Kim Dolgin, Instructor
Fall, 2004
Overview
This
is a survey course intended to expose students to the scope of the field of
psychology, to provide a working knowledge of some of psychology's basic concepts,
and to introduce students to some of the research methods used in this field.
No prior knowledge of psychology is assumed, and so the course can serve as
either a first course for psych majors/minors or as a taste of the field for
non-majors. Look over the course outline to see the range of covered topics.
No matter what you may be assuming, this is not a course primarily devoted to
stress, dreams, and mental illness!
Text
Psychology, Fourth Edition, 2002, by Peter Gray. Published
by Worth.
The text is required. Let me explain how I view
it. In my view, the text serves two purposes. First, it helps you learn the
material that I cover in class by presenting it in a slightly different way.
Second, it contains information
that I simply don’t have enough time to get to. Please note that I will
not expect you to know everything in the text. Instead, I will let you know
each week what sections from the assigned chapters are particularly important.
Course
Outline
|
Topic
|
Dates
|
Chapters
|
|
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD
OF PSYCHOLOGY
|
8/23-8/27
|
Gray: Chapter 1, The History
of Psychology and
Chapter 2, Methods of Psychology
PsychSim: Psychology's Timeline
and Descriptive Statistics
|
|
THE BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR
|
8/30-9/3
|
Gray: Chapter 3, Genetic
and Evolutionary Foundation of Behavior and Chapter 5, The Nervous
System
PsychSim: Hemispheric Specialization
|
|
LEARNING
|
9/6-9/10
|
Gray: Chapter
4, The Basic Processes of Learning
PsychSim: Operant
Conditioning
|
|
SENSATION
|
9/13-9/17
|
Gray: Chapter 7, Smell, Taste, Pain,
Hearing, and Psychophysics
PsychSim: The Auditory System
|
|
VISUAL PERCEPTION
|
9/20-9/24
|
Gray: Chapter 8, Vision
PsychSim: Visual Illusions
|
|
MEMORY
|
9/27-10/1
|
Gray: Chapter 9, Memory
PsychSim: Iconic Memory
|
|
MOTIVATION & AROUSAL
|
10/4-10/8
|
Gray: Chapter 6, Mechanisms of Motivation, Sleep, and Emotion
PsychSim: EEG and Sleep Stages
and Hunger and the Fat Rat
|
|
|
10/13-10/15
|
Gray: Chapter 10, Intelligence and Reasoning, beginning
page 390
PsychSim: Get Smart
|
|
LANGUAGE AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
|
10/18-10/22
|
Gray: Chapter 11, The Development of
Thought and Language
PsychSim: Cognitive Development
|
|
PERSONALITY
& SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
|
10/25-10/29
|
Gray: Chapter 12, Social
Development
|
|
PERSONALITY
|
11/1-11/5
|
Gray: Chapter 15, Personality
PsychSim: All Stressed Out
|
|
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
|
11/8-11/12
|
Gray: Chapter 16, Mental Disorders
PsychSim: Helplessly Hoping and
The Mystery Client
|
|
THERAPY
|
11/15-11/19
|
Gray: Chapter 17, Treatment
|
|
|
11/22-11/26
|
|
|
SOCIAL
PERCEPTION & ATTITUDES
|
11/29-12/3
|
Gray: Chapter 13, Social Perception
and Attitudes
PsychSim: Social Decision Making
|
SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR
|
12/6-12/8
|
Gray: Chapter 14, Social Influences
on Behavior
|
Notice
that , for most weeks, a PsychSim is listed beneath that week’s reading.
PsychSim is an interactive learning tool
that you can access over the WEB at http://www.worthpublishers.com/gray.
At that site, you can also find study aids such as flash cards and Web links
to other useful pages. Doing PsychSim is not required, but I strongly urge you
to do them. As a psychologist, I am very familiar with the studies that demonstrate
that active learning really works! Part of the reason that I selected this text
is its excellent Web support. Many of the PsychSims are
just plain old fun. In order to encourage you to do them, I will put an extra
credit question or two from the PsychSim exercises on the exams. There won't
be any penalty if you get them wrong, but they will be worth a point or two
if you get them right.
Course
Requirements
1.
Exams:
There
are five exams and one comprehensive final scheduled in this class. The exams
are each worth 15% of your grade; your lowest exam score will be dropped, and
so the total value of the exams is 60% (4 X 15%). The exams are tentatively
scheduled for: (1) Friday, September 10th; (2) Monday, September 27th; 3) Monday,
October 18th; (4) Friday, November 5th; (5) Wednesday, December 1st.
Exams
(including the final) will consist of multiple-choice, short answer, true/false,
and fill in the blank questions. The information covered by the majority of
the questions will be covered in both the text and in the lecture: however,
some of the questions will be based on information contained only in lecture
or only in the text. My philosophy is that I try to cover what I consider the
most important information in lecture; therefore the majority of the questions
can be answered from the lecture alone. To "keep you honest", and
to make sure that you learn some important material that I just don't have time
to get around to, the answers to about 20% of the exam questions are found solely
in the text. I will try to let you know what information in the text is particularly
important. However, if you have done the study guide, the text questions should
be easy! (Remember that there will be a point or two of extra credit questions
from the PsychSims.)
The comprehensive final is worth 20% of your grade, and will look like an expanded
version of the exams that you've already taken.
2.
Written/Experiential Assignments.
Appended to
the syllabus is a list of out-of-class assignments. Each student must complete
two of them. Some involve writing thoughtful essays, while others involve completing
simple demonstrations. One of the projects must be completed prior to mid-semester
break, the other by the last day of class; the one done prior to mid-semester
break should be on material from the first half of the course, the one due after
the break should be from the second half of the course. Each is worth 10% of
your final grade. They can always be handed in early! In fact, I prefer it.
3.Participation
as a research subject:
Advanced students
and faculty conduct empirical research, and it has been the tradition here,
as it is in most universities, that Intro students serve as subjects. Everyone
benefits from this arrangement: advanced students find it easier to do their
research, and Intro students get exposed to different topics and methods of
psychological research. You will find sign up sheets posted on the bulletin
board outside of Room 009 in Phillips Hall. These sign up sheets list the times
when subjects for these investigations are needed. The sign up sheets also specify
the number of credits awarded for participating this depends upon the amount
of time required and the topic being studied.
You must sign up
for at least __ credits of subject participation. This is a course requirement,
and you do not receive any points on your CUM for participating; however, you
will be docked 1 percent off your final average for each credit of subject participation
that you fail to complete (e.g. if you are short one participation point, I
will dock you 1% off your CUM; if you are two credits short, I will dock you
2%, etc.)
In addition, students will lose 1% off their final average for each experiment
that they sign up for and then, without notice, fail to attend: many experiments
require a specific number of subjects, and so, if you don't show up, you just
might be wasting 5 other people's time. Also, you are needlessly robbing someone
else of an opportunity to earn credits. If you can't attend because something
comes up, call the psychology office or scratch your name off the sign up sheet.
How do we keep track
of credits? When you participate in a study, the experimenter will take down
your name and ask you whose section you are in. He or she will then pass your
name in to Mary Ann Nelson, the psychology department secretary and she will
keep a record of your points.
Please note: do not
wait until the last two or three weeks of the semester to begin signing up for
experiments. By that time, there may not be enough opportunities to fulfill
your requirement.
Also, please note
that I may ultimately reduce the number of credits needed if there seem to be
a lack of opportunities. If I do reduce the required number, those who did the
required number will receive some extra credit.
E-RES
Much
information for this course is available on e-res. You should be able to access
e-res from the library home page. On e-res you will find a copy of the syllabus,
and, in addition, information about what you need to concentrate on in the readings,
study questions, review session times, a discussion board, a live chat room
for evening review sessions, handouts, etc. It really pays to access e-res every
few days to check and see if anything is new! Remind me to give you the password
if I forget!
Lateness
And Make-Up Policy
I expect you to take the exams when they are scheduled and to complete
the research project on time. If you cannot take an exam because of an emergency
or an illness, call and let me know beforehand. It is your responsibility
to reach me; if I am not in, you can leave a message on phone mail. If you
call, then on the first available day you will be given a make up exam. This
exam might be like the in-class tests, or it might consist of essays. If you
do not call beforehand, you will be docked 7% for each day you are late in
contacting me (as well as an immediate 7% penalty for not contacting me prior
to the exam). Remember that you are allowed to drop your lowest exam score.
Papers handed in after the due dates will be docked 10% for each day after
the due d\ate that they are late.
Extra
Credit
There are three extra credit options.First, if we find that we need more subjects for our experiments,
you will have the option of participating in additional experiments for credit.
I'll let you know about this as soon as possible. If this option becomes available,
you would be allowed to earn up to 2 points additional credit by being in
extra experiments.
Second, you may complete an extra project. I will award you up to
2 percent on your final average if you do this.
Third, earn the extra credit PsychSim points on the exams.
Strategies that Will Help You Succeed
1. Come to class. Getting other people's notes or looking at the
PowerPoints that I leave with Mary Ann are not good substitutes. Remember,
if you miss one day a week, and then get everything right on the tests from
the days that you are there, you still have a D (67%).
2. Ask me questions if you don't understand something. I'm always
willing to explain it again!
3. Skim the text before I cover a subject. It will help you understand
the lectures better.
4. Keep up with the material. Do NOT wait to study until a day or
two before an exam. You should always be up to date, i.e. learn Monday's material
before class on Wednesday, Wednesday's before class on Friday, etc.
5. Don't rely on rote memorization. Try to understand the concepts
as you study them, not memorize meaningless phrases. Thinking of ways in which
the material relates to your own life is a great way to do this.
6. Don't study by reading and rereading and rereading your notes.
It is inefficient and doesn't work well at all. If you think it works, it's
because you have been unconsciously thinking about the material as you have
reviewed it. Instead, quiz yourself (or pair up with a friend or group of
friends and quiz each other).
7. Use the text's Web Page and PsychSims!
8. Come to review sessions.
Honors
Honors will
be awarded for satisfactory completion of some project beyond the normal requirements
listed above, provided that the student has earned a grade of B or better in
the course. A term paper or completion of a second or more sophisticated data
gathering project will make students eligible for this distinction. Please see
me by early March if you wish to be considered for this distinction.
Grading
Policy
A
student who averages 90% of better is guaranteed an “A”, an 80% or
better, a “B”, etc. In addition, I may curve the final grades
by 1-4 points, depending upon the class average, my sense as to how hard the
class has been trying, where the breaks in the grade distributions are, etc.
In addition, I will not fail any student who has come to class regularly,
attended review sessions, and done the extra credit.
Cheating
Since the class is graded on a curve, a student who cheats is not only
helping himself/herself, but also penalizing others. Because of this, academic
dishonesty will be dealt with harshly. If a student is caught cheating on an
exam, that exam will be given a grade of “0” and the student will
not be permitted to drop it. A memo will be sent to the Dean’s office detailing
the situation so that the student’s name will go on file. If the student
cheats a second time, they will be given an “F” in the class and the
Dean will be informed of the action. A copy of the expected code of behavior
is attached to the back of this syllabus.
How
To Reach Me
I
have no official office hours; instead I have an "open door" policy.
That means that you should feel free to drop by whenever you want to. I'm usually
in at work from 8:30 to 4:30 on MWFs and 10-4:30 on Tues and Thurs; I teach
at 10, 1 and 2 on MWF so I'm never in my office then. I will NOT be able to
speak to you right after class since I teach a 2:00 and will have to run to
get there on time. Especially good time to catch me are 11:00 MWF and T and
Thurs afternoons. My office is in the Psychology Department complex on the ground
floor of Phillips Hall, just down the corridor from Room 009. My phone extension
is X3809. If you need to see me for a protracted period of time, please make
an appointment with Mary Ann Nelson, the psychology department's secretary.
Her extension is X3800. If you have a quick question, the best way to contact
me is through e-mail. I check my e-mail many times per day, and I can almost
always get back to you quickly with an answer. My e-mail address is kgdolgin.
Review
Of Grading
1. Quizzes: 4 out of
5, at 15% each
60%
2. Two projects, at 10% each:
20%
3. Comprehensive final:
__20%__
100%