PY 101 Section 010: Intro To Psychology
Spring 2013
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Dr. Thomas Ward
Core Designation: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Syllabus subject to change.
Instructor: Dr. Thomas Ward: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00-3:30 PM, Room 179 Gordon Palmer, use Blackboard for email
TA: John Adams: Friday 1:00-3:00 PM and Tuesday 2:00-3:00 PM, Room 164B Gordon Palmer, use Blackboard for email
TA: Megan Malcolm: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:00-2:00 PM, Room 386 Gordon Palmer, use Blackboard for email
Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and the mental processes that underlie that behavior. This course is designed to give a broad overview of the main content areas in psychology, including brain functioning, consciousness, sensation, perception, learning, attention, memory, higher-level thought processes, social behavior, personality, developmental psychology, and psychological disorders. Throughout the course, you will learn about basic characteristics shared by all humans and how some aspects of human experience are also shaped by social institutions and culture. The course will also consider the origins of psychology in long-standing philosophical questions about human nature, and, because psychology is first and foremost a science, it will cover basic principles regarding research methods.
Research in psychology helps to answer some of the most fundamental questions about our daily lives. How can we perceive the world so well, yet also have our eyes and ears fooled by illusions? Why do we remember some things so well and yet forget others? Why is driving while using a cell phone so dangerous? What happens during sleep and dreaming? How are our attitudes and opinions about things formed and how can they be changed? Are some of our basic traits there from birth? How do nature and nurture interact to shape us? What different types of mental illness are there and how can we best treat them?
The study of psychology is extremely broad, and we will not be able to cover each topic in great depth, but this course should provide you with an understanding of the fundamentals of psychology. Hopefully it will also help you to see that we can use the scientific method to answer basic questions about the human mind and that what we find out is sometimes quite different than what our preconceived notions might tell us. The course is also a prerequisite for advanced courses in psychology, and it will lay an important theoretical foundation for those courses.
General Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will:
1. Be able to recognize and explain the scientific method and, and in particular, how it is used to answer questions about human behavior
2. Be able to discriminate between reliable and less reliable information about the roots of human behavior.
3. Have developed and refined critical thinking skills.
Specific Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will:
1. Understand the significance of psychology as a science and recognize the benefit of using scientific methods to understand behavior, cognition, and emotions.
2. Have an understanding about how course concepts apply to daily living.
3. Understand that behavior, thoughts, and emotions are shaped by heredity, immediate environment, and culture.
4. Understand that people’s experience of the world is subjective.
5. Recognize that psychological conclusions are based on the scientific method.
6. Have a basic familiarity with a range of selected topics in psychology, including: sensory and perceptual processes, attention, learning and memory, personality and social processes, developmental changes, and mental illness.
The learning outcomes described above will be assessed through a combination of in-class exercises and quizzes, and four exams.
Introduction
Research Methods
Biological Foundations
Sensation and Perception
Learning
Attention and Memory
Thinking and Intelligence
Human Development
Social Psychology
Personality
The Mind and the Consciousness
Mental Illness and Treatment
|
Date |
Topic |
Reading/Assignment |
|
01/10/13 |
Course Overview and Themes of Psychological Science |
Chapter 1 |
|
01/15/13 |
Scientific Inquiry |
Chapter 2 (p. 29-48) |
|
01/17/13 |
Data Collection Methods |
Chapter 2 (p. 49-71) |
|
01/22/13 |
The Nervous System and Brain |
Chapter 3 (p. 73-104) |
|
01/24/13 |
Sensory Processes |
Chapter 4 (p. 131-158) |
|
01/29/13 |
Perceptual Processes |
Chapter 4 (p. 159-179) |
|
01/31/13 |
Catch up and Review |
|
|
02/05/13 |
EXAM I |
All above |
|
02/7/13 |
Classical and Operant Conditioning |
Chapter 6 (p. 223-250) |
|
02/12/13 |
Other Aspects of Learning |
Chapter 6 (p. 251-265) |
|
02/14/13 |
Attention |
Chapter 7 (p. 267-278) |
|
02/19/13 |
Stages of Memory |
Chapter 7 (p. 279-292) |
|
02/21/13 |
Long-term Memory |
Chapter 7 (p. 293-297) |
|
02/26/13 |
Forgetting and Memory Distortions |
Chapter 7 (p. 298-315) |
|
02/28/13 |
Types of Mental Representation |
Chapter 8 (p. 317-328) |
|
03/05/13 |
Complex Cognition |
Chapter 8 (p. 329-343) |
|
03/07/13 |
EXAM II |
All since Exam I |
|
03/12/13 |
Human Development |
Chapter 9 (p. 366-397) |
|
03/14/13 |
Attitudes and Impressions |
Chapter 12 (p. 513-536) |
|
03/19/13 |
Social Influence and Relationships |
|
|
03/21/13 |
Personality |
|
|
03/26/13 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
|
03/28/13 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
|
04/02/13 |
Creativity |
TBA |
|
04/04/13 |
Catch up and Review
|
|
|
04/09/13 |
EXAM III |
All since Exam II |
|
04/11/13 |
The Mind and Sleep |
Chapter 5 (p. 181-204) |
|
04/16/13 |
Aspects of Consciousness |
Chapter 5 (p. 205-221) |
|
04/18/13 |
Mental Disorders and Treatments |
Chapter 14 (p. 617-671) |
|
04/23/13 |
Mental Disorders and Treatments |
Chapter 15 (p. 673-725) |
|
04/25/13 |
Class wrap up and Review |
|
|
4/29 |
EXAM IV 11:30 am – 2:00 pm |
All since Exam III |
Exams (90 percent of overall grade)
There will be 4 non-cumulative exams throughout the semester. Each exam will count for 22.5 percent of your final grade. All of the material covered in class lectures, class activities, and assigned readings will be fair game for the exams. The format of the exams will consist of multiple-choice questions. Make-up exams will only be given in the case of University sanctioned excuses (personal illness, death in the family). Prior travel arrangements do NOT qualify for a make-up exam. You know from the syllabus the dates on which the exams will be given. Therefore you should schedule all trips home, etc. to fit around that schedule. If you already have a conflict scheduled, please contact me within the first week of classes. To qualify for a make-up exam, I must be notified either prior to the exam (highly preferable) or as soon as possible afterward. Written documentation is required. For example, proper medical documentation includes (a) date and time of visit, (b) clear description of why the student could not take the exam, and (c) signature and contact information for the doctor. Make up tests may be in a different format than the original exam and will be given during the final exam period. If you miss an exam without an approved excuse, you will receive a score of 0 for that exam.
In-class exercises (10 percent)
Throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to earn up to 10 percentage points toward your final grade by participating in in-class exercises, such as short quizzes, and activities or demonstrations designed to supplement the assigned topic of the day. These exercises will not be announced ahead of time, and there will not be any opportunity for make-ups. So to get the credit for any given activity you must be present in class the day it happens. Each exercise will count as 1 percentage point. There will be more than 10 such opportunities throughout the semester, but the maximum number of points you can earn is 10 even if you participate in more than 10 activities. To receive the full 10 percent credit for this portion of your grade, you must be present and fully participate in at least 10 of these in-class exercises (1 point each). They will be graded on a pass/fail basis. For each exercise, you will pass and receive one point if you are present and an active participant (e.g., listening, providing input, turning in assignment at the end of class).
Research Requirements:
The Department of Psychology requires that all PY 101 students satisfy a research requirement by participating in psychological research studies during the semester. The purpose of this requirement is to learn about different methods used by psychological researchers and to help advance our knowledge of various psychological processes. Faculty members and graduate students who are part of the Psychology Department conduct these studies. It is beneficial to complete this requirement early in the semester as there is a greater variety of studies/times available. Participants will receive 1 credit for each hour completed in online studies, and 1 ½ credits for each hour completed in laboratory studies. Students will need to create an account before viewing available studies at http://researchpool.psych.ua.edu/. The research requirement must be fulfilled completely (partial credit is not an option). If you fail to complete this requirement, your grade will be reduced by one full grade level as stated in the Department Policies. Therefore, if a student has a C in the course it will become a D; if they have an A- it will become a B-. Be sure to look at a copy of the research study participation requirement on the website to make sure you are eligible to participate and will be able to fulfill the study requirements.
If you are uncomfortable participating in research, you have the option of completing a writing assignment to satisfy the research requirement. More information about the research participation requirement will be given early in the semester.
There are 100 possible percentage points to earn in the course. Final grades consist of participation during 10 in-class exercises (maximum 10% total), and 4 exams (maximum of 90% total overall or maximum of 22.5% total per exam). For example, if you scored 100 on each of the 4 exams, and completed 5 of the exercises, your overall percentage would be ((4 * 100 * .225) + 5) = 95 and would correspond to an A as a course grade. Please keep in mind that the research requirement is not directly calculated into the final grade. However, failure to complete the research participation requirement will result in a grade reduction by one full letter grade.
Grading Scale:
A+ = 97-100 B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69
A = 93-96 B = 83-86 C = 73-76 D = 63-66
A- = 90-92 B- = 80-82 C- = 70-72 D- = 60-62
F = 59 and below
Make-up exams will only be given in the case of University sanctioned excuses (personal illness, death in the family). Prior travel arrangements do NOT qualify for a make-up exam. You know from the syllabus the dates on which the exams will be given. Therefore you should schedule all trips home, etc. to fit around that schedule. If you already have a conflict scheduled, please contact me within the first week of classes. To qualify for a make-up exam, I must be notified either prior to the exam (highly preferable) or as soon as possible afterward. Written documentation is required. For example, proper medical documentation includes (a) date and time of visit, (b) clear description of why the student could not take the exam, and (c) signature and contact information for the doctor. Make up tests may be in a different format than the original exam and will be given during the final exam period. If you miss an exam without an approved excuse, you will receive a score of 0 for that exam.
You will not be allowed to make up missed in-class assignments. There will be more opportunities for assignments than would be required to achieve full 10 percent credit for this course.
Attendance is not required for this class but is strongly encouraged. Regular attendance is necessary for you to do well in the class. On exams, you will be accountable for not only the information covered in the assigned readings, but also the information presented in classroom lectures (which may not be covered in the text). Therefore, if you miss a class you should contact another student for the lecture notes to be properly prepared for an exam. I will not provide this information.
StudySpace:
(http://www.wwnorton.com/college/psych/psychsci4/). This is the textbook’s free website for students. There you can find practice quizzes, video exercises, animations, and more, as well as articles about psychology in the news.
Course Website:
(https://ualearn.blackboard.com). This site provides you with easy access to the syllabus and assignments, a place to check your grades, and links to useful websites. Be sure to check this site regularly for class announcements.
There are no extra credit opportunities for this class.
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The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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