction shelves:
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150s – Psychology
612.8 – Brain physiology
616.8 – Brain disorders
Databases
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Select High level and enter keywords
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Click on EBSCO Journals (left side). This will take you to journal articles on your topic.
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Join the State Library of Victoria for access to a wide range of databases with journal articles on research studies; information that is often not freely available on the Internet. You can join online.
Search Engines
Narrow down search results for complex searches by using the Advanced Search page. You can specify which words or phrases must or must not appear in search results. You can also narrow results by language, region, last updated date, site or domain, file type and usage rights.
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Google Scholar provides access to articles and reports published in academic journals.
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Experts have evaluated all of the websites gathered by the search engine, Sweet Search. The site aims to assist students in finding good quality, reliable information.
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General Psychology Websites
Psychology Articles for Students
The different branches of psychology are explored in this website for students, including explanations of important theories and studies.
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Science Daily
Science news articles with a focus on the mind and brain. Enter key terms in the search box for relevant articles and studies.
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Psyblog
This blog by psychologist and author, Dr Jeremy Dean, is about scientific research into how the mind works. There is a search box on the ‘Explore Psyblog’ page.
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Brain Blogger
Brain Blogger reviews news and research related to neuroscience/neurology, psychology/psychiatry and health/healthcare.
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One of the largest Internet sites devoted to psychological research and teaching. In these pages, you'll find more than 20,000 links related to psychology.
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OPL provides highly interactive resources for the teaching of psychological science. The peer-reviewed materials include online studies and correlational studies, large data sets, demonstrations, and teaching aids.
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Here you will find articles about research in the field of neuroscience.
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Live Science
A searchable website of science news stories.
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Psychology Articles
PsyArticles publishes articles and features with a focus on psychological research and theory. Use the search feature to locate relevant articles.
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Psychology Today
Browse by topic, search by keywords or search past issues of the Psychology Today magazine.
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A science news website. Use the search feature to find relevant articles.
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Science News for Students
Easy to read news articles on the body and brain
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PubMed
PubMed comprises more than 26 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text articles.
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There are a number of psychology, social science, and medical journals that offer free full-text articles.
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The Top Ten Brain Science And Psychology Studies Of 2015​
This Top 10 list isn’t meant to be exhaustive (and it isn't ranked in any particular order), but is rather a survey of the major studies across several categories of brain science and psychology in 2015.
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Psychology: An Introduction
A complete psychology textbook written by Russell A. Dewey
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ABC Radio National - All in the Mind
An exploration of the brain and behaviour, and the connections between them. You can listen to a program or download a transcript.
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AllPsych Online: The virtual psychology classroom
This website includes text books, reference books, and online tests and quizzes.
Option 1 Biopsychology
A massive study reveals the actual differences between men's and women's brains
Business Insider article describing the outcomes of a research study into male and female brains.
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Brain Differences Between Genders
Article by Gregory L. Jantz in Psychology Today in 2014.
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Men and Women: No Big Difference
An article on the American Psychology Association website claims that studies show that one's sex has little or no bearing on personality, cognition and leadership.
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New insights into gendered brain wiring, or a perfect case study in neurosexism?
Summary of old and new research into gendered brains on The Conversation website.
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The hardwired difference between male and female brains could explain why men are 'better at map reading'
An article in the Independent about a study which shows that the brains of men and women are wired differently.
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Are Women More Emotional Than Men?
Article by David P Schmitt in Psychology Today in 2015.
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How does the blood-brain barrier work?
Dr. Karl article on the ABC Science website provides a good introduction to the topic.
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Blood Brain Barrier Facts
General article about the blood-brain barrier on BrainFacts.org.
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How do human brains differ from those of other primates?
Short introductory article from the Society for Neuroscience
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Structural Differences in the Brain between Animals That Are Self-Aware and Other Vertebrates?
Question and Answer article answered by Robert O. Duncan, a behavioural scientist.
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What's the Difference Between the Right Brain and Left Brain?
LiveScience article written by Remy Melina.
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What Is Brain Plasticity?
Basic introduction to brain plasticity, also known as neuroplasticity.
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Brain Plasticity: How learning changes your brain
Article by Dr. Pascale Michelon on SharpBrains
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Brain Plasticity and Behaviour
Complex article from Current Directions in Psychological Science.
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What is brain plasticity and why is it so important?
Duncan Banks, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, discusses why brain plasticity is so important.
Option 2 Brain and use of technology
Does brain training work? That depends on your purpose
Article about brain training citing a number of studies about the effectiveness of brain training.
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Do 'Brain Training' Games Really Work? (Op-Ed)
Live Science website
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Brain Training Doesn’t Make You Smarter
Scientific American website
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Experts are skeptical about the effectiveness of games that claim to improve cognitive function.
Cognitive Benefits of Exercise Outshine Brain-Training Games
An article by Christopher Bergland in Psychology Today in 2017
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How does technology affect our brains?
Article in The Age by Andi Horvath in 2015
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8 Ways Tech Has Completely Rewired Our Brains
Mashable Australia
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Attached to Technology and Paying a Price
A New York Times article on the impact of technology on the brain
How Technology is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus
Opinion piece from Psychology Today referencing one piece of research.
Are video games really that bad?​
This SBS documentary looks at some of the scientific tests being carried out around the world to understand what impact playing video games is having on our brains.
This Is How The Internet Is Rewiring Your Brain
The Huffington Post Australia
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What is Neuroimaging?
An article about the types of neuroimaging.
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Neuroimaging and Mental Illness: A Window Into the Brain
Frequently asked questions about brain scans
Option 3 Psychological development
Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development
A scientific encyclopedia of early childhood development, from conception to age five.
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What do babies think?
A TED talk given by Alison Gopnik in 2011 which outlines some of the research showing the sophisticated intelligence-gathering and decision-making strategies that babies and young children use.
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First Evidence That Musical Training Affects Brain Development In Young Children
Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory compared to children who do not receive musical training, according to research published in the journal Brain.
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Early music lessons boost brain development
Musical training before the age of seven has a significant effect on the parts of the brain that help you plan and carry out movements.
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Parental absence affects brain development in children
A study into the effect that extended periods of time without direct parental care has on the brain development of children.
Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests
Social practices and cultural beliefs of modern life are preventing healthy brain and emotional development in children, according to an interdisciplinary body of research.
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Nurturing during preschool years boosts child's brain growth
Children whose mothers were nurturing during the preschool years, as opposed to later in childhood, have more robust growth in brain structures associated with learning, memory and stress response.
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Social deprivation has a measurable effect on brain growth
MRI scans show decreased grey and white matter among children in institutional care.
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Differences in brain structure development may explain test score gap for poor children
Low-income children had development lags in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and lower standardized test scores.
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Family income, parental education related to brain structure in children, adolescents
Relationships between the brain and family income were strongest in the lowest end of the economic range.
Option 4 Intelligence and IQ testing
Intelligence is not (Just) genetic
Social environments shape genetic influences on intelligence.
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A very brief history of intelligence testing
Is intelligence genetic or largely influenced by the environment; is it nature or nurture?
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Intelligence inheritance – three genes that add to your IQ score
Intelligence is measured by a range of tests that aim to quantify skills such as memory and analytical ability. Variation between people in how they perform on such tests can be due to genetic and environment factors, and their interplay.
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Your questions answered on artificial intelligence
What is the place of artificial intelligence and robotics in our future?
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What human emotions do we really want of artificial intelligence?
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Is passing a Turing Test a true measure of artificial intelligence?
The Turing Test has been passed after a computer program mimicked a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy called Eugene Goostman, fooling 33% of its interrogators into believing it was human after five minutes of questioning.
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Why workplaces must resist the cult of personality testing
“It appears that the use of personality tests for recruitment purposes in Australian organisations is increasing despite criticism of them as unreliable and unethical.”
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Emotionally intelligent employees may come with a dark side – manipulation
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Evidence that emotional intelligence is related to job performance and affects attitude at work
Emotionally intelligent individuals received greater merit increases and held higher company rank than their counterparts.
Option 5 Personality
What causes personality disorders?
Research suggests that genetics, abuse and other factors contribute to the development of obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic or other personality disorders.
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The Conversation
Links to many articles related to personality influences.
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Freudian Theory and Consciousness: A Conceptual Analysis
This paper takes a fresh look at Freudian psychoanalytical theory from a modern perspective.
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Is Freud’s Personality Theory Still Relevant?
120 years after Sigmund Freud introduced his work in the area of human personality it is still influential in the treatment of mental health issues.
Option 6 Cognition
Emotions and the Brain
This short animated video by Sentis explains how emotions operate in the brain.
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If you are unable to see this video, please click here.
Role of emotions in brain function
It was long thought that emotion and thought were separate processes. Brain science has begun to realise that the brain is not an organ of thought, but that it is a feeling organ that thinks.
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Emotional stress can change brain function
New research has shown that a single exposure to acute stress affected information processing in the cerebellum -- the area of the brain responsible for motor control and movement coordination and also involved in learning and memory formation.
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Need inspiration? Let’s get physical!
Research by a cognitive psychologist in 2013 shows that people who exercise regularly are better at creative thinking.
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Taking a walk may lead to more creativity than sitting
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Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis?
As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved, according to psychological research.
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