interviewing skills for undergraduate psychology students

APS Interest Group on Psychology Education
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Interviewing Skills for Undergraduate Psychology
Students
Leigh Mellish, Sue Morris, Mark Do, Jacquelyn
Cranney
The aim of this third-year set of materials is to
introduce students to interviewing theory,
research and skills training. Although not a core
focus of the course in which it was embedded, it
was considered a worthwhile experience for
students in a capstone course.
The students are exposed to several graded activities,
allowing them to practice being both interviewer and
interviewee in a variety of contexts.
Gaining permission from members of academic staff
was time-consuming, and may only be feasible every
few years. Alternative subjects for interviewing, such
as interviewing someone from a different cultural
background, may be more sustainable.
Half of one lecture to introduce the theory and
practice; one 2-hr tutorial on interviewing techniques;
one group exercise interviewing one person; being
interviewed by the tutor in a tutorial session about
one’s portfolio.
GA 5: Communication and interpersonal skills.
GA 1: History and Systems
Undergraduate – third year (although could be any
UG year)
Half of one lecture, classroom Practical/Tutorial, group
work activity, assessments.
Pdf file
j.cranney@unsw.edu.au s.morris@unsw.edu.au
leigh.mellish@unsw.edu.au
Yes
Yes

Interviewing Skills for Undergraduate Psychology Students
Leigh Mellish, Sue Morris, Mark Do and Jacquelyn Cranney
University of NSW, 2012
Aim
The aim of this component of the third-year capstone course (in which it was embedded) was to introduce
students to interviewing skills, and to provide them with scaffolded tasks requiring the use of these skills.
Description
Students were given half of a lecture on interviewing skills. This was followed by a 2-hour tutorial/practical
focussed entirely on interviewing skills, in which every student had an opportunity to either interview or be
interviewed by another student. The tutorial also contained activities pertaining to Effective Questioning and
Active Listening. The students particularly enjoyed this tutorial, especially where the interviewees were
asked to behave in a way that was particularly challenging for the interviewer.
Following the tutorial, students were asked to complete an assessment which required them to interview an
assigned academic staff member in the School of Psychology. In small groups, students were asked to design
a series of interview questions to enable them to obtain the content required to construct a mock Wikipedia
page on the academic staff member. The content of that group exercise was related to history and systems
in psychology, but the focus of the interview could be quite different, for example, interviewing a migrant
about aspects of their (cross-) cultural experience. Finally, each student was briefly interviewed by their
tutor in the final tutorial session on their portfolio, in a manner that bore some similarities to a job
interview.
Scholarship/Evaluation of Student Learning/Continuous Improvement:
Student feedback indicated that the students saw the value of the different components involved in the
interview tasks (ratings on a 5 point scale where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree). At the end of the
tutorial, students gave the following ratings:
N=97
Question
Mean (SD)
1) I found the lecture content effective 3.67 (0.97)
2) I found the lecture style effective 3.08 (1.17)
3) I found the tutorial content effective 4.20 (0.77)
4) I found the tutorial activities effective 4.40 (0.84)
During the final course/unit evaluation, students gave the following ratings:
My interviewing skills improved considerably in this course. 3.47 (1.00)
The practical on interviewing was worthwhile/valuable 3.77 (1.11)
Student comments during final course evaluation, relevant to this material:
I would have to say the best thing was the practicals we received on interviewing tips
The interviewing tutorial in Week 4 allowed us to see the positives and negatives of different interview styles.
It also teaches us to become proactive listeners, a feature that employers look at closely.
The most engaging activity was the Contemporary Figures assessment, which solidified communication and
interviewing skills through practical experience. Interviewing [staff member’s name] proved very rewarding
as both an exercise for skill development and genuine education about the daily life of a research
psychologist.
Notes regarding continuous improvement
It is likely that in future iterations of this component of the course we would need to have an exercise that
does not involve interviewing academic staff members, as it is not sustainable from one year to the next.
Postgraduate research students may be an alternative. Otherwise, a somewhat different focus of
interviewing (e.g., interviewing someone from a different culture) could be employed. Overall, it would have
been desirable to have interviewing skills embedded in a broader course on the psychological science of
communication and interpersonal skills.

Interviewing Lectures

INTERVIEWING SKILLS
FOR UNDERGRADUATE
PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS
Interviewing Skills
For Undergraduate
Psychology
Students
Leigh Mellish, Sue Morris, Mark Do &
Jacquelyn Cranney
The School of Psychology, UNSW
“The beginning of interview wisdom is to
appreciate the big difference between what you
want to know and how you should ask (1)”
Support for the development of this document has been provided by an
Australian Learning and Teaching Council* (now Office for Learning and
Teaching) National Teaching Fellowship (2010-2012) to Jacquelyn
Cranney. Please contact the School of Psychology, UNSW for further
information.
*ALTC and OLT are initiatives of the Australian Government. The views expressed in this
report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government. You may not use
this work for commercial purposes.

Outcomes of the Interviewing Lecture and Tutorial in this course (PSYC3011, Psychology,
UNSW)
After the completion of this interviewing component, students will:
1. Be able to articulate the key skills required for a range of interview types.
2. Be more confident in their ability to apply these key skills to a variety of
interviewing contexts.
3. Be more aware of areas that they need to further develop when communicating in
everyday situations.
Format of the interview
Planning the interview:
Planning for an interview is an important process to understand what approach to take, and to
develop appropriate questions to obtain the desired information. Planning can also increase
awareness of potential pitfalls (e.g., playing devil’s advocate with the questions), and areas where
one may need to show more sensitivity (e.g., controversial topics, minority groups). It is also critical
to ensure that appropriate time is allocated to various topics. Most interviews have some degree of
planning involved as can be seen in job interviews, in which questions are targeted to assess role
relevant skills.
The first decision in the planning process is the structure of an interview. There are 3 main types of
structure:
1) A fully-structured interview - all questions are delivered to each respondent consistently,
regardless of their responses.
2) A semi-structured interview - there are some set questions that are delivered to all
respondents. However, other questions vary depending on earlier responses.
3) An un-structured interview - an exploratory interview with few or no set questions.
Clearly more planning is needed in structured interviews than unstructured interviews, which enable
more consistency, for example when one needs to compare job candidates. It has been found that
structured interviews are more valid for hiring employees (McDaniel et al., 1994).
A simple structure is where each question is independent, just like a questionnaire (e.g., Q1R1,
Q2R2, Q3R3). More complex structures come about when there are responses to one question,
which should be followed up on (i.e., probing to get a better understanding of the response: Q1 “How
do you feel?”, R1 “Sad”, Q2 “Why do you feel sad”). Even more complexity can occur when there
are multiple factors mentioned in a response (e.g., R2 “Because my husband is a jerk, and my kids
hate me, and my cat died!”). The interviewer has the complex task of trying to work through multiple
issues, which can result in bias if they assume that one issue is more important (or easier to talk
about, or piques their own curiosity), and fails to discuss the other issues. The interviewer may also
simply forget as the conversation continues to return to discuss the other factors.
Interview structure checklist
A more complex interview structure requires additional cognitive demands to ensure that the
interview is on track. Consider these questions in understanding your control of the interview:
‣ Are you on track? Do you know which way the sequence of questions and responses is leading?

‣ Has the respondent accidentally or intentionally led you into a topic which you did not intend?
‣ If so, how can you get back on track?
‣ Have you taken account of each aspect of a complex response or only followed up on one aspect
and neglected others?
‣ Is there consistency between different components of the response? Is there anything confusing
that you need to clarify?
An interview can have various structures and substructures. It is important to be aware of the
objective of the interview, to ensure that you choose the structure that will maximise the information
that you can obtain within the allocated time frame.
Understanding Objectives and Formulating Relevant Questions
1. Clarifying the
objectives of
the interview
2. Specifying the
information
needed to
achieve those
objectives
3. Formulating
concrete
questions
designed to
obtain the
information
What is it you want to know?
What is the information being used for?
What direction do you want to take?
Will different answers affect the direction that the interview
takes?
Why do you want to know this?
o Is it important, or are you just curious?
Are you speaking the same language?
Have you defined the terms? Is there an established term?
Clarify &/or define it
o You should not make assumptions e.g., partner may be
same- or opposite- sex
Formulating the questions should serve as a guide to stay on
track
If you decide to probe a response, think about where it will take
you, and whether you will need to return to where you
digressed.
Are you using open-ended or closed questions?
Open ended are useful for gathering information, closed
questions for clarifying information.
Interview stages
Once the planning has occurred, the actual interview can be considered to occur in 3 stages:
1) The opening phase
2) The main body
3) The closing phase
Each phase serves a different purpose, and emphasises different skills. For example, building
rapport is most essential in the opening phase, whereas active listening is most crucial for the
main body of the interview.

Opening the
interview:
The main body
of the interview
The closing
phase of an
interview
Introduce yourself
Establish your credentials (role, employer, affiliation)
Introduce the methods to be used to record the information
Inform how long the interview will take (don’t under-estimate)
Start with easy questions, and/or small talk to build rapport, and
then transition into more stressful /difficult questions
Develop the main themes and explore the responses
Move from general information to more specific information
(using open questions as well as closed questions)
Begin with the least threatening content to establish rapport and
trust before exploring sensitive or confronting topics.
A long interview can be tiring (emotionally and cognitively). It can
be important to ensure that it doesn’t end too abruptly gradual
winding down is the best.
It may be useful to recap the key themes or ideas that you have
gleaned, to ensure that you have captured the essence of what has
been said.
If part of a series, a link will need to be established between this
interview and the next.
If appropriate, ask if they have any questions for you. Be selective
in your disclosure.
Thank the individual for their interest and effort.
Questions
You will probably use a range of question types during the interview. Be aware that the questions
you select will greatly influence the direction of the interview. You may need to ask a question in
more than one way in order to elicit the information you are after.
Open
ended
Useful when the interview is exploratory, or when the emphasis is on
discovering the respondent’s perspective on events.
questions Can motivate by allowing free association, giving recognition, allowing
the interviewer to be a sympathetic listener, and avoiding more specific
questions that might alert the respondent to ego-threatening information.
Disadvantage is that they are liable to a larger proportion of irrelevant
information than narrower questions, and some detail may be missing.
Useful in understanding the chronological order of events, and assessing
the vocabulary of the respondent.
Closed
ended
Closed questions are more readily used when the objectives of the
interview are known.
questions They may also be useful for more reluctant respondents (whether for
reasons of motivation or language), or for those giving information not
particularly important to them.
Closed questions are usually preceded by open questions which provide a
sense of the context in which the questions are being asked.
Recommendation:
Broad, open-ended when you begin your dialogue. These are the least suggestive
(leading)

Move from open to more specific (close-ended) when necessary
A combination of both is required to get the bigger picture as well as clarification of
important details
In addition to Open and Closed questions, there are other question types with different
purposes:
Probing Questions:
A probing question is a question that follows up on the answers to previous questions. These can be
used to:
Clarify or search for reasons behind previous answers
Search for inconsistencies
Help the respondent deal with a topic that has been difficult to speak about
Revisit responses from earlier in the interview
Clarifying/
elaborating
Expanding/
Encouraging
Checking
consistency
Revising
“Can you tell me more about…?”
“Could you explain a little more about…?”
“Can you give me an example?”
“Then what happened next?”
“Uh huh’ mm ‘I see’ ‘go on’ ‘please continue’
“You said …but now you have told me…How do you explain that?
Can you tell me more?”
“Let’s go back to what you told me before about… In the light of
what you told me later, can you now tell me more about…?”
Motivating questions
There are a few factors that influence a respondent’s motivation to respond. Threatening the
respondent’s ego will decrease their motivation, whilst making them feel better about themselves or
recognising the importance of their response will increase their motivation. It is therefore important
to choose words that do not prejudice or do not imply anything unintended.
Minimising
ego threat
Maximising
recognition
Using neutral words can reduce threat
Contextual prefacing can reduce threat – by indicating you are aware
of the issue
o “We are trying to understand the way in which an individual ends
up in a certain course at university. A student may find themselves
in a course that was not their first choice, because of things like
grades, influence of family and friends, or financial considerations.
So let me start by asking….How did you end up studying law?”
One way to motivate a response is to demonstrate you recognise the
respondent’s view as unique. e.g., “There are many studies looking at how
university students end up in a particular course. However, these studies
do not adequately ask the student their perspective. As a first year
student, who has just been through the process, I’m sure you can give an
accurate analysis, and I would therefore like to hear your view”

Biased Questions
Biased questions are questions that when asked will be likely to elicit a skewed answer. These
questions should be avoided as they can affect the whole structure of the interview, as a biased
question may lead to biased and/or hostile responses. It is the interviewer’s responsibility to avoid
bias. An example of a biased question is the following (it is also a leading question):
“You don’t…, do you?”
“You don’t support gay marriage…., do you?”
“You know smoking causes cancer, don’t you?”
These questions suggest there is a ‘correct’ response, which most people would endorse.
Loaded Questions
A question is loaded when it is phrased in such a way that it evokes a different response from what
was intended from the question.
Emotional loading “What is your opinion on the tax mess?” vs.
“what is your opinion on the tax issue”
Attaching a famous “What do you think of Julia Gillard’s carbon tax?” vs.
person’s name “What do you think of carbon tax?”
Providing only one
side or direction can
“Do you think it is a good idea for your wife to do night
study?”
lead to loading “Do you think it is a good or bad idea for your wife to do
night study?”
Suggesting one
among many
possible specific
answers
“How do you feel about your wife doing night study?”
“Did you come to UNSW because of X?”
“What features of UNSW attracted you before you came
here?”
Hidden argument “Do you feel that it is right for you to work over the
university break to pay back your parents for all they have
assisted you with?” – suppresses doubts, fears, worries
“How do you feel about working over the summer break?” –
tries to draw out worries, fears, doubts, etc
Communication Styles
In the case of an interview, which often is between strangers, there can be a mismatch between the
communication style of the interviewer and the respondent. The communication style needs to be
considered so that clear understanding occurs between both parties. The interviewer often needs to
adjust the complexity of their language, their vocabulary, and their use of jargon, to build rapport and
trust.
Language Complexity
If you are interviewing a layperson, it is better to use a simple level of language, and avoid technical
jargon and confusion (e.g., ‘Commanding officer’, instead of CO). Conversely, in a specialised
population, it is better to use their terminology to gain rapport and show understanding (mirroring).

Vocabulary
Consideration of vocabulary is also important for building rapport and obtaining the desired
information. The vocabulary should be chosen to maximise the respondent’s likelihood of engaging.
In some cases, the interviewer might adopt the language of an “insider”, but in other contexts, the
interviewer might choose to retain the persona of an “outsider”
Insider - A prostitute may feel more comfortable discussing topic of “the spread of STIs” with an
insider. Therefore, adopt insider language - ‘working girls’ rather than ‘prostitute’.
Outsider – A doctor-patient relationship. Using technical language then explaining what it means
more simply, may shows credibility. Don’t use technical language to look smart.
Avoid or be cautious using:
Idioms, similes, metaphors, jokes, euphemisms, colloquialisms (cultural sensitivity)
NEVER assume a shared understanding of a term – clarify to ensure your meanings are aligned.
Building Rapport
Rapport is a term used to describe, the relationship of two or more people who feel similar and/or
relate well to each other. Rapport is important because it creates trust, which leads to a more open
and honest discussion.
Methods of building rapport
Commonality The technique of deliberately finding something in common with a
person or a customer in order to build a sense of camaraderie and
trust. This is done through shared interests, dislikes, and situations
(i.e., small talk).
Emotional
Mirroring
Posture
mirroring
Tone and
Tempo
Mirroring
Nonjudgemental
attitude
Empathizing with someone's emotional state by being on 'their side'.
It involves listening for key words, and then using similar valence
words to show you understand what they have said.
Both too little and too much emotional expression by the interviewer
results in less disclosure by the respondent
Matching the tone of a person's body language through mirroring the
general message of their posture and energy. (do NOT use direct
imitation, as this can appear as mockery)
Matching the tone, tempo, inflection, and volume of a person's voice.
The respondent will not open up if they feel as they are being judged
Inviting
behaviour
If anxious, make them feel invited by inviting gestures/body
language. If they are intrusive into your personal space, you can use
more control e.g., “why don’t you sit over there? That way we can talk
more comfortably?”

Non-Verbal Cues
Be aware of an individual’s non-verbal cues to detect their mood at the beginning. Things to look out
for include:
Territorial – avoid shaking hands, seat by the door, invading your space
Behavioural – eye contact, fiddling with pencils, relaxed
Emotional (expressive) – posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact, tone of voice
Maximising Empathy
Empathy can be shown by verbal and non-verbal communication. One popular approach is to use a
contextual statement to show you understand e.g., “I know some of the questions I ask may be
difficult for you to answer in detail…Just take your time”. However, be careful saying that you
‘understand’ the respondent’s predicament, as it could lead to a negative reaction, as can be seen by
this dialogue between an oncology patient (CP) and a researcher (R).
CP: “…I constantly feel awful from the chemotherapy”
R: “I understand”
CP: “Have you ever had chemotherapy?”
R: “No”
CP: “Then you don’t understand!”
Active Listening
Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and
evaluate what they hear. When interacting, people often are not listening attentively. They may be
distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next. Active
listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing attention on the speaker.
Suspending one's own frame of reference, suspending judgment and avoiding other internal mental
activities are important to fully attend to the speaker.
Levels of listening
Level 1. Non-listening
Level 2. Passive listening
(conversational)
Level 3. Active listening
“It looks like I’m listening, I’m not really… I’m
somewhere else in my mind.”
I can hear what you’re saying, but I’m not engaging with
what you are saying. I am waiting to say my bit.”
“I’m fully engaged in what you are saying (verbally and
non-verbally), and am attempting to see things from
your point of view.”
Think about situations in which you listen in each of these ways.

Reflecting, Paraphrasing, Clarifying, Summarising
Reflecting
Paraphrasing
Summarising
A verbal response to the respondent’s emotion
Respondent: “So many things are going on right now: another hectic
semester has started, my dog’s sick, and my mum’s ill too. I find myself
running around trying to take care of everything. I’m not sure I can take it
anymore.”
Interviewer: “You’re feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the things that are
going on right now.”
Helps respondents:
Feel understood
Express more feelings
Manage feelings
Discriminate among various feelings
To paraphrase, the interviewer chooses the most important details of
what the client has just said and reflects them back to the client in the
interviewer’s own words. Paraphrases can be just a few words or one or
two brief sentences.
Helps respondents:
To convey that you are understanding him/her
Help the respondent by simplifying, focusing and crystallizing what
they said
May encourage the client to elaborate
Provide a check on the accuracy of your perceptions
Summaries are brief statements of longer excerpts from the interview. In
summarising, the interviewer attends to verbal and non-verbal comments
from the client over a period of time, and then pulls together key parts of
the extended communication, restating them for the client as accurately as
possible.
A collection of two or more paraphrases or reflections that condenses the
client’s messages or the session
To tie together multiple elements of client messages
To identify a common theme or pattern
To interrupt excessive rambling
To start a session
To end a session
To pace a session
To review progress
To serve as a transition when changing topics
Factors that affect active listening
Focus is not on client (distracted, lose attention, interrupt, shift attention to oneself)
Emotional responses (criticise the client, share personal opinion)
o One needs to be non-judgemental and minimise personal biases. It is good to think about
one’s prejudices, and be mentally prepared for an interview.

Active listening checklist
‣ Use inviting body language
‣ Do not appear distracted/detached during the consultation
‣ Don’t be rushed, give respondent time and space to talk, allow silence
‣ Encourage clarification
‣ Summarise, paraphrase, reflect
‣ Express understanding non-verbally (nodding, smiling, sympathising eye contact)
‣ Acknowledge emotions of respondent
NB Admitting when you don’t understand i.e., “I don’t understand” shows you are listening
References
Gordon, R. L. (1992). Basic interviewing skills. USA: F. E. Peacock Publishers Inc.
Keats, D. M. (2000). Interviewing: A practical guide for students and professionals. Sydney: UNSW Press.
McDaniel, M. A., Whetzel, D. L., Schmidt, F. L., & Maurer, S. D. (1994). The validity of
employment Interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology,
79, 599-616.
Stewart, C. J., & Cash, W. B. (1974). Interviewing: Principles and practices. Dubuque, Iowa: WCB
Publishers.
Yeo, A. (1993). Counselling: A problem solving approach. Singapore: Armour Publishing.
Footnotes
1. Gordon, R. L. (1992). Basic interviewing skills. USA: F. E. Peacock Publishers Inc. Quote page 9.

Interviewing Tutorial Slides

Interviewing Tutorial Scenarios
Interview for Vacation Research Scholarship in School of Psychology
• Interviewer: You will be conducting an interview to determine the suitability of a candidate (a thirdyear
student) for a Vacation Research Scholarship in the School of Psychology. You should determine
what evidence your candidate has for their experience and ability in relevant areas, such as
Research, and their ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Interviewee 1: You have applied for a Vacation Research Scholarship in the School of Psychology.
You will need to provide evidence of your experience and ability in relevant areas, such as Research,
and your ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Interviewee 2: You have applied for a Vacation Research Scholarship in the School of Psychology.
You will need to provide evidence of your experience and ability in relevant areas, such as Research,
and your ability to work both independently and as a member of a team. However, given you are not
confident that you are the best candidate for this position, you will try to take the interviewer off
track to talk about things more of interest to yourself.
University interview to determine suitability of student going on exchange
• Interviewer: You will be conducting an interview to determine the suitability of a candidate (a thirdyear
student) to go on an overseas exchange for a semester, to a country they have never visited.
You should determine whether the candidate is suitable for the challenges of living away from
home, and in a foreign country, by establishing what experiences they have had that will assist them
in this. You will also need to determine whether they are a sufficiently strong student to cope with
missing certain courses in their degree.
• Interviewee 1: You have applied to go on an overseas exchange for a semester, to a country you
have never visited. You should provide evidence of your suitability for the challenges of living away
from home, and in a foreign country, by establishing what experiences you have had that will assist
you in this. You will also need to prove that you are a sufficiently strong student to cope with missing
certain courses in your degree.
• Interviewee 2: You have applied to go on an overseas exchange for a semester, to a country you
have never visited. You should provide evidence of your suitability for the challenges of living away
from home, and in a foreign country, by establishing what experiences you have had that will assist
you in this. You will also need to prove that you are a sufficiently strong student to cope with missing
certain courses in your degree. However, given you are not confident that you are the best applicant
for exchange, you will try to take the interviewer off track to talk about things which will make you
look good.
Career counselling – student concerned about which career direction to pursue
• Interviewer: You will be conducting an interview to assist a third-year student to decide what career
path to take. You should determine what career is most suitable, by establishing their strengths,
their interests, their goals, and their experiences.
• Interviewee 1: You will be interviewed to assist you to decide what career path to take. You will
need to provide information to the interviewer about your strengths, your interests, your goals, and
your experiences.
• Interviewee 2: You will be interviewed to assist you to decide what career path to take. You will
need to provide information to the interviewer about your strengths, your interests, your goals, and
your experiences. You are only here because your parents have forced you to attend, and would
prefer to distract the interviewer to discuss things of interest to you, rather than answer their
questions.

Job interview for Student Crisis Line Phone counselling team leader
• Interviewer: You will be conducting an interview to determine the suitability of a candidate (a thirdyear
student) for a Student Crisis Line Phone Counselling Team Leader. You should determine what
evidence your candidate has for their experience and ability in relevant areas, such as Crisis
Counselling, and their ability to work both collaboratively and as a leader of a team.
• Interviewee 1: You have applied for the position of a Student Crisis Line Phone Counselling Team
Leader. You will need to provide evidence of your experience and ability in relevant areas, such as
Crisis Counselling, and your ability to work both collaboratively and as a leader of a team.
• Interviewee 2: You have applied for the position of a Student Crisis Line Phone Counselling Team
Leader. You will need to provide evidence of your experience and ability in relevant areas, such as
Crisis Counselling, and your ability to work both collaboratively and as a leader of a team. However,
you have only applied for this job to keep a friend company, so would prefer to distract the
interviewer to discuss things of interest to you, rather than answer their questions.
Research interview with a university student to determine what factors drive how they study for exams (for
a research project).
• Interviewer: You will be conducting a research interview to determine what study strategies are
used most by third-year students. You should determine what strategies the participant has
employed during his/her university career, and how effective they have been in different contexts.
• Interviewee 1: You will be interviewed to determine what study strategies you use. You will need to
provide information about the strategies you have employed during your university career, and how
effective they have been in different contexts.
• Interviewee 2: You will be interviewed to determine what study strategies you use. You will need to
provide information about the strategies you have employed during your university career, and how
effective they have been in different contexts. However, you have not been a particularly effective
student, so would prefer to distract the interviewer to discuss things of interest to you, rather than
answer their questions.
Clinical intake interview for quit gambling program
• Interviewer: You will be conducting an interview to determine the suitability of a client (a third-year
student) for a Quit Gambling program. You should determine the nature of the client’s gambling
problem, including type of gambling, severity, frequency, triggers etc.
• Interviewee 1: You have applied for a Quit Gambling program. You need to provide sufficient detail
about the nature of your gambling problem, including type of gambling, severity, frequency, triggers
etc.
• Interviewee 2: You have applied for a Quit Gambling program. You need to provide sufficient detail
about the nature of your gambling problem, including type of gambling, severity, frequency, triggers
etc. You are not sure whether you really want to commit to this program, so would prefer to distract
the interviewer to discuss things of interest to you, rather than answer their questions.

PSYC3011 2012
Group Exercise 1: Contemporary Figures in Psychology
Instructions: Please submit to your tutor in Week 6 tutorials. Ensure tutorial time, group name, and all group
members’ full names and student numbers are included on your written response.
Background: Four fundamental components of this course are Collaborative Learning, Communication Skills, Critical
Thinking, and Research Methods. The first group work exercise requires you to work as a group to develop a Wikipedia
entry for one academic in the School of Psychology at UNSW – your Contemporary Figure in Psychology. You will be
required to interview your Contemporary Figure in Psychology (some time AFTER your Week 4 tutorial) to understand
how they ended up in the area of research in which they are renowned, and the historical figures whose approaches
have been most influential in your target’s research.
The key criteria for success on this task include the ability to extract information from both primary and secondary
sources; to determine which information is most relevant; to communicate that information in an articulate and logical
manner in both written and oral forms; and to work collaboratively. You will find useful information on working as a
group on Blackboard.
Tasks: You will need to address each of the following questions. Each group should submit one written response (500-
1000 words), formatted as a Wikipedia entry, which will be posted on the Blackboard Wikipedia Discussion forum; AND
do one brief (5 minute) tutorial presentation. Both of these components should represent the group consensus, and all
group members will receive the same mark for this assignment.
Your response should address the following:
1) Identify your Contemporary Figure in Psychology (assigned in class), and arrange to interview them (preferably
in person, however email or phone interviews may be necessary in some cases). Through interviewing this
person, you should provide a brief biography including:
a. Education – where, relevant teachers, philosophical approach of the School of Psychology/University
attended
b. Early research history – supervisors, collaborators
c. Current research areas – give an example of a study that they are currently undertaking
2) Identify the (historical) theoretical and empirical origins of the work of your Contemporary Figure in
Psychology:
a. To which renowned (historical) figure(s) can their current approach be traced back – you should
provide a BRIEF overview of this person(s).
b. Who are any relevant intermediaries in this pathway.
c. Who are other researchers/scholars who your Figure consider to be important influences on their
career/research path.
Your goal is to determine how their career-related life experiences have shaped their ideas, and to try to develop a
type of “family tree” of research in the relevant area.
You will be asked to submit these components in 2 separate forms, in Week 6:
1) A WRITTEN response, in the form of a Wikipedia entry. Please see the “Welcome to Wikipedia” guide on
Blackboard for guidelines on how to write this. Please note that you WILL NOT be expected to actually post it
on Wikipedia, we would just like you to use a contemporary format to communicate your ideas. You WILL be
asked to email it to xxx by the time of your tutorial in Week 6. (3
marks)
2) An ORAL presentation in Week 6 tutorials. This should take no more than 5 minutes. One or more group
members should participate in the presentation of your Contemporary Figure in Psychology to the class, in an
engaging and relevant way. You may use PowerPoint slides or other materials in your talk. Groups who simply
read out their Wikipedia entry will be receive minimal marks, as this component is intended to provide an
alternative means of communicating your Figure’s story.
(5 marks)
Note: Plagiarism is a serious offence. Please ensure that this is entirely your own group’s work. See Course Handout
page 10, see also Wikipedia’s Five pillars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Five_pillars).

PSYC3011 2012
Group Exercise 1: Contemporary Figures in Psychology
Written Wikipedia Tutor Assessment
Tutor’s Name:
Team Name & Members:
Tutorial Time:
A score of 0 indicates that the written work did not meet criteria at all
Half marks indicate that the written work just met the criteria
A perfect score indicates that the written work fully met the criteria.
Content/Process: criteria
1. CFP’s Current Context
Education
Early research history
Current research areas
2. CFP’s Historical Origins:
To which renowned (historical) figure(s) can their
current approach be traced back
Relevant intermediaries
Other important influences
3. Clarity:
How well written & well organised was it?
Overall, how informative was it?
Comments and rating
/1
/1
/1
What was done well? SUBTOTAL: /3
Suggestions for Improvement:
Other Comments:

Tutor’s Name:
Team Name & Members:
PSYC3011 2012
Group Exercise 1: Contemporary Figures in Psychology
Oral Presentation Tutor Assessment (Adapted from UNSW Learning Centre form)
Tutorial Time:
A score of 0 indicates that the presenters did not meet criteria at all
Half marks indicate that the presenter just met the criteria
A perfect score indicates that the presenter fully met the criteria.
Content/Process: criteria
Comments and rating
1. CFP’s Current Context
Education
Early research history
Current research areas
/1
(does NOT have to cover all points)
2. CFP’s Historical Origins:
To which renowned (historical) figure(s) can their
current approach be traced back
Relevant intermediaries
Other important influences
(does NOT have to cover all, but need to convey sense
of how CFP got where they are historically research
speaking) /1
4. Performance
Made appropriate eye contact.
Awareness of body language.
Presentation audible; presenter clearly seen by
everyone. Pauses and silences used effectively.
/1
Verbally fluent.
5. Materials
Material clearly organised, appropriate.
Audiovisual aids/handouts used where appropriate.
Presentation interesting.
Clear evidence of adequate preparation.
Keeps within time constraints.
/1
How coordinated were the presenters?
6. OVERALL,
How effective was this presentation?
Did it differ appropriately from the written
submission? /1
What did they do well? SUBTOTAL: /5
Suggestions for Improvement:
Other Comments:
TOTAL: /8