SPTH1201 Psychosocial Aspects of Speech Pathology

In this topic students are introduced to the discipline of psychology and explore how the empirical study of human behaviour might be relevant to the understanding and management of communication disorders. Key psychological processes, theories and methodologies from the cognitive, behavioural, developmental and health fields of psychology are reviewed. Students explore the ways in which speech pathologists might apply such knowledge when dealing with a range of communication disorders across a variety of client groups (i.e., children, adolescents, adults, elderly people).

This topic aims to:

• Introduce students to the general field of psychology and the scientific approach to the study of human behaviour
• Provide students with the opportunity to explore the application of fundamental psychological processes, theories and methodologies to the understanding and management of impaired communication across a diverse range of speech pathology settings

1. Demosntrate a basic knowledge of the discipline of psychology and the empirical basis of its study of human behaviour
2. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the terms, concepts, processes and key theories from the cognitive, learning, developmental and health perspectives used to represent human behaviour across the lifespan
3. Identify linkages between psychological principles and the development, assessment and management of human communication disorders
4. Form an appreciation of the implications of normal and impaired communication for psychosocial wellbeing
5. Display the ability to integrate knowledge from two distinct disciplines, namely psychology and speech pathology
6. Demonstrate proficiency in the clear and precise presentation of information in both oral and written forms as part of informal exercises in class and formal assessment tasks
7. Demonstrate critical reasoning skills in relation to determining the relevance of particular psychosocial processes and theories to examples of impaired communication
8. Demonstrate increased self-direction in their learning through an independent work component