PSY4401 Advanced psychological inquiry
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
PSY4401 Advanced psychological inquiry is a level 4, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. It isn't offered in 2026. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 3 units.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Other periods
- Monash Online
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before PSY4401
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After PSY4401
3 units list PSY4401 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: PSY4001, PSY4002, PSY4011, PSY4012, PSY4021, PSY4022, PSY4100 and PSY4210
Prerequisite: Completed Bachelor's Degree and a major sequence in psychology approved by the Australian Psychological Society, or qualification assessed as equivalent by the Australian Psychological Society, with a distinction average (70%) for third year psychology units.
Corequisite:
Must be enrolled in Graduate Diploma of Psychology Advanced (M5003) or Single Unit course code (M0014) or Professional Certificate of Human Behaviour and Applied Research (M9005)
Overview
In this unit you will be introduced to advanced psychological inquiry, covering ideas about the nature of psychological knowledge and understanding. You will engage with both quantitative and qualitative methods. You will prepare for, and conduct, a semi-structured interview followed by a process of self-reflection. You will also analyse a quantitative dataset and prepare a short report to communicate your findings, allowing you to develop the critical thinking and writing skills required to generate a high-quality research project.
At the conclusion of this unit, you will have a greater understanding of the different forms of knowledge that exist, and the research methodologies that can be used to enhance our understanding of the world around us.
By equipping you with this knowledge and skill set, this unit is designed to prepare you for your GDPA research project. More broadly, the critical thinking, writing, reflection and interpersonal skills developed in this unit are relevant and transferable to various career pathways both within and beyond psychology.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching period 1 | Monash Online | Mo |
| Teaching period 3 | Monash Online | Mo |
| Teaching period 5 | Monash Online | Mo |
Assessment
- Interview plan (400 words)Written10%
- Semi-structured research interviewDemonstration40%
- Short report (2,000 words)WrittenCompetency hurdle50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Demonstrate cultural responsiveness, in psychological inquiry;
- 2
Apply ethical considerations and critical thinking to psychological inquiry;
- 3
Apply effective planning and interpersonal skills in the context of semi-structured interviews;
- 4
Engage in the process of self-reflection to develop the capacity for reflexivity in research;
- 5
Make defensible judgements regarding data preparation, analysis, and interpretation;
- 6
Effectively communicate psychological research in the form of a written report.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures6 hours
You should expect to spend an average of 20-25 hours per week per unit. Broadly, this time will cover:
- Video materials (2hrs)
- Synchronous & asynchronous discussion (2hrs)
- Synchronous web-based 'class-time' for skills-based activities (2hrs)
- Weekly readings (4-6hrs)
- Weekly skills-based assessment (4-6hrs, including formative assessment)
- Knowledge-based assessment (4-5hrs, including revision)
Each week there will be a one hour ‘Live class’, facilitated by your instructor. This will be followed by a live office hour, where you can ask questions and chat with your classmates and instructor about anything to do with the unit or psychology in general.
Learning resources
Required resources
See Moodle for details about required resources.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Michael Ganci
- Dr Jacqui Riddiford
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Michael Rowlands
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for PSY4401?
PSY4401 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
What can I take after PSY4401?
PSY4401 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 3 units, including PSY4412, PSY4413 and PSY4414.
When is PSY4401 offered?
PSY4401 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.
Does PSY4401 have an exam?
No. PSY4401 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.